This is what XC racing should be like. It's mountain biking! I used to call XC racing "Road Racing on Dirt" because that's basically what it was. This is a lot more like it! Skills required as well as endurance. A road racer can't simply get into a mountain bike race and easily win it now without developing some off-roading skills. It's super cool to see this. And if some racers don't like it they can do road or gravel racing...😉
Exactly. There's nothing stopping a rider from dismounting for features they're uncomfortable with, you know just like any mountain biker would while progressively improving confidence and skill.
I raced XC in Alaska during the early 90s and it was anything but “road racing on dirt”. We did have some races on gravel roads, but even those were brutal because of the washboard. But most of our races had plenty of technical singletrack.
I’m getting more and more into xc as I get older, I absolutely love it too. I get out and ride xc trails as often as I can and it really shows in my fitness levels. Let’s see more xc.
I used to race in the Scottish XC series, which had some knarley descents for the days of 26” wheels, longs stems, short hardtail frames, high bottom brackets and fixed seat posts. The challenge with descending wash’t really the tech, it was competitively pacing and recovering from the climbs enough to be able to mentally focus on the features in the decents. Acute oxygen debt affecting brain function was the biggest hurdle to overcome. As much as the descents could be super steep, rutted, rooty and rocky they never really had drop-offs or jumps. I understand the need for shorter tracks crammed with big technical features are an attempt to make XC a spectator sport, which it wasn’t in my day. More spectators = more sponsors = more money…
I don't think its just about spectators - its actually rewarding riders with technical skills and also reflects the moderns bikes which are so much more capable. These are not outrageous features - technical sure, but we aren't talking double gap jumps here or 20 foot drops. Like you I remember doing XC series in the north of England in the 90s - back then I would ride my hard tail in both XC and downhill - before downhills got too epic. Bit different now for sure, but so much better too in many ways. What I would love to see is a 3 race event where you have to do it all on one bike, same tyres - XC, downhill, and short gravel (50kms) event - that would be an interesting test to see what configuration would be best!
@@peterswanson2090 Yes, bikes are more capable than they've ever been and the tracks look incredible and enjoyable to ride. But, we can't escape the fact the sport is a business first and foremost..Without spectators, sponsors and bike sales it wouldn't exist. Someone has to pay for it all...
The thing is, the places you were really struggling on your 26" bike with narrow bars and super steep headtube angles, today any low budget 29" would just steamroll over it. The courses have evolved with the bike tech. And non-technical offroad riding also has a different name today. It's called "gravel".
@@irfuel I went from a 26" 170mm Sworks Enduro to a 29" 140mm 1st Gen SC Hightower in 2017. The difference in speed and stability while descending was truly staggering.
Man XC is a different event from 20 years ago ..Obviously as mountain bike tech and design evolves so does the intensity and difficulty of the courses in all event styles . I cant wait to see how insane the sport will be in the next 20 years
I like that it's getting a bit more technical but I'd rather have them not have to walk their bike. For me they could dial it back just a bit with the tech, but it's good to have some of it so the rider with good technical ability stand out instead of just being a pure endurance event.
I love that UCI XC is becoming more 'trail' oriented - what is interesting is that I'd say a 29'er of yore (2017-2020) w/ that 65-67 HTA and 'starting' to lengthen' (i.e. 460MM+ reaches) on a 130/140 is basically what the latest of XC bikes are (albeit the latest in AXS and SIDs) I'd reckon that a 2020 Stumpjumper S-Works would be a weapon on this track.
How about on XC tires? Syerra are trail tires. Throw on something with only a hint of tread and try the course in the wet. The people that say XC riders don't have skills aren't paying attention. The current world cup level courses are tough!
Rich, I wanted to see you hit that wooden drop on your XC bike man. Funny that next came Crans Montana with "oh you think that was hard, watch this". I hope you guys do these for the other events but make the videos longer. Better yet, do it for Enduro events. They need some exposure.
I know dude that Crans course looked sick, gutted to not film on that one but i also think the weather plaed a huge difference, had Val di Sole been wet then ☠☠☠
Enduro is just boring to watch. In XC you see people going head to head. A lot more exciting than looking at a stopwatch and wondering if the delta will be red or green.
I would love it if gmbn sent one or even 2 of their guys on the London to Brighton off road bike ride for the British heart foundation, i am doing it for my 4th time and 61 miles last year although i lost 45 minutes i still completed it in 4hrs 15, in the dh sections i was clocked at 43mph on my giant fathom 2 hardtail
This style of XC makes me wonder what the difference between XC and Enduro is anymore. I couldn’t imagine hitting any of that on an XC bike, let alone in a race setting.
Ah man tell me about it, i shot this vid then saw the Crans course and was like "hold my beer i need to ride this" Just means next year i'll have to shoot a vid on that course for ya'll
I raced in Colorado for years, the xc races always pissed me off because they had no technical sections, just jeep roads and fire access roads , stupid crap, just gives the 140 lb road bikers with no bike skills an advantage
Until xc is up and down a downhill track i still think its tame this is why i ride moto single track and call it hard xc i dont think it will ever become a thing as people nowadays are soft sorry i,m an ex pro xco xcm racer been riding mtb for just over 40 years yeah i,m old like tomac ha ha. Lets get Gee Atherton and Danny Mac designing tracks then it will be gnarly .
It's blurring the lines between Enduro and XC which I think is a mistake. Call me a purist but XC racing was, and I think should still be, more about your fitness and strength an athlete competing all out as fast as possible. i still race XC and have been for a long time, so not happy to see it going this way. And yes, it still required mtb skills and I can take on the most technical drops, rock gardens, jumps, etc. however to me that not XC! Now I'd rather watch an enduro race over XC.
That's an interesting point, although this type XC racing is done in a loop making it easier to watch in person. With this new level of riding it could bring a lot more people into the sport 🤔
@@gmbn I get that, but as a XC racer I'm not interested in getting a new bike or modifying my current bike just to ride more like an enduro bike. I've raced Enduro and Downhill and I'm very happy to keep all three of these disciplines very separate. It's just my opinion/view.
Yeah it's cool but it makes XCO a race-only sport and XC bikes a race-only machine. If pros have to push up a hill or barely make it down, what to do for casuals? It's not building passion anymore because riding as a casual on your local xc course does not feel like what you see in pro sport.
It would make sense if people didn't recreationally ride enduro and other stuff. And XC race bikes are taking geometry cues from downhill oriented ones as well, just made much lighter.
MORE FREAKING XC ON THIS CHANNEL!
@@ttambm8639 first gmbn video I’ve watched in years. XC has been ignored quite a bit.
People sometimes tend to forget MTB is more than "steezy"/"gnarly" trail riding in baggy pants and pushing your bike uphill, or using a lift.
@@markush7001That’s because the channel has struggled to find ex pro XC riders who are able to present on videos.
This is what XC racing should be like. It's mountain biking! I used to call XC racing "Road Racing on Dirt" because that's basically what it was. This is a lot more like it! Skills required as well as endurance. A road racer can't simply get into a mountain bike race and easily win it now without developing some off-roading skills. It's super cool to see this. And if some racers don't like it they can do road or gravel racing...😉
Exactly. There's nothing stopping a rider from dismounting for features they're uncomfortable with, you know just like any mountain biker would while progressively improving confidence and skill.
pidcock is still superior 😅 but xco is cool ✌️
I raced XC in Alaska during the early 90s and it was anything but “road racing on dirt”. We did have some races on gravel roads, but even those were brutal because of the washboard. But most of our races had plenty of technical singletrack.
If you remove the technical part from MTB racing you get gravel racing.
vanderpoel and pidcock easily smokes these xc rider. they are pro road cyclist btw, currently in tour de france rn😅
I’m getting more and more into xc as I get older, I absolutely love it too. I get out and ride xc trails as often as I can and it really shows in my fitness levels. Let’s see more xc.
I used to race in the Scottish XC series, which had some knarley descents for the days of 26” wheels, longs stems, short hardtail frames, high bottom brackets and fixed seat posts. The challenge with descending wash’t really the tech, it was competitively pacing and recovering from the climbs enough to be able to mentally focus on the features in the decents. Acute oxygen debt affecting brain function was the biggest hurdle to overcome. As much as the descents could be super steep, rutted, rooty and rocky they never really had drop-offs or jumps. I understand the need for shorter tracks crammed with big technical features are an attempt to make XC a spectator sport, which it wasn’t in my day. More spectators = more sponsors = more money…
I don't think its just about spectators - its actually rewarding riders with technical skills and also reflects the moderns bikes which are so much more capable. These are not outrageous features - technical sure, but we aren't talking double gap jumps here or 20 foot drops. Like you I remember doing XC series in the north of England in the 90s - back then I would ride my hard tail in both XC and downhill - before downhills got too epic. Bit different now for sure, but so much better too in many ways. What I would love to see is a 3 race event where you have to do it all on one bike, same tyres - XC, downhill, and short gravel (50kms) event - that would be an interesting test to see what configuration would be best!
@@peterswanson2090 Yes, bikes are more capable than they've ever been and the tracks look incredible and enjoyable to ride. But, we can't escape the fact the sport is a business first and foremost..Without spectators, sponsors and bike sales it wouldn't exist. Someone has to pay for it all...
The thing is, the places you were really struggling on your 26" bike with narrow bars and super steep headtube angles, today any low budget 29" would just steamroll over it. The courses have evolved with the bike tech. And non-technical offroad riding also has a different name today. It's called "gravel".
@@irfuel I went from a 26" 170mm Sworks Enduro to a 29" 140mm 1st Gen SC Hightower in 2017. The difference in speed and stability while descending was truly staggering.
More of this please!
Awesome edit!! Love the detailed shots!! The face in the rut was hilarious! Nice work Team!!
Thanks for your feedback, it means a lot! 🤘
Cheers dude glad you like it
Thanks for the XC content. ❤
Our pleasure! Keep your eyes out, more will definitely be coming 🔥
My pleasure, more incoming👊
Really nice video would love to see more of this for the xc race course breakdowns.
Awesome course review! I would love to see a lot more XC content like this 👏🏻
Amazing content! Several details explained! Keep going, please!
Exciting times, I might start watching XC races from now on :D
Great insight and one of the best videos I've seen on GMBN.
6:11 Now someone teach Oli and Rich the difference between less and fewer!
Pro level pedantry there, chapeau!
Thanks mate glad you liked it, it seems like less people were strugglin at Val di Sole than Crans but fewer people could ride the A lines there 😆
@@Richard_Payne_GMBN Ha! 50% right - I'll take it.
@@alexpeartree2019 Thank you. That's amateur level, really, but I'll take the backhanded compliment! 😄
Crans-Montana also was something special, really gnarly
Is Val di Sole the gnarliest XC track on the World Cup circuit? What other XC content would you like to see?
This year Crans Montana in Swiss looks more challenging IMO 😬
How the pro's choose eyeware. Tinted, clear, no glasses etc.
Like others have said, the Swiss stop seemed more extreme. In fact, too much IMO. This one is good amount for me :)
Awesome review of the course and the race. Love more of this please.
Man XC is a different event from 20 years ago ..Obviously as mountain bike tech and design evolves so does the intensity and difficulty of the courses in all event styles . I cant wait to see how insane the sport will be in the next 20 years
XC of today... endurance, skills and more technical tracks 👍 love to see more of this!
Amazing video Rich!!
Looking forward to more of THIS!!
Maybe more lycra next time?! 😉
The Pain Cave 😊
My local trails are like this. But I’ve got 5” travel front and rear.
Crans Montana was epic. The drops without the wood.
Nice presentation about XC race. Can you do XC Pro bike check too? Thanks.
Season ending or even career ending is how tough they are now!!! At least in DH you can wear full face, neck brace, body and knee armour!
We might start seeing more protection being used in XC as well!
Remeber they dont have to ride the scary/tough lines there are options around
These courses are far too dangerous for XC
I like that it's getting a bit more technical but I'd rather have them not have to walk their bike. For me they could dial it back just a bit with the tech, but it's good to have some of it so the rider with good technical ability stand out instead of just being a pure endurance event.
If pros have to walk features it's definitely too much
It all depends on the weather conditions
I love that UCI XC is becoming more 'trail' oriented - what is interesting is that I'd say a 29'er of yore (2017-2020) w/ that 65-67 HTA and 'starting' to lengthen' (i.e. 460MM+ reaches) on a 130/140 is basically what the latest of XC bikes are (albeit the latest in AXS and SIDs)
I'd reckon that a 2020 Stumpjumper S-Works would be a weapon on this track.
Yes! More XC ! And XCM
How about on XC tires? Syerra are trail tires. Throw on something with only a hint of tread and try the course in the wet. The people that say XC riders don't have skills aren't paying attention. The current world cup level courses are tough!
Rich, I wanted to see you hit that wooden drop on your XC bike man. Funny that next came Crans Montana with "oh you think that was hard, watch this". I hope you guys do these for the other events but make the videos longer. Better yet, do it for Enduro events. They need some exposure.
I know dude that Crans course looked sick, gutted to not film on that one but i also think the weather plaed a huge difference, had Val di Sole been wet then ☠☠☠
@@Richard_Payne_GMBN Definitely the rain played a huge part. Especially in that man made rock garden and wooden stump section.
Enduro is just boring to watch. In XC you see people going head to head. A lot more exciting than looking at a stopwatch and wondering if the delta will be red or green.
Awesome video.
Great, XC is almost to the point where It's really interesting. Throw in more technical down and rock ledges up, and I'll be watching.
I would love it if gmbn sent one or even 2 of their guys on the London to Brighton off road bike ride for the British heart foundation, i am doing it for my 4th time and 61 miles last year although i lost 45 minutes i still completed it in 4hrs 15, in the dh sections i was clocked at 43mph on my giant fathom 2 hardtail
Great video
Crans-Montana!
lihatlah betapa olahraga ini berkembang, luarbiasa!
Can u hear the XC-Fork screaming for more travel in the rockgarden? 😂
Crans Montana is a tougher course! More XC content please!
Nice CANYON - but tire logo not aligned with rim logo :) :) :)
Type 2 fun is best type of fun
awesome vid, i always thought xc was easy lol guess not
This style of XC makes me wonder what the difference between XC and Enduro is anymore. I couldn’t imagine hitting any of that on an XC bike, let alone in a race setting.
clearly you've never been on any enduro trail
Most xc trails are no where near this though. I race xc and this is basically downhill for me lol
That's why it's "world cup" XC, and not "local MTB club" XC.
UCI give us back innerbarends!!
I suspect must riders would think the downs were like enduro and the ups like riding dh in reverse.
How many laps did they do?
7
@@JeffMTBinVA Thanks!
You need edit this video after Crans Montana 😂
Ah man tell me about it, i shot this vid then saw the Crans course and was like "hold my beer i need to ride this" Just means next year i'll have to shoot a vid on that course for ya'll
"Pro's"? Surely someone at GMBN should have spotted (and fixed) that one.
DUDE... That looks more like a DH loop than an XC track.
this is what xc is.
I raced in Colorado for years, the xc races always pissed me off because they had no technical sections, just jeep roads and fire access roads , stupid crap, just gives the 140 lb road bikers with no bike skills an advantage
...and then there was Crans Montana.
Should I ride smooth in the downhill section? 😂
Apparently so....easier said thean done lol
@@Richard_Payne_GMBN Those roots though 😳
Why is UCI trying to make XC more like enduro?
Until xc is up and down a downhill track i still think its tame this is why i ride moto single track and call it hard xc i dont think it will ever become a thing as people nowadays are soft sorry i,m an ex pro xco xcm racer been riding mtb for just over 40 years yeah i,m old like tomac ha ha. Lets get Gee Atherton and Danny Mac designing tracks then it will be gnarly .
Yeah grandpa, time to go to bed .... You wouldn't even make it to the top of the first climb.
I'll let the pros ride it 😂
maybe freestyle trail-dh ,whatever,check out the british columbia and learn what xc is,all for sponsors this days,around and around pff...
It's blurring the lines between Enduro and XC which I think is a mistake. Call me a purist but XC racing was, and I think should still be, more about your fitness and strength an athlete competing all out as fast as possible. i still race XC and have been for a long time, so not happy to see it going this way. And yes, it still required mtb skills and I can take on the most technical drops, rock gardens, jumps, etc. however to me that not XC! Now I'd rather watch an enduro race over XC.
That's an interesting point, although this type XC racing is done in a loop making it easier to watch in person. With this new level of riding it could bring a lot more people into the sport 🤔
@@gmbn I get that, but as a XC racer I'm not interested in getting a new bike or modifying my current bike just to ride more like an enduro bike. I've raced Enduro and Downhill and I'm very happy to keep all three of these disciplines very separate. It's just my opinion/view.
Agreed. That course is absolutely brutal for xc.
If you just want to pedal hard on off-road, do a gravel race.
What the pros think for 2 mins then another 10 of this non-pro riding around. not really what was advertised
Yeah it's cool but it makes XCO a race-only sport and XC bikes a race-only machine. If pros have to push up a hill or barely make it down, what to do for casuals? It's not building passion anymore because riding as a casual on your local xc course does not feel like what you see in pro sport.
It would make sense if people didn't recreationally ride enduro and other stuff. And XC race bikes are taking geometry cues from downhill oriented ones as well, just made much lighter.
Because your average trail center has the same tracks as World Cup DH?
Tough enough people whine that they're too tough, apparently.
There are enduro stages less technical than this