4X Dropped from the UCI World Cup Series

Author: | 23 September 2011 | 88

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The UCI have just announced that 4X is no longer a World Cup event…

There has been a lot of talk going on around and about this for a while now, but just like being dumped, when it actually happens it can be a bit of a surprise (I would imagine)! So the UCI (the international cycling federation) has dropped 4X from the 2012 World Cup series. Oddly there will still be a 4X World Championship race, which seems a little weird. Of course 4X can survive, there is already a strong Euro scene, but what does this mean for all the riders, teams, mechanics, sponsors, etc. Is it a nail in the coffin? Maybe Jared Graves knew something!

PRESS RELEASE

Following the publication of the 2012 Mountain Bike calendar, the UCI confirms that Four-cross events will form part of the programme of the 2012 UCI Mountain Bike and Trials World Championships to be held in Leogang, Austria.

However, due to the high costs of constructing tracks and their impact on the environment, the UCI has decided to withdraw this speciality from the programme of events at UCI Mountain Bike World Cups from next season.

UCI Communication Services

88 Responses to “4X Dropped from the UCI World Cup Series”

  1. Um… What?

  2. I am sure the, ahem, “impact on the environment” is the UCI’s biggest concern. After polishing rocky road behind, of course…

  3. Pure and special “UCI made” bullshit. Environemental impact? These guys are organising the Tour de France! One of the biggest CO2 producing event in Europe and talks about few trees destroyed in the heart of Ski Resorts?

    Well done Dirt to talk about riders and staffs who were already putting together sponsors and money for the 2012 calendar. The UCI doesn’t know what respect means and shit on the face of some of the best Riders on earth.

    I’m a bit worried about Downhill for the next few years.

    UCI will hide the death of mountain biking : no freecaster, no Dirt TV (as this year in 4, and probably less and less accreditations)

    Stop UCI

  4. What an actual joke, and what a poor, poor excuse, how can 8/9 (tops) 4X WC level 4X courses around the world have SUCH a detrimental effect on the environment that they disregard the whole sport. Shocked.

    The sooner another cycling governing body is born the better. One that welcomes freecaster & all broadcasting as fantastic publicity, one that maintains the sport of 4X and supports PROPER sponsors that maintain a good reputation with followers and sportsmen alike. Rocky road? too right UCI, too right.

  5. Next they will be saying there will be no DH!!

  6. Those sick bastards!

  7. hang on.. isn’t this to do with Rockyroad sponsoring the 2012 uci series.
    uci/rockroad sign a deal for 2012 then rockyroad turn around and say ah urmm well …. we haven’t actually got that much money as we first thought. so the uci have to pull the 4x to make ends meet.
    dam shame

  8. If it’s not pumped full of performance enhancing drugs and wrapped in Lycra they’re just not interested!

  9. Drop XC not 4X

  10. f*ck UCI ! Theyre ment to be making the sport better, not doing sh*t like this. What do all the 4X riders do since there is no WC to race in? the possibility of having no freecaster and now this? wake up UCI.

  11. “High cost of constructing tracks” why how much do they get charged to build a track?

  12. One of the main problems seems to have been rider and racer dissatisfaction with courses (Too sanitized, too BMX/Supercross in nature, not MTB enough), which has seen rider numbers fall. On paper it probably looks to the UCI like a discipline in turmoil/on its knees.

    However, instead of just killing it off, surely as the sport’s governing body, they should have listened to the riders and found a way to make it more appealing, therefore keeping rider interest and registration numbers up. Grow the sport and support it, don’t write it off.

    For me, 4X at its best was a great spectacle – an exciting sport to watch and something that could have drawn more money and interest in to MTB from outside channels. I think could have been made brilliant had the UCI given it decent support.

    It’s a shame – not least for all the riders and teams dedicated to it. Hopefully, a new independent, non-UCI series will snap, phoenix like from the gate. How appealing an ‘unofficial’ and un-sanctioned overall title will be to the pros is to be seen, but I hope that 4X isn’t just consigned to the odd national and Euro round here and there…

  13. ahh c’mon its not the end of the world. Bring back dual slalom and lets remember 4X through rose tinted glasses. 4X was kinda good but never really excited the masses…never lived up to it’s promise.

  14. two’s up anyone?

  15. MTB should ditch the official UCI program and just do the world champ. They should all switch to the IXS or Nissan Cup. Put their money in those series and make it bigger. Even DH cup looks stupid with 5-6 race.

  16. I’m sure BMX tracks are much cheaper and better for the environment…

  17. @ Jamie: I too think the “environmental impact” issue is bs. But please leave out BMX tracks here because unlike most 4x tracks a BMX track usually generates a lot of value for the public: clubs with up to 100 members or more, an opportunity for 5 year olds to learn the basics and get into gravity biking, a competitive sport for pretty much the whole family etc. I get your point but the comparison to BMX makes no sense at all.

  18. Like it or not, the UCI hold the cards, a breakaway series will fail as corporate sponsors need the exposure.

    But no-one can claim 4x is in the best of health, some world cups this year had only 7 or 8 female entrants, and theres 5 on the podium! So you only have to beat two people to get a world cup podium, not a good sign.

  19. Isn’t it about time the DH and other gravity fed disciplines (4x included) drop the UCI. 4X is one of the best spectator events, its a format that works in BMX, snowboarding skiing etc. As a far shorter track I cannot see how cost and environmental impact are an issue. Compared to what? Cutting in a brand new track at Champery a few years ago. What garbage. We need to sack the UCI
    I firmly hope that we will see a new rival series evolve over the coming months

  21. Bring back dual slalom! much cheeper to build tracks and then all riders can race and fans will still want to watch !

  22. This isn’t that bad, is it? Have a few people already popped their rose tinted glasses on?

    Definitely not a well supported series, either by sponsors, the UCI, the media (even in Dirt it’s clearly a ‘side show’). And the point about the women riders is a valid one. It’s not that exciting – you don’t often see good overtaking moves, do you, really? It’s still all about the snap, which doesn’t encourage DH riders to compete. And worth noting that with no Kintner, no Beerten and no Graves in 2012 there wasn’t going to be much of a show, anyway.

    BUT – the UCI seem to have handled this terribly. The riders putting those deals together are now left with nothing, in an area of cycling that’s already hard enough to get ahead in, these guys have been turned over by the very organisation that’s mean to be looking after them.

    Oh, and let’s not slate our pals in BMX and XC, it’s all just wheels on dirt, after all.

  23. The tracks were what was making 4x dull and boring anyway. I’m glad it’s been pulled in it’s present form, hopefully it will be back though one day with a less man made/Bmx style track with more lines for overtaking.

  24. I’m pretty gutted by this, seems like a terrible way to run things, the UCI seem to govern things like the FIA did in motorsport during the 70′s. Personally I loved watching the 4X at WC events, and I think all who make the Journey to these events will agree it added another spectacle to the weekend, it was great to watch. I thought the UCI would make efforts to develop all cycling sports, not abandon them when a few cracks started to appear. This is not good for mountain bike sports at all……….

  25. I’m not down with the “f**k the UCI” crew.
    UCI is not all roses (nothing is),but somehow managed to put up credible World Cup and World Championship seasons since 1990. Is there an option? Don’t think so.
    Four Cross,in my opinion,has little to do with the riding 99.99% most of us are doing.Anyway you look at it,it really looks more bmx than mtb. Track builders tried their best to force riders to use real-world mtb’s,but at the top level is always the hardtail with xc tires and locked suspension who wins.
    Give me a World Cup Enduro race format,and keep the mountain in mountain biking.

  26. nozes makes a good point, or 2.

  27. While I’m not that bothered about 4x as a discipline, the real problem yet again seems to be the way the UCI handle these things, it does not give me a warm fuzzy feeling regarding the future if our sport at the highest level.

    That said, even the UCI guys said DH was the most exciting event in their (pretty dull) World Champs program, and I agree with nozes that Enduro racing has much more in common with the type of riding most of us do. I think Enduro is the future, it rocks.

  28. I’m with Nozes on this one…A world cup Enduro series would be absolutely bangin’….IMAGINE!….vouilloz, Wilderhaber, Barel, The Don, Rob Cooksley….etc battling it out.

  29. 4x suffers some of the same issues as F1. When you have different chassis and engines the best will usually dominate and no course with multiple lines will change that without suicide line options. Although this could be hugely entertaining I don’t think too many want to enter deathmatch 4x.

  30. Does the recent news stream also point to the UCI feeling the pinch generally? Perhaps the gravy train is running low on bisto granules…

  31. My BCF memebership and race licence was a fortune, use some of the spare money from that to help pay for it. I think you should get to vote/have a say if you buy a “membership” where your money goes. How much does BCF give to UCI?

  32. @ Mark, do you want the UCI to ‘dabble’ with Enduro races?? Seem to be running ok on their own so far.

  33. I agree with Nozes to a large extent. 4x has not much to do with the riding that most people do. I think given the low entry numbers in some events and the lack of big stars the UCI decision is (for once) understandable. I would prefer them to put more effort into promoting DH racing, which has been great to watch for the last few years. Not sure that this will happen though!

    Enduro world cup races would be good, but (expects dislikes for writing this on here!) I’d actually like for them to improve XC racing so that it reflects what modern bikes (and riders) are capable of. Make them ride up and down actual mountains and take all the chicken runs out of the tracks. Doesn’t provide much of a spectacle as it is.

  34. i agree with Rob C if you made PROPER KNARLY xc tracks where failed roadies coundnt shoulder their 29r’s to run down grassy slopes hopefully we’d have something alot more exciting to watch!
    Make its so unless you are actually riding a 140/150mm travel bike (which most people at trail centers) then you aint going stand a chance. Imagine the devolpment that would then go into ‘proper’ bikes and trails then.

  35. OK so no more world cup 4X run by the UCI?

    hello RED BULL world cup 4X
    (or any other major action sports company with an interest in taking up where the UCI left off, my using of red bull was just an example)

    there WILL be a 2012 4X world series, just run by somebody else, an it will probably be BETTER

  36. something else i just thought after reading a comment that “4X doesn’t represent the riding that most people do” and “more effort should be put into DH”

    well i live in east anglia where theres not many mountains :) and i guess the same could be said for many in the UK, so with out 4X style of riding i would hardly be able ride my FR bike in some big hills

    4X is Dirt style MTB for the MASSES, without it a lot of us would be sitting in arm chairs watching DH like its F1 (or doing endless boring XC laps round the local woods ;) )

  37. And NOW!!! It´s time to include THE ENDURO RACES in the uci calendar :D

  38. Is this a good or bad thing? Yes 4x is exciting to watch and has lead to many great races but it always seems to be a side show to Downhill. I guess the answer to my question lies in what the UCI do with the extra funds saved by not staging 4x, if they are diverted to enhance DH and mountain biking in general then maybe that is the best thing for the sport. Does anyone know what they plan to do with the savings?

  39. Pete C not saying the UCI are corrupt or anything but do you really think they’ll ‘invest’ it somewhere else in mountain biking?!!

  40. Monster/rockstar/redbull energy duel slalom (complete with bonus whip points) is the way forward!!

  41. Steve, totally agree. It maybe wishful thinking to think they will reinvest in mountain biking. But we should put pressure on the UCI to communicate what they plan to do with the savings.

  42. @Pete C & @Steve: any savings the UCI will make by this decision will only go a little way to making up the massive loss they make on MTB racing in general according to their own figures

  43. Drop track cycling! How much does it cost to build a cycling arena and maintain it???

  44. This is actually quite good news if you think about it. Now 4X can separate itself from the UCI and actually reach its potential with good tracks, good organisation and managed by people who are involved for the right reasons.

    I much as I hate to say it, I kinda hope they drop DH… or better yet the DH guys will see how well 4X does without UCI and break away themselves.

    Longshot I know…

  45. A sad day for 4x, yes but 4x racers will keep racing, 4x bike companies will keep building and promoting. I’m guessing most 4x riders don’t make a great deal of money, if any at all, from racing. So who are the losers and who are the winners? Will someone step up to fill in the gap? I can’t help feeling its only the UCI spectators who lose out. The rest of us who love 4x will get our race fix elsewhere and should show support for the Euros, NPS and other local series. Surely it’s who you race against that matters not the title?

  46. When a good portion of your production, promotion, r&d to showcase your products rely on events that are governed by one sanctioned body you are that union’s bitch. UCI’s not the problem anymore. letting them dictate you is the problem now. so what are we gonna do about it?

    at the end of the day it is economics. someone or some feel that 4X is not viable at the moment. there’s no romance without finance.fact. whose got the balls and 3000ft view to say F off to the UCI? Promoting races for an organizer is maybe 1% percent recovery on a 250% outlay. Recovery NOT profit. RIP 4X . DH your’re next on the UCI guillotine. I think that’ll be a good day and a blessing in disguise. I’ll put my faith on the passionate of the sport and go from there. I’m willing to pay to play OR watch. let’s do this shit!

  47. Where do I start?!!!
    (I’m basing all this on opinion and some rough education and fact, so don’t take it as gospel. If you don’t agree then don’t call me a prick, show me how I’m wrong instead)
    .
    Ok, I’m going to point the finger and blame the Americans for this (sweeping statement, but go with me). When 4X was first pioneered at WC level (after it’s UK inception as BSX), there were quite a few American riders involved with it. As it progressed and became apparent that to succeed you would have to dedicate yourself to just 4X, many of the riders that were doing both 4X and DH dropped 4X in favour of DH; because they had a better chance of doing well in this discipline when faced with many of the BMX riders that were dominating 4X.
    .
    There was one sole American rider who did consistantly well at 4X: Brian Lopes. it was only since Lopes removed himself from 4X that the Americans turned sour towards 4X, and started calling for a return to Dual (not Duel). Unfortunately for 4X, America represents a large portion of cyling’s income: and if they aren’t supporting 4X then it isn’t going to succeed.
    .
    Bit of a gross generalisation I know, but it’s logical progression really. If you have no star to promote the sport to the masses, then why produce bikes for the sport? It’s no longer marketable. To see the opposite in effect just look at the UK DJ scene. We have a fair amount of household DJ names, and so companies that specialise in just this type of riding have thrived. Just look at DMR: Over 10 years and still going strong! But in America, where the DJ scene is even more specialist and niche than ours, it’s hard for companies to specialise in it. And that is why you see big name American DJ/FR stars riding for big corporate bike companies (which is a good thing as it’s pumping money in the right direction), and very few specialist companies on a big level.
    .
    So anyway, I’m getting sidetracked here. Right, back to the UCI and America. The UCI have realised that because 4X is not popular in America, and because the big corporations are not behind it (how many big name companies have more than 1 4X/DJ bike/frame in their line up), it is not financially viable to keep supporting it. Simple economics. They sponsor the events, they control the riding, and the paying public (read Americans) control the corporations.
    .
    Where they UCI hvae missed out though is the potential that 4X has for a wider market, especially the TV market. I know that there were a lot of people who’d never heard of Boardercross or BMX Supercorss, but compelled to follow the coverage at the olympics because both are such a good spaectator sport. The same appplies to 4X. DH involves a lot of cameras to cover the whole track, and (currently) nobody can fund this. This is why Freecaster coverage is limited to about 4-5 camera angles, and unless somebody crashes, whips, or really charges for it, once you’ve watched one rider come down, all the rest look pretty much the same. 4X (this year especially) on the other hand is always good to watch because no two runs are the same. What’s more, you can watch the entire track pretty much from behind your computer screen. The UCI are seriously missing a trick if they think 4X is not financially viable when it comes to advertising and audience figures.
    .
    I find it quite disgusting though that the UCI is trying to hide behind the facade of “…the high costs of constructing tracks and their impact on the environment, the UCI has decided to withdraw this speciality …” when they have decided to run three rounds of the new XCE (cross country eliminator), after its introductory fledgling round was held last year. They can’t afford 4X but they can afford XCE? Oh, now I get it; Brian Lopes races XCE doesn’t he?! (Came third last year, proving there’s life in the old dog yet). Which means that America can do well in something other than DH, which means they have a hero to relate to, and thus the UCI have something they can sell.
    .
    As for this lie about building 4X tracks impacts on the environment? Because building a full scale DH run doesn’t affect the environment? Having WC factory teams having to fly to all these different countried because the UCI has decided to split gravity and endurnace events (rather than running them at the same time/location as they have done previously) doesn’t impact on the environment? Lies and hypocracy uci, lies and hypocracy…
    .
    I can understand that not everyone here supports 4X. It may not be for you granted. But it really grinds my gears [ironic as I mainly ride singlespeed!] when people decide to slate it when having never been involved in it: Even at a basic level of actually attending an event as a spectator, let alone riding it. Watching 4X on Freecaster does not give you sudden authority on 4X (but the support is appreciaited)
    .
    And I’m very dishartened to see people on here claiming that 4X doesn’t represent the majority of riders. I’m pretty sure there are more kids in the UK racing their mates in the woods and over jumps on little hardtails then there are pyjama-clad, fully-sprung, DH ego-warriors, or trail centre destroying, “this is what riding is really about”, middle-management, middle-aged, middle-paid, narrow-minded fashionistas. CLAIMING THAT 4X IS NOT DONE ON A PROPER MTB IS UTTER, UTTER BULLSHIT!! There are more and more hardcore hardtails sold every year, for two reasons: 1. Not everyone can afford a 6-8 inch insurance policy for their riding, and 2. Not everyone needs it! It’s just the accepted thing to do to fit in now isn’t it? But a 150mm rig, travel to a trail center, catch an uplift, pad up and claim you’re an all-mountain hero. No sir, the kid who spends his paper round money on a £500 hardtail, the student who spends his wet weekends carving out a new DH line or building a new four pack, the man in jeans and t-shirt and piss pot and goggles ragging it home through the woods in the evening without 1,000,0000 watt LED lights; they’re all far more of a hero to mountainbiking than any of you!
    .
    Phew, getting a bit emotional here.
    .
    There are many calling for a return to Dual Slalom. Mainly Americans. It’s claimed that the lessened importance of the gate start will make for fairer racing. This is just a sore-looser’s excuse. You don’t see F1 drivers moaning that the start grid is not a good idea because they don’t qualify well do you? Or MX/SX riders saying that it’s not fair that they can’t always go on the inside gate? No! In any sport where there is a mass start, there will always be those better at starting. There will always be an advantage to picking your lane first, and to do so you gotta qualify first. People can bitch all they wan’t about Graves being so dominant out of the gate (well, maybe not so much this year), at the end of the day he qualifies fastest to earn it. Simply put, against the clock or against other riders, he’s (often) the fastest rider down the track. He’s the best. You don’t see sprinters asking for Usain Bolt to be given a handicap to make the racing fairer for them do you? No! Shut up, man up, and get better.
    .
    A solution then? Well who knows what the future holds? A I type riders from all across Europe are preparing for the final round of the Euro 4X series. The 4X Alliance is meeting tonight to try and find some answers to the many questions being raised. Maybe we should just hold a large European series, and stick two fingers up to the USA? Hell, maybe we go everywhere across the world, with the 4X Alliance at the helm? We’ll have to see. It’d be good to see 4X continue without the UCI (and some of their daft rulings), and perhaps it’d pave the way for DH to move away in the future too.
    .
    As for replacing 4X with Dual? Not for me I’m afraid. While I’ve raced slalom (albeit very basic ghetto grass slalom), it doesn’t compare to racing 4X. Specating wise, it’s not as fun either, and quite confusing. Watching it at Crankworks did little to enthuse me. The amatuer racing was very boring to watch because you have to wade through so many riders to get to the excitement of the better riders. The pro racing was not that much better to watch, just fatser. The problem is I thnk that it’s timed racing, not actually head to head. So you don’t really know who’s winning or loosing. The tracks can be so deceptive as to who has the advantage. Oh, and that excuse from the UCI about 4X tracks costing too much: Dual tracks will cost just as much, because they take a lot of time to make sure everything rides pretty equally. That involves a lot of spadework, and hand tweaking. You can’t just bank some corners up and rough out some jumps with a digger and say that’ll do.
    .
    I do like the idea of Duel/2X. The giant slalom racing at Crankworks was awesome: it was all about the pump and carrying speed and being precise. Imagine that but with just two riders on the track at one! No space to pedal out of your poor line choice, you have to be precise in both your riding and your tactics!

  48. I think it’s rather optimistic of the UCI to say they’ll host the World Champs this year and expect support from the 4X community. I’d love to see a non-UCI 4X World Champs organised for the following week, and to have riders boycott the UCI event.
    .
    I note that the champs are being held at Leogang: a prebuilt, popular and established track. I wonder if they’d still be holding the champs if the venue didn’t have an established all weather track? I have my doubts.
    .
    I won’t rant for much more, promise, I just missed it from the above. 4X tracks take time and effort to build properly. They take testing, reworking and retesting to make sure they flow and provide fair racing. Unfortunately the UCI seem to think that they can just pay someone (often a skilled, but non-WC level rider will be involved too) to knock out a track a week or two before the event, and then expect it to be ideal for racing.
    .
    That’s why tracks like Leogang and Ft Bill have provided brilliant racing for the past two years. They’ve been given chance to evolve into a great track.

  49. ^wow.

  50. @morgan- some of us across that big pond agree with you. I grew up on gates with bmx and friends on mx so i dig 4X ALOT. can we put a little blame then on the union without a backbone whose based in Switzerland somewhere. don’t think Roskopp ever wanted to drop Peaty cuz he wasn’t a big hairy american winning machine. this’ll turn into pinkbike quick if you get flags into it. i see riders not flags. All the more reason to leave UCI’s “world Champ” titles. it all is $$ and politics to suck on the IOC’s tit after all.

  51. plus I got so much shit from my friends cuz i wanted Hart over Gwin that day!!!

  52. I’m kinda surprised it took this long to drop the event really , to me 4x never lived up to the hype by a long shot , slow awkward tracks , tiny jumps and very little passing unless some one slipped a pedal or got t-boned off the track ( at WC level that is).
    For me it was always too far away from mountain biking to be considered mountain biking ( much like this ‘ trail center ‘ style of things ) , it was always BMX’s less talented little brother in my opinion.
    But at the same time there was obviously a lot of people who loved the format and event and I do feel very sorry for those people that have trained their asses off and put time and money into creating WC teams and such.

  53. is it finally over?
    what was that a decade of riders, builders, teams, the uci, national sport bodies , announcers,race organizers etc ,etc complaining very publicly about the discipline.
    want someone to blame? most can look in the mirror to find the culprit.

    how many of you really ,really promoted the sport of 4x?
    if you weren’t complaing about the tracks, the riders, the support, it seems you had nothing to say.
    don’t blame the uci on this one, it is the mtb industry’s fault.

  54. You feel better for that morgan.
    How can you say its bmx less talented little brother. Graves made no. 2 in the world on that little kids bike and how much talent do you need to ride a tarmac berm. and the people that say 4x is less fun to watch i dont agree with because i have sat down and watched the downhill and after a couple of riders have gone past it all looks a bit the same.

  55. How about a freestyle track at fortwilliam in place of where the 4x track was… picture it, man made drops, back flips, tailwhips! for those who have been to a race a fortwilliam, there’s always a buzz to see what cedric is going to do!? a freestyle comp on the Saturday would build a relaxed atmosphere to the place, a mini crankworx almost. the folk a fortwilliam need to put there heads together to keep the crowds coming, the DH alone won’t do it. Time for a revamp I say.

  56. Fucking Joke!!!!!!

  57. Surely 4X is more exciting to watch that XC and arguably DH for non-bikers? Seems like a stupid decision that again shows how much interest the UCI has in mountain biking…

  58. [...] There has been a lot of talk going on around and about this for a while now, but just like being dumped, when it actually happens it can be a bit of a surprise (I would imagine)! So the UCI (the international cycling federation) has dropped 4X from the 2012 World Cup series. Oddly there will   …  more [...]

  59. utter bull ….uci have sold out….xc racing or roadies is all there interested in corrupt mo fo mmmmmm the rocky roads shite me thinks

  60. Remember when all the DH riders would all race 4x on saturday night. Watching Peaty line up alongside gracia, before everyone was so specialist I suppose. Then gracia would flip mid-race! Those were the days.

    Personally, I do think it needs to be raced in DH bikes by DH racers to be appealing. Just give those boys some points to go after… Just call it qualifying or something!

  61. What ever your take on 4x, this is bad. The UCI have let us down, completely. Cannot think of a more TV worthy discipline currently in the sport.

  62. I think 4X world cup was in poor health, but the UCI has euthanised it prematurely.

  63. Mountain biking never gets TV coverage, so its not as if the UCI are doing anything for the sport. Time to ditch the tag ‘UCI’ what a shitty logo anyway. Ditch the ‘World Cup’ thing and form a new series maybe link up with the Freeride events. Get heaps of smaller organisations like: Freeride Entertainment, Redbull, bike companies, Ski resorts, internet sites to all form an aliance. Make a dirtier, grittier, nasty, rock n roll rebirth. Get some bad press and wait till a larger company realise they can make money out of it. Just having UCI tagged in there just takes away the fun of it all! No booze, no drugs and no topless cheerleaders :( What are we athletic marathon runners?

  64. There are one or two positive comments on this forum, and they’ve been dismissed with so much negativity that it’s embarrassing to read. Some of the larger posts are bordering on hilarious. 1880 words on how America is secretly responsible for the cancellation? Really? Come on guys, if you love the sport then go out and do something about it. That doesn’t mean petitioning the UCI; that means organising races, building more tracks, starting clubs… it’s up to you.

  65. 4X is fun to watch. Should be developed, not killed off.

  66. 4x is dead, long live 4x. Sod the UCI, now is the time to do something, now is the time that if you ever thought about entering a race get entering (yes the season has just finished but there are winter races and lets make next years national series massive), if you’ve ever enjoyed the video edits and watching it on freecaster make the effort to come watch in person, as the Afan Euro round this year proved there is a great atmosphere regardless of the weather. Too many people will bitch about it being dropped at a world level then not have anything to do with it at a domestic level. If you want to help get the sport where it should be, spread the word, show your face, not give it some “wahwahwahwah the uci are gits” on the forums and then forget it ever existed.
    The american link may have had a decent sized hand in this and so may rocky road. Then there’s the UCI having banned edits of the world cup 4x races thus killing a lot of the hype and feel of the sport.
    Its all shit and bad stuff but maybe now the sport can be what we want it to be. It survived pretty well as BSX before the world cups came along with 2 series being run (Ah the great days of the Hornton Hill series’) and its going to survive the next year without world cups. Maybe we could call it BSX again….

  67. http://www.fourcross-alliance.com/

    Looks like good news :)

  68. Lets be very honest….4x was very boring to watch….no pass or crash on the first corner…nothing more.

    I’d like to see a dual slalon return…..if dual slalon returns we have the opportunity to see again the big names of downhill on dual reces, like was before.

  70. Personaly I don’t see the pro downhill guys competing in DS racing at world cups. Yeah they do it at Crankworx and Sea Otter, but they’re not World Cups.
    With racing at such high standards these days I can’t see all the top guys racing slalom before their main race. And if one or two of the top dogs chose not to race the slalom event e.g. to conserve their energy the others would probably chose to do the same, so as not to be at a disadvantage come race day.

  71. Blessing in disguise, 4X needs to break away from the DH scene and all it’s negativity surrounding the discipline.

    Look anywhere else on the net but here and it’s 99% positive comments about 4X and how exciting it is to watch. Spectators love it and that’s the bigger picture.

  72. Straight from the horses mouth:
    .
    Fourcross Alliance Press Release for Immediate Distribution
    .
    The Fourcross Alliance are as stunned and surprised as the majority of people out there at the UCI’s decision to remove 4X from the Mountain Bike World Cup Series in 2012. The discipline that has provided so much entertainment during the 2011 Mountain Bike Series seemed to have secured it’s future with the UCI after what will be remembered as the finest, most unpredictable race series ever seen.
    .
    This decision to simply remove the discipline with no warning to riders, teams, federations or organisers, with a complete disregard to any contracts that are currently in place is probably the point that we are most annoyed about. There are teams and riders out there who have contracts which will run through 2012 to race World Cup 4X. We definitely feel that some better consultation and warning would have been an appropriate move from UCI. We really feel sorry for the World Cup organisers who have successfully won their bids and have contracts in place for the 2012 Mountain Bike World Cup season which was due to include 4X.
    .
    Although we see this decision as being entirely the wrong one from the UCI and it’s management committee, the Fourcross Alliance now see this as an opportunity to help develop the sport to it’s full potential by creating a new 4X World Series.
    .
    After what has been a very successful 2011 season for 4X, the sport has continued to grow and showcase 4X as being one of the most exciting cycling disciplines the UCI have ever created. To end the sport now we feel is a mistake and it is vital to the continued development of the sport that 4X remains on the World stage.
    .
    We have had nothing but words of support for 4X in the last 24 hours and we anticipate many more opinions to be voiced in the coming days.
    All the positive comments for 4X that have been written on the Internet from people all over the world have only fuelled our passion and devotion to make the new World 4x Series a success.
    .
    The Fourcross Alliance plan to work with the UCI, where possible, to create a new an exciting future for the sport of 4X.
    .
    The plans are already starting to take shape in the very short time period we have had to work on creating a new 4X World Series.
    .
    We have to get contracts in place before we start to publish details of the new 4X World Series but what we would like to say to all riders is continue to finalise your sponsorship deals for 2012 with the knowledge that we are working on creating a new 4X World Series for 2012 and beyond.
    .
    We would like to thank everyone for there messages & emails of support.
    A full statement will be issued in due course.
    .
    Scott Beaumont & Chris Roberts
    Fourcross Alliance

  73. Great news on the above.

    Oh, and 4X doesn’t want, or need, “DH stars” to race 4X. When a rider is in a 4X race they are a 4X racer, no matter where they came from….and he who wants it the most will win.

  74. Good stuff 4X was a waste of time anyway

  75. What are the UCI thinking about, you only have to see the crowds at Fort william to see that its popular, plus with mountain biking at its highest peck ever and no freecaster this will only do the sport harm. but the UCI are only interested in lycra and XC events. It’s about time somone else starts to run DH & 4X events

  76. No more specialising in just 4x, only if your competing in downhill can you choose to do 4x.

  77. Long live Slalom.

  79. Sod the UCI and there Red tape BS.

    Hopefully they will drop DH too so we can free oursleves from the barriers they place on our sport.

    They can keep the The Tour de France and its blatant abuse of Performance Enhancing Drugs.

    It’s us, the people that are here because we love riding that count not white collar fools behind a desk.

    Viva la revolution….!

    Long live Freecaster…!

  80. well… thats retarded…

  82. Its my believe…that indeed we need to segregate…UCI to my knowledge is the one given the wrong direction to our local federations.

    Interesting thing is that some of you are talking about the FMB a fair choice if by any means UCI comes next year dropping the DH too….to me, honestly, I thing is the natural choice…That organization is really taking over good sponsors that foresee our sport as their mecca with much less dinosaurs-like people calling the shots….and with much less bureaucratic shit…

    Read also here, that too much negative people and we should be doing something….Well, I can only speak for my country, but we have explore this, taking to the goverment and some other instances to form a new cycling federation, a EXTREME one…one that can understand the words HUCK TO FLAT without having to explain first gap a big jump is on a road gap…

    However, this is far from become a reality…and its because DH its still under the UCI umbrella…and until so, we have to put up to this shit, unless we manage to get them to cut us loose, then we can make the move….

    Nevertheless….start working on it, so by the time this comes out, voila…everything is ready to roll…and like I said, we are already there, we have everything ready, SK8, DJ (20&26), SLOPESTYLE are already on this organization, and we tried hard on the DH one, but we couldn’t…we rest a sure, soonest something as the 4X happens to the DH, we will make the move…

  83. Cant concisely do this….

    RANT!

    All as above.

  84. Worst impact is the UCI impact against sport.
    May be an economical reason ?
    Yes: a poor money in some inner pocket?
    Aug

  85. For all those that say 4X is too sanitised then I suggest you a) have a go at it, and b) watch this video:
    http://video.mpora.com/watch/nhcfxlhb1/
    All I’ll say is rock garden, and road gap. Pretty sure there’s quite a few of you Dhers out there that’d think twice about doing them

  86. it was inevitable, but everything “happens for a reason”..its actually great news because its an opportunity for people who really care to form a powerful coalition and make their own Worlds series

    all you need is a proper backer – like RED BULL!!

    imagine a 4X world series based on the same concept as Red Bull’s popular “X-Fighters”, perfect for television ;)

    the UCI is just like the IOC (international olympics committee) – an archaic organisation which exists to protect its own interests (ruling members) grey haired men in suits who only care about their salaries and bonuses and nothing about the “sport” itself

    like the UCI, the IOC is a pure gravy train and one reason I will have nothing to do with the 2012 London Olympic games (I was asked to get involved with the cycling side of things..)

  87. 4x will die without world cup 4x racing , all the technology on 4x bikes comes from world cup development and lots of people got into 4x from watching world 4x so there will be less up and coming 4x champions.This will hit sales of 4x bikes so hard that there wont be a 4x bike soon. 4x can be as exciting as dh if the tracks were changed slightly. I think it was a wrong decision to drop 4x and I think they will realise this next year. I hope 4x bounces back from this set back and proves the UCI wrong.

  88. [...] 4x World Series is taking shape after the UCI dropped 4x from it’s 2012 World Cup calendar . We’re still waiting for the full dates but this is great news for fans and riders [...]

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