Is XC in trouble? Can XC survive this loss of talent? Also, Martyn want’s to know how he should change the ‘Top 40 Stylish Riders List’? Let him know the riders and he will add them. 🚨 Enter the Peaty’s competition giveaway here 👉 gmbn.eu/WinPeatys it’s free to enter!
Owen has been a very enjoyable more technically accurate upgrade to the channel, I've really enjoyed seeing him starting with ebikes over on the other side, great upgrade to the channels :)
Talking about XC stars going over to road riding, what do we need to do to tempt Tom Pidcock over to mountain biking full time? He is absolutely box office on a mountain bike. I love it.
One of the big problems about XC is that the broadcasting is awful. Broadcasting via Red Bull and GCN was much better and much easier to watch (and not so extremely expensive as it is now)
XC is in trouble because we can no longer watch live or on replay without spending too much money for coverage so bad you have to mute the sound just to watch. Bring back Red Bull TV Live
Throw the damn mug! This is outrageous! It's not a stunt mug if it ain't doing no stunts. I'm outraged! Flabbergasted and aghast! Truly a dark day for Gmbn.
I love how Martyn "talk down" about MTB to road and then praise about Danny's trials skills. BUT!!! Who did the ROAD BIKE PARTY??! One AND two? Let's not forget how amazing and inspirational Martyn Ashton is!!!!!
XC. The further MTB separates itself, whether it's bike tech, style, trails, racing, or even kit, from road cycling, the better. It has been proven to be good for the sport entirely. Even though, unless you live near a bike park or mountains, that's what the rest of us actually ride. Strange how that is. Im aware this is GMBN (im a mind reader, see), but I think the EMTB should try its hand at XC. For example, a race for miles. Check points or a circuit. Back country, ridgelines, valleys, stream beds, climbs, and downhills, like World Cup level DH. All one race. Like WRC, or moto enduro. Imagine something like mega avalanche, but the race starts at the bottom. Single track to the top, across the ridge, then back down...
Martyn doing his best impression of a Rampage judge trying to explain the results 😂. But seriously, not throwing the mug? That is a DSS foul Sir. XC is going to be fine, loads of talent there and the courses are so gnarly now it's driving viewership. Owen, great puns, Martyn was refusing to bite. Great show gang.
Since Red Bull dropped broadcasting XCO races I do not care that much if I miss a race to watch. OKK cup is my thing now - because it is on Red Bull TV. Also XC bikes are becoming race only machines like cyclocross or TT bikes, for XC riding if you are not a pro, light trail or downcountry is much more versatile imo.
Possibly? I kind of feel that XC has no "blue ribbon" event. With road having the TdF, the only thing close is the world champs, but it is then mixed in with all other races. I feel it needs some like the equivalent of "Le Mans" for XC, a big stand out race, that will pull in more fans, tv etc. ( I have no clue what form this should take though)...
Can I ask? What's with the piano music in the background!? I fear people watching with headphones on, while a bit sleepy, might just start to think they're stuck in a lift/elevator with you two!
with a friend we did cross country for years mountain bike but like 70% gravel/tarmac roads 30% trails while I want to explore and have fun in the wilderness maybe even jump he wants to do 62miles in 4 hours on legs...with a MTB...when he sees road cyclist he tries to catch up to them, road cycling is calling will he answer ?
I think Riley Amos and/or Bjorn Riley can fill that gap left by Allen eventually and PFP was so dominant that moving to road can only make the women's xc races more excited imo.
XC needs to make room for all the new riders. It has to be a hard time for new riders to break into the world cup with the current veteran competition.
It's always the way of the green...money talks and bullshit walks. For a pro it's a job, if someone offers more money it would be a dumb decision to not take it
XC Hardtails evolution idea maby it's time for xc hardtails that have have bit more extra suspension travel 110mm 120 mm and bit more capable than current 100 mm travel fork most are making today
No #Captioncontest for this week is as worse as me putting in a whitty caption that got missed by everyone in episode #497 and I should be an automatic winner for that one.
i absolutely love your show! A healthy dose of Monty Python w/ a bit if the "Red Green Show" (Candian). A question? ! ? Might you share the origin of the chainsaw tradition at DH events. It seems it is toxic to the riders, that nice mix of oil and petrol, much like the smokey days at the velodrome. . .
I don't think XC is in trouble, big name come, and big names go, the sport moves on, and a new superstar will be born. Names for the alternative list. Gee Atherton, Oly Wilkins, Blake Sampson. Style is subjective the things one person finds stylish another person won't. I think some one traveling down some gnarly trail with some speed is just as stylish as some one pulling off some trick.
way more relevant than downhill or enduro as far as actual mtb consumers are concerned youtube and brands make it look like it's the main use but it's not by a massive gap, DH is the half-pipe of skateboarding less than 0.01% of actual mtbers and I'm generous you might think different if you live near a bike park but that's a biased view 99% of mountain bikers actually do "cross country" unless they live on a mountain or close to bike park or bike trail, not saying I dislike downhill it's awesome but it's very over-represented compared to the actual market, it's also much shorter in duration so easier to show more risky and flamboyant than XC just saying ;) XC should be more relevant to mtb sales but they don't know how to sell it
Ordinary domestiques can earn more money than most of the top XC racers.......Until XC can bring in bigger sponsors, more money, this will continue to happen. Only 8 World Cup weekends isn't going to bring them in, when you compare to high profile road races from February to October.
Your standards in Bike Vault are pretty suspect. Jaunty angles, not in a good gear, and the worst, non-drive side. Oof, you gotta step it up like GCN.....
DH and Eduro riders: Come to the dark side, we have gravity....and cookies....you can have cookies now because you don't have to be a freak of nature with no body fat....so yes....gravity and cookies....hand in hand......so happyyyy togetherrrrrr!
Did you just say Nino Schurter is potentially the greatest xc rider of all time? POTENTIALLY? His indisputably the 🐐. And then you said if not him then PFP? WHAT? Take it back 😂
Pretty competitive to get yourself in that situation though! A 25% chance at a lower amount of money might be more attractive than a 1% chance at a larger amount for some.
@ They do ride longer distances, but I think riding 40 miles of paved road is an equivalent effort to 20 miles of natural terrain single track… but it is nice to get paid more for that effort!
@@winklertribe5268 some of the states are over 125 miles actually. High speed descents..all those crashes on pavement.. i ride both mountain and road and if I had to race one i would rather race xc lol
On the contrary, it may increase interest in the men's discipline again. Over the last decade I've been watching women's XCO more than men's XCO...why? Because the Men's honestly got boring when it was always the same two or three men guaranteed to win (the Absalon era, then Schurter, VDP, and recently Pidcock). If men's becomes like women's where any one of a dozen women can win, then it may see far more viewer excitement. VDP is likely coming back to go for the World Champs jersey, so that will bring a new set of viewers entirely.
The uci format, short course hamster wheel courses just are absurd. 10 -15 years ago the courses got shorter and fake terrain was pushed for viewership. It's the bike equivalency of indoor motorcycle super cross.. Athletes found them less interesting, amateur and pro, participation went down. Road cycling and gravel are longer, both formats speek to adventure and endurance, riders and viewers can appreciate.. Modern elite xc feels like it was made in a lab., and lacks authenticity. Like NASCAR losing relevancy, xc short short course will suffer the same fate. I love and race long course xc. Adding more jumps and berms won't save it, but natural, longer courses that test human endurance and strength will..
XC hasn't be XC for a very long time... Current XC is what used to be called "short track"... Where little monkey boys ride tiny little loops to please the crowd.... I miss the days of Norba, where locals would throw together an actual cross country course, made by linking up some of the best local trails. Big climbs, big decents, out in the woods, no crowds, just fun.... (I also lament the 100% focus on 'pros'... who gives shit, focus on the sport and beginner classes have a good time...)
No, XC isn’t in trouble because 3 people left. Loads of great riders to watch, but as others pointed out, the coverage is now rubbish compared to when covered by Red Bull
![BOWKYLION - วิงวอน (ex-change) [Official MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/cLdnZWDaO-w/mqdefault.jpg)
Is XC in trouble? Can XC survive this loss of talent?
Also, Martyn want’s to know how he should change the ‘Top 40 Stylish Riders List’? Let him know the riders and he will add them.
🚨 Enter the Peaty’s competition giveaway here
👉 gmbn.eu/WinPeatys it’s free to enter!
Maby Mvdp will some do some xc mountainbiking in 2025 their are some storý's about that
The list could be voted but tbh to get 40 finalists you're looking at a lot of data.
@JamesGoddard-i7smy mom knows too.
Maby the xc race teams need to pay riders more money if they want to keep them in the sport.
Previous/current xc stars always move onto new things and this makes room for new and upcoming riders. It's just how it goes
Owen has been a very enjoyable more technically accurate upgrade to the channel, I've really enjoyed seeing him starting with ebikes over on the other side, great upgrade to the channels :)
Yeah, Owen is fab
Good to hear!
Agreed! I didn’t think that I would like him, but he has fantastic chemistry with everyone on the channel.
Talking about XC stars going over to road riding, what do we need to do to tempt Tom Pidcock over to mountain biking full time? He is absolutely box office on a mountain bike. I love it.
Yes.. and then make a clause, that he starts at the back every race 👀🤗🤣
Hahaha. Branch manager. Straight over Martys head. Owen is next level funny and smart.
i have been riding xc hardtails whit flat pedals for years now
“Branch manager” subtle but made me grin. Keep it up Owen!
One of the big problems about XC is that the broadcasting is awful. Broadcasting via Red Bull and GCN was much better and much easier to watch (and not so extremely expensive as it is now)
Amen Brother!
Offroad (XC&DH) cycling deserves a movie series like F1 on Netflix. It would have a big impact on the ratings!
Two riders that definitely should be on the greatest list. Dan Atherton and Oliy Wilkinson
GOAT style list ? Wade Simmons and Shaun Palmer
Phil Kmetz of "Skills with Phil" ...very stylish, very underrated.
Stylish riders part 2: Yoann Barelli, Remy Metalier, chris Akrig, G. Atherton.
I am glad you mentioned Sam Pilgrim. When are you getting him on the Tandem?
We'd love to get him on the back! Him and Martyn go way back
XC is in trouble because we can no longer watch live or on replay without spending too much money for coverage so bad you have to mute the sound just to watch. Bring back Red Bull TV Live
Absolutely correct!
Other riders that should have been in the list
Jack Moir, Olly Wilkins, Remy Metalier, Szymon Godziek, Jim Monro, Elliot Heap
Wish Alan was staying in cross country, but wishing him all the best on the road! 🇿🇦
Road racing is boring i can understand gravel and cx that is pretty cool
We're sure we'll see him at a couple of rounds at least! But an opportunity to ride the Tour is pretty special!
Olly Wilkins - odub. Absolutely a stylish rider. Recognisable even when you cant see his face.
This new guy Martyn 🤔. When it comes to presenting, Ooe day he'll get the hang of it 🤣 As ever, a great show 👍
Martyn should bring the bowhead up to the Tweed Valley
#captioncontest " when you're desperate for a stunt mug. So, you caption contest even when there isn't a caption contest."
both times i won i never got a mug sent so you might have to buy one but good luck bro😊
@PsyMongSki I've heard that a couple times
Throw the damn mug! This is outrageous! It's not a stunt mug if it ain't doing no stunts. I'm outraged! Flabbergasted and aghast! Truly a dark day for Gmbn.
We're sorry to have let you down! We'll endeavour to get the stunt mug back in the air as soon as possible
I LOVE Owen!!!!
I love how Martyn "talk down" about MTB to road and then praise about Danny's trials skills. BUT!!! Who did the ROAD BIKE PARTY??! One AND two? Let's not forget how amazing and inspirational Martyn Ashton is!!!!!
Stylish riders: Cam Zink / Jaxon Riddle / Andreu Lacondeguy / Steve Vanderhoek
Guys... did you ever hear about Peter Sagan? Start on MTB, then become a cycling star. Still doing great advertisements to MTB
Ey Martyn leave my boy Owen alone will ya
XC. The further MTB separates itself, whether it's bike tech, style, trails, racing, or even kit, from road cycling, the better. It has been proven to be good for the sport entirely. Even though, unless you live near a bike park or mountains, that's what the rest of us actually ride. Strange how that is.
Im aware this is GMBN (im a mind reader, see), but I think the EMTB should try its hand at XC. For example, a race for miles. Check points or a circuit. Back country, ridgelines, valleys, stream beds, climbs, and downhills, like World Cup level DH. All one race. Like WRC, or moto enduro. Imagine something like mega avalanche, but the race starts at the bottom. Single track to the top, across the ridge, then back down...
Martyn doing his best impression of a Rampage judge trying to explain the results 😂. But seriously, not throwing the mug? That is a DSS foul Sir. XC is going to be fine, loads of talent there and the courses are so gnarly now it's driving viewership. Owen, great puns, Martyn was refusing to bite. Great show gang.
Martin, you gotta go to Innerleithen…it’s fab
Hoping to at some point! See if the tandem can fit down some of those twisty trails!
XC riders got a taste of road racing on the Paris Olympics course and now they are making the leap to the other side.
Martyn said "Do the Bike Vault" and now I've got The Hustle stuck in my head.
🎶 Doot doo doo de-doo de-doo doo doo... 🎶
Martin ..... it's not a real stuntmug if u don't bounce it !!!! It's 1 of the reasons I watch the show 😂
Noted!
Hang on - the Polygon "too much scenery" and then the Specialized immediately after gets an instant Super Nice!? Owen's a Polygonist.
also special mention to the Trek that got a Super Nice while not being drive-side.
Since Red Bull dropped broadcasting XCO races I do not care that much if I miss a race to watch. OKK cup is my thing now - because it is on Red Bull TV. Also XC bikes are becoming race only machines like cyclocross or TT bikes, for XC riding if you are not a pro, light trail or downcountry is much more versatile imo.
Possibly? I kind of feel that XC has no "blue ribbon" event. With road having the TdF, the only thing close is the world champs, but it is then mixed in with all other races. I feel it needs some like the equivalent of "Le Mans" for XC, a big stand out race, that will pull in more fans, tv etc. ( I have no clue what form this should take though)...
PIDCOCK needs to be on the list
How exciting!! Aerosol cans on a wood stove.😮
No caption contest this week?
Keep throwing that stunt mug - it's a MUST!
Can I ask? What's with the piano music in the background!?
I fear people watching with headphones on, while a bit sleepy, might just start to think they're stuck in a lift/elevator with you two!
with a friend we did cross country for years mountain bike but like 70% gravel/tarmac roads 30% trails while I want to explore and have fun in the wilderness maybe even jump he wants to do 62miles in 4 hours on legs...with a MTB...when he sees road cyclist he tries to catch up to them, road cycling is calling will he answer ?
Sam Blenkinsop and Danny Heart
#captioncontest When Martyn is that distraught about mountain bikers going to road, he forgets about doing a caption contest.
Robin Goomes for the Steezy list!
XC is doing just fine, especially in the various disciplines of XC like gravel
I think Riley Amos and/or Bjorn Riley can fill that gap left by Allen eventually and PFP was so dominant that moving to road can only make the women's xc races more excited imo.
Alternate top 40, yes. I hope xc isn’t in trouble, I’m just getting into it because of age
XC needs to make room for all the new riders. It has to be a hard time for new riders to break into the world cup with the current veteran competition.
#captioncontest: the death of DH & XC - when riders try out clipped pedals, like them and become roadies.
Danny mac, Sam p, Remmy M, hans ray,szymon godziek, David Godziek, Gabriel wibmer, brett, nico vink, gee!!!! Come on Martin!!!😂
HANS NO WAY RAY!!!
Here’s a thought on the “Most Stylish” list… The Rampage invitation list.
It's always the way of the green...money talks and bullshit walks.
For a pro it's a job, if someone offers more money it would be a dumb decision to not take it
good point didn't think about that as an amateur
Owen was breathing all over Martyn! micro-superspreader shed!@
XC Hardtails evolution idea maby it's time for xc hardtails that have have bit more extra suspension travel 110mm 120 mm and bit more capable than current 100 mm travel fork most are making today
Matthew van de poel was a very stylish mtb rider
Matt staples is the most stylish biketrials rider there ever was.
Don't forget Pauline won UCI gravel world champs too & CX stuff too.
She was almost World Champion of the whole lot at the same time
Did you forget to do this weeks caption contest 🤔
No #Captioncontest for this week is as worse as me putting in a whitty caption that got missed by everyone in episode #497 and I should be an automatic winner for that one.
pfttt just 1 missed? amateur 😅
i absolutely love your show! A healthy dose of Monty Python w/ a bit if the "Red Green Show" (Candian). A question? ! ? Might you share the origin of the chainsaw tradition at DH events. It seems it is toxic to the riders, that nice mix of oil and petrol, much like the smokey days at the velodrome. . .
XC is not the most exciting mountain biking discipline. So there is that. DH is the king of mountain biking. By far it’s much more enjoyable to watch.
I don't think XC is in trouble, big name come, and big names go, the sport moves on, and a new superstar will be born.
Names for the alternative list. Gee Atherton, Oly Wilkins, Blake Sampson.
Style is subjective the things one person finds stylish another person won't. I think some one traveling down some gnarly trail with some speed is just as stylish as some one pulling off some trick.
#CAPTIONCONTEST Martyn! There's no Caption Contest photo! No Stunt Mug this week 🤷
Aha I knew it. Keep the hand sanitiser within reach.
Victor Koretsky left road racing with Bora Hansgrohe to concentrate on XC with Specialized
He is a XC racer, and did 2-3 seasons, first with B&B Hotels, and was then put on Bora by Specialized.
XC riders are heading off for more money.
Surprised not to see Sam Hodgson in the Top 40 riders list.
Is XC in trouble? More importantly, is XC even relevant?
Noooooo !
way more relevant than downhill or enduro as far as actual mtb consumers are concerned youtube and brands make it look like it's the main use but it's not by a massive gap, DH is the half-pipe of skateboarding less than 0.01% of actual mtbers and I'm generous you might think different if you live near a bike park but that's a biased view 99% of mountain bikers actually do "cross country" unless they live on a mountain or close to bike park or bike trail, not saying I dislike downhill it's awesome but it's very over-represented compared to the actual market, it's also much shorter in duration so easier to show more risky and flamboyant than XC just saying ;) XC should be more relevant to mtb sales but they don't know how to sell it
Is this really sad?
At 65 years of age I’d pay good money for a GMBN emoji 😂
Not sad at all! You can sign up to get one here: gmbn.eu/TH-camMembership
Josh Bryceland and jasper penton
Alan knows the real deal, road cycling 😉
Mathieu van der Poel is returning to XC from RR in 2025
Ordinary domestiques can earn more money than most of the top XC racers.......Until XC can bring in bigger sponsors, more money, this will continue to happen. Only 8 World Cup weekends isn't going to bring them in, when you compare to high profile road races from February to October.
Isn't Mathieu Van der poel going over to mountain biking?
Get Gee and Kriss on the Real list with Sam and Danny
Your standards in Bike Vault are pretty suspect. Jaunty angles, not in a good gear, and the worst, non-drive side. Oof, you gotta step it up like GCN.....
DH and Eduro riders: Come to the dark side, we have gravity....and cookies....you can have cookies now because you don't have to be a freak of nature with no body fat....so yes....gravity and cookies....hand in hand......so happyyyy togetherrrrrr!
Shaun Palmer was literally the most Stylish rider (and for the ladies, Paola Pezzo)..............just go back and look at the photos
I mean, Mathieu van der Poel might come back to xc, so that could be good.
Did you just say Nino Schurter is potentially the greatest xc rider of all time? POTENTIALLY? His indisputably the 🐐. And then you said if not him then PFP? WHAT? Take it back 😂
If you leave mountain biking and go to road- goodbye.
the voting sounds reminiscent of Rampage, where judges miss the point and turn it into a popularity contest
It was actually voted for by our viewers!
#captioncontest Memory-loss awareness week. Get your older friends checked out!
I was going to, but I forgot.
You missed rat boy and joe barnes
Leaving to go ride road is the only way you could be less cool than XC
Wrong Question
Did the Changes to Xc push riders out❓
Unfortunetely there's more price money involved in road biking ...
Pretty competitive to get yourself in that situation though! A 25% chance at a lower amount of money might be more attractive than a 1% chance at a larger amount for some.
Xco is not dead. The US has thousands of youth xco riders in the NICA organization that will be hitting the uci races soon.
Surprised Josh Brycland didn't make the list, but style's so subjective you're never going to have a list that pleases everyone.
People are leaving XC for road riding because Road cycling is easier.
And didn’t Matthieu Vanderpool, and Tom Pidcock both come over to the dirt side?
Lol it's not easier at all. They ride ridiculous distances every day in the tour but it pays way more. Mainly because its much more well know event.
@ They do ride longer distances, but I think riding 40 miles of paved road is an equivalent effort to 20 miles of natural terrain single track… but it is nice to get paid more for that effort!
@@winklertribe5268 some of the states are over 125 miles actually. High speed descents..all those crashes on pavement.. i ride both mountain and road and if I had to race one i would rather race xc lol
Danny and same dont have style? They are all style wtf 😂😂
On the contrary, it may increase interest in the men's discipline again. Over the last decade I've been watching women's XCO more than men's XCO...why? Because the Men's honestly got boring when it was always the same two or three men guaranteed to win (the Absalon era, then Schurter, VDP, and recently Pidcock). If men's becomes like women's where any one of a dozen women can win, then it may see far more viewer excitement. VDP is likely coming back to go for the World Champs jersey, so that will bring a new set of viewers entirely.
Is that an aerosol can just chilling out on the fire? lol
It wouldn't be the Dirt Shed without some COSHH violations
The uci format, short course hamster wheel courses just are absurd. 10 -15 years ago the courses got shorter and fake terrain was pushed for viewership. It's the bike equivalency of indoor motorcycle super cross.. Athletes found them less interesting, amateur and pro, participation went down. Road cycling and gravel are longer, both formats speek to adventure and endurance, riders and viewers can appreciate.. Modern elite xc feels like it was made in a lab., and lacks authenticity. Like NASCAR losing relevancy, xc short short course will suffer the same fate. I love and race long course xc. Adding more jumps and berms won't save it, but natural, longer courses that test human endurance and strength will..
👍
XC hasn't be XC for a very long time... Current XC is what used to be called "short track"... Where little monkey boys ride tiny little loops to please the crowd.... I miss the days of Norba, where locals would throw together an actual cross country course, made by linking up some of the best local trails. Big climbs, big decents, out in the woods, no crowds, just fun.... (I also lament the 100% focus on 'pros'... who gives shit, focus on the sport and beginner classes have a good time...)
#teamnerd
No, XC isn’t in trouble because 3 people left. Loads of great riders to watch, but as others pointed out, the coverage is now rubbish compared to when covered by Red Bull
Sam Reynolds
Proberly half on list shouldnt be on it.
MVDP