2012 UCI World Cup Announces Red Bull As Official Media Partner
Thursday, March 8, 2012 at 12:04PM The International Cycling Union (UCI) is delighted to confirm that the Red Bull Media House GmbH (RBMH) is the new official media partner of the RockyRoads UCI Mountain Bike World Cup presented by Shimano.
Under this new partnership, RBMH will provide media services including HD TV production, webcasting and content syndication. Live streaming of all the World Cup Cross-country Olympic, Cross- country Eliminator and Downhill races will be featured onwww.redbull.com/bike and www.redbull.tv. The UCI and RBMH will collaborate closely to ensure that coverage of these events will be more dynamic, innovative and viewer-friendly, providing fans with unforgettable images of racing action.
'WITH RBMH ON BOARD, WE CAN BE SURE THAT TOP QUALITY IMAGES OF THIS SERIES CAN REACH FANS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD' – PAT MCQUAID, UCI PRESIDENT
RBMH will produce the official international live signal as well as highlight programmes that the UCI will provide to TV channels on all continents. Overall TV production will be improved with High Definition images and an increased number of cameras at events.
RBMH, which replaces Freecaster.tv as exclusive live streaming partner, will also hold worldwide non-exclusive internet rights to the UCI BMX World Championships as well as selected media rights in certain territories for the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships.
UCI President Mr Pat McQuaid welcomes the latest partner for the new-look mountain bike series: “The RockyRoads UCI Mountain Bike World Cup presented by Shimano has been given a boost for 2012, and with RBMH on board, we can be sure that top quality images of this series can reach fans throughout the world. This exciting World Cup series deserves innovative media coverage of the highest standard. With RBMH we have found the perfect solution. This new partnership can only serve to further develop our leading mountain bike series.”2012 IXS Downhill Cup CHanges And Schedule Announced
Tuesday, January 24, 2012 at 6:09AM ;)
Already in its tenth year, the iXS Downhill Cup series has grown up and presents itself in a new look. Not only the logo has been redone, it also comes with a new online presence.
With the four series under the flag of iXS running for some years already, the layout of the cup had to be dusted off. This has been done with the design of a new logo and the redevelopment of the website. But it's not only the look that has changed, there are also changes within the series as well. The organizers have revised the time table at some stages, but most significant are the changes within the rules of the iXS European Downhill Cups.
Five years after its inauguration the cup has left its childhood days behind and established itself as one of the most prestigious series of the world. As a result it will only be open to licensed riders in the future. But the growth in popularity is only one factor triggering that decision, it is also influenced by different national rules. Due to national rules in some countries, the added costs to open the cup to non-licensed riders are extremely high due to added insurance costs and other efforts. In some countries it is even impossible to let unlicensed riders participate. As bridging the gap between national series and the Worldcup has always been the cups main purpose, this step is bringing the cup closer to the Worldcup than before. As a result extra training times for the Top 80 Elite Men and Top 10 Elite Woman categories will be added. Based on the world ranking list, the best 80 men and best 10 women will enjoy an additional three hours training time. Start numbers for the European Cup will therefore only be available on Fridays before each race.
There will also be a new system for registration, as a change for the better for those who knew the old system. Due to increased fees for foreign bank transactions paying via PayPal will be the only way to pay in the future. This will cut costs and make funds available quicker for the organizers of the various events. Late registrations and late payments are not possible any longer, registrants have to pay immediately via PayPal and will show up on the list of competitors in real time after they completed the registration.
The registration list and starting as well as results lists will be available online in the future, so people can check them at the races with any mobile device connected to the internet.
The section with the rider's online profiles has been extended as well. Next to the results riders can upload a picture as well as information about their team, sponsors, bikes and parts used. The profiles can be changed and completed any time. Within the next weeks all participants will be invited to update their data. All existing accounts will still be valid.
2012 IXS Downhill Cup Schedule
2012 IXS, Bicycle, Downhill Mountain Bike, Downhill Racing, UCI |
Gee Atherton's GT Fury
Saturday, January 14, 2012 at 3:58PM ;)
Ian Hyland's went down to LA and shot some images of the Gee's Fury.
2012 UCI World Cup, Bicycle, GT Bikes, UCI |
GT Bicycles And Atherton Racing Join Forces
Tuesday, January 10, 2012 at 6:19AM 
Atherton Racing is proud to announce its partnership with GT Bicycles. Beginning in 2012, the mountain bike race team of Dan, Gee, and Rachel Atherton, will join non-family GT rider Marc Beaumont and form the new team GT Factory Racing.
“Atherton Racing is one of the most progressive teams in the history of mountain biking, and is known for taking the sport to the next level,” said Mark Peterman, Global General Manager GT Bicycles. “We’re excited about the partnership because it both continues GT’s legacy as the brand that helps progressive riders push their limits, and because of the opportunities it presents to develop new products.”
Over the past five years, Atherton Racing has seen over 50 professional victories and multiple World titles. For the first time, the Atherton team will also include a non-family member with GT rider Marc Beaumont. As a consistent World Cup downhill rider with podiums in some of the world’s greatest Enduro races, Beaumont will compliment Gee on the UCI DH circuit, and Dan on the Euduro circuit, as his focus has shifted towards Enduro-style events. The team will be riding the GT Fury, Sanction, and Force Carbon and Alloy.
In addition to racing, the team will provide important product testing feedback and work hand-in-hand with GT on future product advancements and the next evolution of GT mountain bikes.
“The new relationship that’s formed between Atherton Racing and GT has opened up so many opportunities for everyone involved, I’m stoked to be going into the next few years of racing being bolstered by a company with such a passion for the sport, and with a company that’s drive for the top step of the podium, matches that of my own,” said Gee Atherton.
About GT Bicycles:
Since 1972, GT has provided riders of all ability levels with a trustworthy, reliable, rock-solid bike they need to push their own personal limits, and the limits of cycling. Their legacy is instilled in every GT design, be it a BMX, mountain, road, or pavement bike. For more information about GT Bicycles, please visit www.gtbicycles.com
Brook MacDonald Signs With 23 Degrees
Friday, November 18, 2011 at 6:32AM 
23 Degrees Sports Management announced today that it has finalized an agreement to represent 2009 Junior World Champion and World Number 6, Brook MacDonald of Hawkes Bay, New Zealand. After an impressive 2011 that included 3 World Cup podiums and an overall 6th place in the series, Brook who turns 20 next week, has a big future ahead of him.
Brook had this to say: "Next year is a really important year for me. I want to build on the experience I gained this year and chase down my goals of being one of the top Downhillers on the circuit next year and hopefully gain a medal at the World Champi onships. To be honest, I struggle a bit with the admin and paper work side of the sport and just want to focus on my training and racing. I’ve seen what Martin and 23 Degrees has done for Sam (Blenkinsop) and other riders, and so I asked him to help me out with my career. I’m looking forward to it.”
Founder and Owner of 23 Degrees Sports Management, Martin Whiteley, commented on Brook’s signing.
"There’s no question that Brook is on the verge of something big in our sport and we’re very happy that he’s asked us to assist him. We’ll help him evaluate his sponsorship deals and take some of the burden away so he can put more of his focus into preparing for the season and racing at podium level in 2012. This brings our athlete management roster to 7; we don’t expect to add any more athletes going into next year as we have a great stable to work with for now".
Brook’s profile page can be found here: http://www.23degrees-sports.com/athlete.php?athlete_id=26
