"Red Bull’s World Cup racing coverage wasn’t perfect, but Rob Warner alone was enough to give its broadcast wings. Picking similarly crazed French DH race icon Cedric Gracia as a replacement for Rob was a smart move, he’s certainly not short on passion and volume. With a background in magazine media and several years under his belt as the voice of EWS, Ric McLaughlin is an experienced commentator too.
So, with the dust settled on several rounds of EWS and XCO/DH/XCM racing, how has the Discovery/Warner Brothers coverage been, after taking over the rights for the 2023 season?
Not great, is the short answer. To be brutally honest, Cedric and Ric’s repetition, clichés and vagueness were certainly shown up by Rob Warner back on the mic for Red Bull at Crankworx. Bart Brentjens hasn’t upped his XC MC game for Discovery either and the insight, tech knowledge, explanation and engagement of Oli Beckinsale and Ian Findlay’s commentary on the Euro XC champs was in a different class to the World Cup coverage.
The ‘on the spot’ reporters seem out of their depth too – I’ve never heard a whip called a bum whip before – which hasn’t been helped by some ‘so-comical-it-alsoseems deliberate’ editing, of which the Vali Holl “She said f**king” clip from Leogang is my favourite so far.
WHO IS GUY KESTEVEN?
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة August 2023 من Mountain Bike Rider.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة August 2023 من Mountain Bike Rider.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
Best places to ride with your kids
Five top venues to keep the nippers entertained this summer
CANNONDALE MOTERRA NEO CARBON 2
It’s got more suspension tunes than a Hitchcock movie, but will this Moterra thrill us or chill us?
100% GLENDALE GLASSES
When it comes to eyewear, having a large lens not only offers a lot more protection from trail splatter, it puts the frames further out from your field of view, allowing you to focus on the terrain in front of you. The Glendale is absolutely vast, and actually has a lens size akin to a full downhill goggle, so you literally can’t see the top or sides of the frame.
DMR STAGE 2 MTB RAIL SADDLE
DMR's new Stage 2 MTB Rail is one of those new/old products. The shape and construction are identical to the existing Oi Oi saddle, but the company has wrapped it in a new skin and added some harder-wearing reinforcement to the edges. It's also toned down the lairy graphics; this saddle only comes in plain black.
STRAIGHT TORQUING - GUY KESTEVEN
Has tech taken the hard work and fun out of mountain biking, or should we embrace evolution and roll with it?
STORM FORCE
Manon Carpenter may have retired from downhill competition, but her new role as a trail advocate is achieving results far beyond the race track
SWEAT AND SLATE
We ride 140 miles through Snowdonia on Cycling UK's newest and gnarliest long-distance trail
HEAD SPACE
New guidance reveals how to spot concussion, and how best to treat it
LATE SUMMER LOVIN'
Classic UK holiday hotspots that really shine when the crowds have gone
HOT STUFF
WHAT WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT THIS MONTH
