"Decisions are made by those who show up."
That's really the hub of the discussion (see the end of this post for some more explanation).
I think this is where the not so good DH tracks turn up. Not ragging out on any mountain bike parks(these really are the venues helping the sport and opening it up to everyone) but when a major event is held there they seem to be the ones with the DH tracks that people disagree with. Maybe it's the cost cutting, maybe its the accessibility to cities or just the fact they are trying to please everyone? I don't know, but they certainly aren't what I would consider national round worthy anyway, likes it been said great for a trundle but not a national round.
AFAIK, we don't really have any venue in Australia that is perfect. Courses, event village, accommodation, transport, organisation all need to come together for it to be perfect - and they don't. Remember, we are talking about a MTB event, not a DH event, so its courses for XCO, XCC, DHI, 4X and Trials.
You could also easily make the case that "this is where the not so good XC tracks turn up". Think back a few years to when the XC riders were planning to boycott XC races held at Thredbo because the XC course there was a disgrace - but he DH course was good
I think the national series should show what a DH can be, showcase our best riding we have to offer, something not manufactured, something raw and most of all downhill.
That may well come down to whether its a DH series or an all-discipline series. Currently its very expensive to put on single discipline series with all the support arrangements that MTBA require. A single discipline series becomes less of a spectacle because you don't get the larger crowds and rider numbers that having all disciplines at the one event brings. These big numbers are what draws media attention, which attracts sponsors, which is what our sport needs to grow.
So, where are the venues which can "show what a DH can be" and why haven't they put in bids?
"Decisions are made by those who show up."
National Rounds seem to be assigned more on a first-come, first-served basis than anything else. I'm not familiar with the inner workings of the selection of tracks for our National calender, nor the WC series, but I'm of the opinion that it is certainly not DH riders who do the decision making.
The sport organising bodies make the decision. MTBA for the Australian National Series and National Champs, and the UCI for the World Cup and World Champs. Both of these bodies have rider input.
Obviously there's more to holding a race than simply having a hill - infrastructure, facilities, accomodation, etc all every bit as vital. Unfortunately, the best tracks I've seen in Australia aren't necessarily the best venues for major races. In the end, there's not an unlimited number of clubs putting their hand up for a Nats round so the organising bodies select what's on offer.
Yep - for the current National Series of 5 races, there were only 6 bids. So, it really became a process of eliminating the worst one bid, rather than selecting the best - if you get my drift. For the next 3-year package of National Champs, there are only 2 bids.
So, there is really hardly any room to move in the decision making process - something which is a cause for concern in itself IMHO.
The selection is simple. If a club/group/organisation wants a round they submit a application to MTBA. I'm not in the inner loop having gone through the process a couple of times MTBA takes all the applications to the committee, which includes the rider reps, and tries to work out what will be best for the series as a whole ... often there's not many applications to pick from so they got with what they get.
It was President Jed Bartlett from The West Wing (well, Aaron Sorkin, really) who said,
"Decisions are made by those who show up." Now, I'm not a very good rider and I've gotten worse over the last few years but one thing that going to mountain bike races for nearly a decade has taught me is that it is very hard to win a race if you don't enter it
Similarly, its really difficult for your favourite track or venue to be awarded a round of the National Series if no one puts in a bid
When it comes to getting a World Championships, there are a whole heap of factors that get considered before the decision is made by the UCI. Yes, you have to have courses, but you have to have a whole load of other things as well. The best XC, DH or 4X track in the world is no use if hardly anyone can get to it.
Timing is also an issue. Originally CORC bid for the 2008 World Champs but then the UCI said that the 2008 World Champs would be brought forward to June because of the Olympics. That would have put it in the middle of a Canberra winter, so we immediately deferred our bid to 2009.
Some might say that places like Thredbo or Buller have DH tracks suitable for a World Cup round, but remember they also need to have XC and 4X tracks too. The there is the other minor point that for most of the time of year the UCI runs the World Cup, Thredbo and Buller wound be under snow
