For the past decade, Red Bull TV has been the one and only way to watch UCI downhill mountain bike races. The company has provided a way for fans of the sport to travel the world through downhill racing. No subscriptions, no ads, no costs, just the sport. Whether or not you know the sport well, there’s a good chance you’d recognize Rob Warner‘s commentary if you heard it. He’s been the voice of the sport for a long while now.
In February, the UCI announced that the rights for the Mountain Bike World Cup would be handed over to Discovery Sports from 2023 to 2030. Currently, what this means for watching and streaming the events isn’t entirely unknown. It will almost certainly require subscriptions, as unfortunate as that is.
Personally, this makes me so incredibly sad to see. Red Bull will still have streaming rights to several major events, like Rampage and Joyride, but the UCI has, with zero doubt in my mind, seriously harmed mountain biking’s growth through this deal. I’ve always been a fan of the way Red Bull handles their sports. I’ve never once been a fan of the way paid streaming services handle their sports.
This isn’t about my opinion, though. This is about Red Bull‘s goodbye to the downhill mountain biking world. I warn you, this video is decently emotional. It definitely shows how much the commentators, and even the company, truly care about the sport. Thank you, Red Bull, for bringing mountain biking to where it is today.
Image Credit: Red Bull Bike on YouTube