An extraordinary Filippo Ganna wins gold in the time trial of the Cycling World Championships

Riders earn less than minimum wage, team owners cut their own salaries, and the only way forward is collective responsibility, bold vision—and a lot less noise. The 2025 season has shown the world what elite downhill mountain biking is capable of. New qualifying formats have made race weekends more thrilling and unpredictable. Athletes are more skilled than ever. The energy on track is explosive. But off the track, behind the scenes, the financial foundations of this sport are cracking. Thanks to the Pinkbike State of the Sport survey, we now have hard data: the majority of top-level DH riders are earning less than $30,000 per year, with 22% of them making less than $5,000, and 6% earning nothing at all. Team owners like Bernard Kerr have gone on record saying they’ve cut their own salaries for 2025—just to keep the ball rolling in hopes of better days ahead. This isn’t just a rider problem. It’s a sport-wide emergency. And the only entity with enough media power and global reach to change the direction of this sport is Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD). With the honor of owning the rights to the UCI MTB World Series comes the responsibility—the burden and the privilege—to help reshape its entire economic model. Let’s talk numbers: the financial cliff edge 22% of downhill riders make less than $5,000/year. 55% earn under $30,000—not even a modest full-time salary in most countries. Prize money? A DH rider who wins everything all year long—including the World Championship—would earn just €52,500. Compare that to road cycling: Tour de France winner: €500,000 UCI Women’s WorldTeam minimum salary: €27,500 Men’s ProTeam minimum: €32,100 Even the lower-tier riders in road cycling often earn more than the top 10% of DH racers. And it’s not just about athletes. Teams are on the verge of collapse. The expanded calendar (now 10 races), increasing travel and registration costs, and shrinking sponsor budgets have created a recipe for financial burnout. And when team owners—who should be managing, investing, and planning—start sacrificing their own salaries, you know the model is broken. The new format is a step forward—but the business model is still stuck Let me say it clearly: the new qualifying format with no protected riders and a Q1 + Q2 structure is a brilliant move. It brings suspense, disrupts predictability, and reminds me of the LCQ system in Supercross, where anything can happen in the final push for a spot in the show. This is how you build narrative, tension, and viewership. But here’s the catch: you can’t build audience while hiding your best content. Putting everything live behind a paywall, and delaying highlights by hours? That’s a mistake. We are trying to grow the sport. Now is the time to let it all out—free, immediate, and viral. Monetizing through pay TV at this stage is like selling tickets to an empty stadium. The real value lies in audience building, not gated content. Media saturation: more isn’t better Another elephant in the room? The media arms race. Every team now travels with its own mini media squad, creating micro-content that floods Instagram and TikTok—but let’s be honest: most of it is noise, not storytelling. There’s no coordination, no consistency, no shared strategy. This leads to: Redundant expenses (media staff are expensive), Overlapping content, and Diminishing returns in audience engagement. The solution? WBD should lead a coordinated media strategy across all teams. Centralize production, share raw footage, align messaging. Instead of 20 teams posting 20 variations of the same corner clip, create shared narratives, deep profiles, emotional arcs, and hero stories that live across platforms and continents. This isn’t just cost-saving—it’s storytelling at scale. What WBD must do to fulfill its responsibility WBD says it wants to grow the sport. But that means investing, not just filming. Here’s what needs to happen: 1. Open up access, kill the paywall To bring in outside sponsors and new fans, we need eyes on the sport—now. Stream events free and globally accessible. Offer instant highlights and recaps. Build YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok with real-time content. Visibility is worth more than a few subscription fees. 2. Introduce minimum rider compensation Take a page from road cycling: Set minimum base salaries for riders competing in World Cups. Create appearance fees or travel stipends. Ensure top 30 athletes can live from the sport they dedicate their lives to. Because right now, being a “pro” means needing a side job or parents who can bankroll your dream. 3. Support team sustainability Teams are drowning in costs. WBD can: Subsidize travel and logistics, especially for non-factory teams. Share media revenues with teams who contribute athletes and access. Offer centralized services (mechanical bays, video crews, housing blocks) to reduce overhead. Healthy teams are the foundation of a healthy series. 4. Unify and streamline media production As mentioned, content isn’t the issue—coordination is. Align all teams under a shared media umbrella. Use the same footage and messaging across channels. Elevate storytelling, not just stats and clips. Let’s replace the noise with signal—and give the fans something worth following. 5. Make riders marketable beyond results Not every rider will podium. But every rider has a story. WBD should: Help athletes build personal brands. Offer content creation support for behind-the-scenes and lifestyle content. Treat riders as ambassadors, not just competitors. In 2025, the line between athlete and influencer is fading fast—and that’s an opportunity, not a threat. Build the sport, or watch it erode Downhill mountain biking is at a crossroads. The racing has never been better. The riders are elite. The show is thrilling. But behind the scenes, the sport is fraying at the edges. Warner Bros. Discovery has a chance to be remembered not just as the media company that filmed mountain biking—but as the one that saved it. Because if they don’t act—if they prioritize short-term monetization over long-term vision—the sport may soon become a playground for a handful of elites, while the rest disappear into obscurity. It’s time to do the right thing. Less paywall. More access. Less noise. More story. Less burnout. More future.

The opening round of the UCI Downhill World Cup Junior Men’s category kicked off with fast lines, bad weather, and one clear surprise for the Italian fans: Lorenzo Mascherini. With a rock-solid performance, the young rider from the Rogue Racing – SR Suntour team stormed to 8th place, marking his presence on the world stage in spectacular fashion. A breakout performance Riding his Santa Cruz V10, Mascherini delivered a composed and aggressive run, clocking 3:13.358 (+5.394 seconds off the winner), in a field packed with talent from powerhouse teams like Commencal/Muc-Off, Yeti/Fox, and MS-Racing. His performance started strong, with a provisional advantage of 63 thousandths in the first split, but he lost significant ground in the second sector (-1.427), closing the third with a gap of -1.456. Mascherini eventually crossed the line with a P4 provisional and visibly shook his head in disappointment. Despite the solid time, he seemed unable at times to fully capitalize on corner exits — a critical detail at this level of racing, where carrying speed out of every turn can make the difference between a podium and a missed opportunity. Still, this was a statement ride: the young Italian has the raw speed, composure, and mindset — and with refinement, he has every tool to reach the very top. A podium led by familiar faces Victory went to Max Alran (FRA), the reigning 2024 European Champion, representing the Commencal/Muc-Off team, who dominated the track with a scorching time of 3:07.964. Just behind him came Tyler Waite (NZL, Yeti/Fox Factory Racing) and Oli Clark (NZL, MS-Racing), riding Zerode. All three posted sub 3:12 runs on a track that punished even the smallest mistakes. Italy in the spotlight Mascherini’s P8 overall is one of the best international debuts for an Italian junior in recent years. While Italy has often played a marginal role in this category, Lorenzo proved he's ready to change that. “I am satisfied but I made some small mistake. I am sure that I can reach the podium if I can put down a clean run without silly mistakes. Can’t wait for the next one in Loudenville.” — Lorenzo Mascherini We’re confident he’ll continue refining his riding, and that this is just the beginning of a season full of potential for Italian downhill. Rogue Racing’s reaction: a promising start The unpredictable weather in Bielsko-Biała made conditions especially challenging, with mud, snow, and a dug-out track causing multiple crashes and reshuffling expectations. Rogue Racing Team Manager Leonardo Pedoni commented at the end of the race: “Crazy finals with a snow-lashed start, lots of mud, a dug track and changing conditions that caused many falls... For a moment we dreamed of the podium — surreal to think that with last year’s rules we could have been there too. But we are very happy with this start to the season! The team worked well and the boys showed they have all the potential to stay ahead.” — Leonardo Pedoni, Rogue Racing Team Manager Results and riders’ reactions P1 - Max Alran (FRA – Commencal/Muc-Off): “I am pumped for this result and for the rest of the season as well. Now head to the next race in Loudenville.” P2 - Tyler Waite (NZL – Yeti/Fox Factory Racing) P3 - Oli Clark (NZL – MS-Racing/Zerode) P8 - Lorenzo Mascherini (ITA – Rogue Racing/Santa Cruz): “I am satisfied but I made some small mistake. I am sure that I can reach the podium if I can put down a clean run without silly mistakes. Can’t wait for the next one in Loudenville.” Eyes on Loudenville With the downhill caravan now heading to Loudenville, France, for the next World Cup round, all eyes are on whether Lorenzo can build on this impressive result and edge even closer to the podium. One thing is certain: the young Italian is no longer flying under the radar — and his journey might just be one of the most exciting stories of this Junior season.