DH MTB Compteitions.. Prizes

[SystemParanoia]

What prizes are on offer for competitors in UK DH comps ?

do they just get trophy's and entry fee discounts, or are real prizes on offer like in BMX and skateboarding comps where entrants can win upwards of £30k for 1st place ?

[neil_bolton]

fk all usually.

£1000ish for the top races which draw in the sponsors like Nissan etc, but for smaller stuff organisers rely on local sponsors to donate products to give away as prizes rather than offer cashola...

[SystemParanoia]

so where is the money in the MTB world?

[snotrag]

SystemParanoia said:

so where is the money in the MTB world?

Top Euro and US teams at Elite level XC/ marathon racing.

But I dont think theres much there either to be honest.

[SystemParanoia]

so basically, if you want to eventually make proper money on a bike... get a BMX, qualify for X-games, then win.

i guess now that bmx racing is an Olympic sport that will be seeing some winnable money as well then ?

[Richair]

Yep sod all money in DH racing!

A good friend of mine is on one of the big teams and is posting regular low 20's at world cups and doesn't really get paid what you would call a wage. On the other hand he does get to travel the world and ride some amazing tracks for free But you are kind of relying on getting a bike industry job once your race career is over.

Unless a big-name sponsor (i.e. non-mtb) is on board for a race series/event, the prizes are usually just a token. Races cost so much to hold these days there's sod all cash left after the costs so they rely on donations from sponsors. There's usually cash on offer for series podiums though.

Still, mountain biking is on the up in general and I'm not sure whether the recession has hit it as hard as the manufactures want you to think..

[raceboy]

SystemParanoia said:

so basically, if you want to eventually make proper money on a bike... get a BMX, qualify for X-games, then win.

i guess now that bmx racing is an Olympic sport that will be seeing some winnable money as well then ?

There has always been a little money in BMX racing but only at the highest level, and as always the US is the place to be, and based on the number of riders chasing the cash and the amount on offer it's not worth giving up the day job.


2 people I rode with as a kid have both gone on to make a very succesfull living off riding BMX's one in racing and one X-Games style Vert riding, but the dedication shown by both of them to the sport is massive.