The 28th edition of the Mont-Sainte-Anne Mountain Bike World Cup will be marked by a tsunami of changes from October 5th to 9th.
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New dates, new organizing committee, new production team and a new collaboration with Warner Bros. Discovery, which has the mandate of the International Cycling Union (UCI) to present a unified product worldwide and bring the bicycle into the mainstream. Mountain in show sports.
“The UCI has signed an eight-year deal with Warner Bros. Discovery to bring the sport to other destinations,” said production manager and co-founder of Mouvement Production Ian Beaulieu. Starting this year, television production will be much larger than in the past and visibility will be higher. As with F-1, the goal is to achieve consistent visual quality throughout. »
Transition year
The word transition comes up all the time in conversations. The departure of Patrice Drouin and Chantal Lachance, who had carried the event through Gestev for more than 20 years, brought inevitable changes.
“In 2019, the organization reached its peak with the awarding of the World Cup,” said Beaulieu. Patrice left the company after the World Cup, along with several of his close associates. There was the pandemic in 2020 and 2021 and a new Gestev team in 2022. After all that, we have arrived. »
Visible changes?
Will the changes be noticeable? “Except for the people who were very close to us, people won’t really notice that a new organization exists,” Beaulieu said. We didn’t intend to turn the world upside down and hired several of Patrice’s former employees as freelancers. Great work has already been done and we now want to show that we are capable of delivering a good product. There is no comparison game. »
Beaulieu is no stranger to the world of mountain biking. “I raced in the slalom dual here in 1996 and have two children who ride mountain bikes. I still compete in the Masters category. We signed a one-year deal with Warner Bros. Discovery and would like to stay there for several years. We have received very good feedback since the beginning of the week and would like to further improve the product in the event of a contract extension. »
The old boss is happy
Drouin, a former world champion, says he is very happy with how things are turning out. “The transition is in good hands,” he said. This event is of great value to the region and it is pleasing to see a new group in place. The two-year shutdown has been very, very difficult, but the Côte-de-Beaupré community has come together to ensure the sustainability of the event. »
“The UCI’s new vision is right and could help attract larger partners and more prestigious destinations,” added Drouin. Television has taken a big step forward and everything is digital. We are a long way from the banners of previous years. »