Most read Ryan MTB stories of 2024
I began publishing here regularly in May, hoping to bring a fresh voice to the off-road cycling media landscape. After publishing dozens of stories, from the Life Time Grand Prix and UCI MTB World Cup to gear reviews and indistry news, I’m ready to keep pressing on full speed ahead in 2025.
The holiday season is near, which is a natural reflection point. Below is a look back at my most-read stories of the past year.
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Team Rumors: Loana Lecomte, Tom Pidcock, Nino Schurter, and more
The racing season is coming to a close, and naturally, chatter is beginning to emerge about who is racing for whom next season. World Cup XCO rider contracts are often tied to the Olympic cycle, with riders looking to cash in on a good result in Paris or find a team that will set them up well for 2028.
Leaked MTB World Cup doc reveals proposed racing reforms
A leaked document prepared by Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD)—the promoters of the MTB World Series—has circulated among media outlets and gives a glimpse into the company’s vision for World Cup mountain bike racing.
NBC is losing American cycling fans
American cycling waking up to Stage 1 of the Tour de France Saturday will have recognized a familiar voice calling Romain Bardet’s breakaway victory. Phil Liggett is back covering his 52nd Tour de France for NBC, whose broadcast is available live and on-demand through the broadcaster’s
Takeaways from the 2024 Life Time Grand Prix
The Life Time Grand Prix season wrapped up this month in Arkansas, concluding the third season of the nation’s top cycling series. Alexey Vermeulen snagged the win in the men’s race after bridging up to the breakaway and then dropping Simen Nordahl Svendsen and Colby Simmons. Sofia Gomez Villafane also won from a break, powering ahead of Melisa Rollins …
Cyclocross World Cup preview
The cyclocross season is already well underway, but the discipline’s premiere circuit kicks off Sunday in Antwerp, Belgium. That’s right, the UCI Cyclocross World Cup is about to commence.
Does mountain biking have a Tom Pidcock problem?
The world of international cycling began to hear murmurs about a fast young man from Yorkshire nearly a decade ago. He was heralded as one of the future greats, and he began racking up results that backed the talk up. In 2016-17 season, he won the junior world cyclocross title and then took the junior time trial world championship in 2017 as well.
The other Big Three
Three men dominate cyclocross headlines to an annoying extent. Mathieu van der Poel, Wout van Aert, and Tom Pidcock—together dubbed the Big Three—are multi-disciplinary phenoms. When any one of them enters a cyclocross race, they are bound to win.
MTB World Cup announces 2025 changes
The UCI mountain bike world cup series is set to undergo the most significant structural changes since the series was created in 1991. Starting in 2025, there will be an updated team structure for the World Cup, a new downhill qualification system, and career numbers for riders.
Savilia Blunk on the Olympics, riding for a French team, and preparing for Worlds
Ryan MTB: What was the whole Olympic experience like?