Interview with German champion Max Brandl: Are XC race tracks becoming too dangerous?

The XC World Cup weekend in Crans Montana, Switzerland, not only produced winners and losers, but also a discussion about how spectacular a competition course can be. Discovery has been broadcasting the races since 2023 live, which is nice on the one hand because the sport gets more attention. On the other hand, people seem to notice the influence that Warner Bros - the media group behind Discovery and other broadcasters - has on the races.

After the XC race in Crans Montana with many crashes, criticism is being levelled: The course was too dangerous, everything was geared towards the spectacular television images. And in the current case: the UCI technical delegate was not present. This delegate normally goes to the World Cup courses, approves them and releases them for the competition.

In addition to Tom Pidcock and Nino Schurter, the former rider of the BIKE Junior Teams and German champion, Max Brandl, had a major crash. Pidcock and Schurter were uninjured - Max Brandl crashed in the stone field and landed on his face on the ground. He broke his lower jaw in two places. Beware, what comes next is not for the faint-hearted. Brandl underwent surgery and now has two plates fitted in his jaw. The teeth on the lower jaw were individually reattached with screws. The temporomandibular joint has a comminuted fracture.

Interview Max Brandl: My jaw! It's broken!

We spoke to Max Brandl after his racing accident in Crans Montana. He is doing well under the circumstances. But in his answers you can see how annoyed he is by the apparent shortcomings of the race.

BIKE: What exactly happened?

Max Brandl: In the infamous Rock Garden in Crans Montana, I was in sixth position and went off the burr-like racing line in the B-line on the third lap. I first slid a little to the left, then overcorrected to the right and then completely lost control. It was also impossible to brake on the mud-covered rocks. My bike then slipped completely to the right and I crashed to the left between the rocks. There were also some larger gaps there, so my arms hit the ground much lower than the rest of my body and I had no chance of catching myself properly.

I then crashed into a rock with my chin, it felt like I hadn't braked because my hands were gripping nothing. There were mats between lines A and B, which I heaved myself onto pretty much straight after the fall to get out of the way. The first thing I shouted - quite in shock from the pain - was: "My jaw! My jaw! It's broken!". It really did feel like the lower half of my face was a complete mess - luckily it wasn't that bad after all. Helpers arrived immediately, some of them apparently with medical training, and helped me off the track. They then took me to the nearby 3 x 3 metre medical pavilion on foot.

To what extent was that a problem with the route?

There were of course 4 official lines at this point with varying degrees of difficulty, danger and speed, but of course everyone is under pressure to drive the fastest line. Something can always happen, we're not playing chess after all, but I think you can make the lines difficult and still ensure a certain degree of safety. For example, you could implement this in such a way that you can either crash out of the line where there are no rocks, or - even better - that you can leave the track at the difficult points in an emergency and get back onto the track via a diversion after the technical section, an emergency exit so to speak.

On many tracks, you can also somehow bump out of the track on the sides and then have to go back and climb up again where you left the track. But there in Crans Montana there was simply absolutely no room for error, especially in wet conditions, as the lines were bordered by impassable rocks. There were also gaps between the rocks everywhere, where you could get your feet and hands stuck if you fell, which is more or less what happened to me. This is simply negligent, because it doesn't make much of a difference visually, nor does it reduce the technicality of the ride in any way if you fill them in cleanly.

I can also mention the other three difficult or dangerous sections: the tree trunk section, the descent with the waterfall gap and the descent just before the finish. They were just as pointless, technically not really difficult, but very dangerous.

You say there was a small 3x3 metre pavilion for medical care. How was the medical care organised overall?

In hindsight, that was really shocking. There was simply no official medical centre for an event of this size, not to mention the danger. Last year in Val di Sole, I overheated and was taken to a medical centre that was easily 100 square metres in size. The care there was very professional and there were doctors on site. In Crans Montana, I was taken to a small pavilion immediately after the fall and given initial treatment. There was a small concussion assessment, but my open wounds were cleaned really badly and after a bit of pressure on my jaw, it was diagnosed as unbroken.

With this and the order to go to hospital to have the laceration on my chin stitched, I was released and taken to an off-road vehicle by a volunteer. That was actually the wildest part, because we had to scramble a good 50 metres through the undergrowth. At some point I was quite annoyed and asked what they would actually do if I couldn't walk any more. Because it really would have been impossible to carry me through there. There was no answer.

In hindsight, I think it would have been more appropriate to transport me lying down and with a neck restraint, as I fell completely on my head and a lot of force was exerted on my neck and spine. I was accompanied by Marc Schäfer, the U19 national coach, who was sent to the medical point by national coach Peter Schaupp, and luckily he also travelled with me in the off-road vehicle so that I could at least get to the team tent - there wasn't a larger medical centre. I was dropped off there and received further treatment from our team physiotherapist.

The post of UCI Technical Delegate was not filled

Fortunately, you ended up in hospital afterwards. Would you say that this was all a localised problem or do incidents like this happen more often at races?

I do think that it was particularly bad in Crans Montana and that otherwise both the routes and the medical care are better thought out. As far as the course is concerned, it seems that the organisers (editor's note: Warner Bros.) have not filled the position of the UCI technical delegate, which is prescribed in the regulations, as I only became aware after the discussion. This person is actually responsible for track safety and, especially on a new track, it is of course fatal if he is missing. But apparently he hasn't just been missing since Crans Montana. In this respect, there are definitely also questionable spots on other World Cup courses, but Crans Montana was already on a different level with the four spots mentioned.

What would you like to see from the organisers?

The routes should at least be familiar from an international race in the previous year. The Swiss championship was even held in Crans Montana last year, but on a different track. It also needs to be properly approved by the technical delegate and not "tested" by a few E-Enduro riders with one and a half times as much suspension travel and tyre width.

In addition, the camber and "emergency exit" options should become an issue - you can make everything difficult, but that doesn't mean it has to be dangerous. In Nove Mesto, for example, I think the biggest differences are made downhill in the long descent to the finish and it's long because it's relatively flat. It really depends on how efficiently you can ride, how well you can carry speed. And not on how fearlessly you throw yourself down somewhere, like in the finish descent in Crans Montana or, for example, in the downhill sections in Leogang.

Interview with Bernd Sigel, Team Manager of the BIKE Junior Team

Questions for Bernd Sigel, Team Manager of the BIKE Junior Team, where Max Brandl's career as a racer began. He is very worried: firstly about Max and his health. On the other hand, whether he can still send young riders to such race tracks with a clear conscience.

BIKE: How do you rate Max's accident?

Bernd Sigel: Max is the victim of the sensational mentality that is becoming more and more prevalent in XCO. In this case, I think the organiser is clearly responsible. Whether driven by Warner Bros I cannot judge. In any case, it is fatal if the technical delegate is removed and thus athlete safety is not sufficiently taken into account.

What is your criticism of the race in Crans Montana?

This was clearly a track that was too dangerous and not weatherproof. There were deficiencies in the crash areas. And, above all, catastrophic medical care.

What is your criticism of the current racing circus?

The responsibility for the athletes is being neglected. The aim must be to organise selective, challenging competitions without negligently endangering people's health. I have the impression that the spectacular television image is becoming more important.

What conclusions do you draw from the story for the season?

I will discuss the safety aspects with our team riders. I will encourage them to talk about it if parts of the route are too dangerous and to choose the safe option if necessary. If necessary, we as the BIKE Junior Team will intervene.

What conclusions might you draw from this for the future?

If the World Cup develops into a circus in which riders are degraded to gladiators, then I have to ask myself whether I can justify promoting the kids in this way.

Do you think that weaker courses for women and juniors make sense?

Yes, age- and performance-appropriate variants would do justice to the athletes.