The live broadcasts will start at the first series event, the Fuego XC 80k at the Sea Otter Classic next month. Made up of half gravel and half mountain bike races, the Life Time Grand Prix will include the 200-mile Unbound Gravel, Crushar in the Tushar, the Leadville Trail 100 MTB, and the Chequamegon MTB Festival before finishing in October at Big Sugar Gravel in Bentonville, AR. (Of course, the 60 racers competing in the Grand Prix will be up against the other thousands that sell out events like the Leadville 100.)
This partnership marks an influx of investment to mountain bike broadcasting, also seen recently when Discovery bought the World Cup broadcast rights, and we may see mountain biking garner increasing public interest and support from the sport’s new level of exposure.
FloSports already has a long-term partnership with the UCI and broadcasts road events such as Flanders Classics, the Paris-Roubaix, and more. It recently announced it would carry the Tour de France Femmes Avec Zwift exclusively in Canada and recently broadcasted the 2021 Cyclocross World Championships in North America.
FloSports is a subscription video service that aims to cover “underserved” sports, with sports like cycling, swimming, wrestling, and competitive fitness alongside the mainstream offerings like basketball and baseball in its 300,000-hour video library.