Rennie and Delfs on Morewood in 09

"Gravity Group is pleased to announce their partnership with Morewood Bikes as bicycle supplier and co-title sponsor along with Kenda Tires for their World Cup Team."

The new team will consist of Nathan Rennie (AUS) and Mitch Delfs (AUS).

Nathan Rennie: “I am super happy to be where I am in 2009. Not to mention that 9 is my favorite number, I am especially happy to be working with new people and working with people I already know. I am impressed with everything so far and how fast the ball has got rolling. I’m stuck in training already and my knee feels good. It wont be long before it will be 100%. I feel like the change for me is for the better for all parties and just want to get racing again. See you at the races.”

Mitch Delfs: “I am super stoked to be working with Gravity Group again for the 2009 season. It’s going to be an exciting year, with a great bike and good factory support to race on. I’m sure there will be a few World Cups with my name on it. With a new team mate as fast as Nathan Rennie I know my riding will improve, which will make TEAM KENDA/MOREWOOD the new power house team on the World Cup circuit.”

Richard Carter of Morewood Bikes: "Gravity Group has a reputation for running one of the most professional teams on the circuit, so the opportunity of forming a partnership with them was something we just couldn’t pass up on, despite current economic sentiment.

I believe we have one of the most competitive packages on the circuit. Good bikes however are nothing without great riders, and we feel privileged to work with riders of Nathan and Mitch’s caliber.

Filling the shoes of a team as successful and respected as Syndicate is a big task for anyone, but I believe Peter Siulczynski and the Gravity Group are up to the challenge. With the right support and infrastructure I know Nathan will be right at home in no time and ready to retake his place on the podium where he belongs."

World Cup Finals Wrap-Up

Schaladming World Cup Winner!

Sam Blenkinsop 4:10.16
Sam Hill +1.64
Gee Atherton +2.20
Steve Peat +3.04
Greg Minnaar + 7.40
Justin Leov +8.17

Minnaar secured the overall win and Rachel put a hurtin on the women's field with a 13.67 second win! She as well secured the overall win for the series. Some very impressive notes, Sam Hill hit a tree in the first woods section with his right shoulder almost knocking him off the bike. In a turn on the lower half of the course he got sideways and nearly high sided the bike. Still pulled a 2nd place finish. Kovarik bit it hard in the top wood section, the crash was hard enough to cause him to throw the race, he had his helmet off and was sidelined for a while before re-mounting and riding down. Ruaridh Cunningham's inside line was only taken by a few people but it caused him an awkward crash. The only other person to take that line, that I saw, was Brendan Fairclough, his run was maybe the most exciting for me. At the split he was ahead of the entire field by almost 2 seconds and as the 2nd to last man down he stood a good chance of taking the win. In the last exit of woods he washed out the front wheel and slid to the bottom of the 16 foot muddy transition, without his bike. It was a big upset. In USA news, Aaron Gwin was able to grab another top 10 finish, the first being Mt Saint Anne, extremely impressive for his first year of mountain bike racing.

An exciting race for the final of the season. Freecaster will be bringing you the next 3 seasons of UCI World Cup racing. For the rest of the year they have a few more events planned as well as the newly reinvigorated Red Bull Rampage. Stay tuned.

Not so pumped?

With the current wins on the World Cup circuit it is making for a very exciting season. You really can't under estimate anyone at the upcoming races. Sam will be looking for a return to the top. Gee is not going to give it up that easy, Greg is fitting in to the new team well and Rennie's taste for the podium has been reinvigorated. And lets face it Peaty is a beast on the bike. The list of potential winners is getting longer and longer and that type of unpredictability is what creates a stir of emotion come race day. Two weeks is Worlds in Val Di Sole, Italy. I have my picks for the top three, you got yours?

ATHERTONS WIN ACROSS THE BOARD!

Gee Atherton just took the win against Sam in a stunning weekend. Rachel won the womens, Dan took the 4X win, on Commencal turf none the less. These guys deserve it. More to come. Oh yeah Freecaster froze, after an hour and half of watching the last man on course was Gee and 20 seconds before his finish it just locked up. BLUE BALLS!!!

Gee got Sam by 0.31 seconds.

In other WC news J.D. Swanguen's bike fell off the lift and dropped about 30 feet and broke the front fork (insert Manitou joke here) he had no practice before his race run. I wonder how Jerry the mechanic felt about that?

Rachel won!

Rachel took the win over Sabrina Jonnier today in the second stop of the UCI World Cup Series. Vallnord Bike Park in Andorra played host and saw the skies hold back for the womens finals. With the fastest qualifying time she was favored to take the win. With a win for Dan Atherton in mens 4X yesterday the pressure will be on Gee to take the win. He qualified fastest with Sam on his heels but in mens finals anything can happen.

Dan Atherton takes 4x win in Andorra

If you have not been living under a rock than you should know that you can watch live coverage of the UCI World Cup races from the comfort of your own toilet. That is of course you view the internet upon the throne. Freecaster has been broadcasting live footage with commentary from Rob Warner, Matthias Weber and other semi-celebrity voices from the racing community. The second installment of the World Cup takes place in Andorra, Cedric Gracias turf. 
The 4X finals just finished up with Dan Atherton taking the win, Lopes in second and Guido in third. This is a great win for Dan who has had a few second place finishes, he was able to stay low over most of the jumps and pull ahead of Lopes than launched himself over the quad in a true display of bike riding and secure his place. Andorra is home to Commencal, so to have one of their guys on the podium has to feel good. We are hoping that Gee is in top form tomorrow for the DH finals and that Rachel is able to keep the other ladies in check. Sundays DH finals take place at 8 am eastern time. Slovenia mountain bike site MTB.SI took some great shots of Dan boosting the lip of the quad and CG sending it like Fed-Ex over the same set. Note that CG goes from third to second in that jump.

Another video...I know.

As if you haven't fried your retinas yet watching all the internet has to offer. Here is a good video of the Maribor World Cup. He has alot more footage and records more diverse sections of track.

Gregs new stem...

Santa Cruz has got their shit together. As far as design goes they have a real cohesive package. The jerseys, website, bike graphics all of this plays a part in presenting themselves as a very professional outfit. Selling lots of high-end bicycles helps fund all of these exploits. I was tooling around the site today after getting the latest newsletter from them. My sometimes keen eye picked up on the stem mounted to the front of Greg's new V10. Truvativ Direct Mount, not available right now, and no info floating around that I could dig up. It makes sense, they make a great fork with a direct mount capable crown, what has been taking them so long? Sea Otter, hopefully will be the release along with all the other new bits.

Vallnord World Cup now online

Andorra is not a war torn African country. It is nestled between France and Spain and is the home of Commencal Bikes, Cedric Gracia and Vallnord Bike Park. Vallnord will be playing host to the second stop of the Nissan World Cup Series. They have been hard at work getting everything ready, trails are being cut and broken in and the 4X track is coming along nicely. This venue is sure to be a hit to all the racers and promoters as well as the huge number of fans expected to attend. The new website is up and rolling and the Furious Agency has had a major hand in the development of this event along with the good gents at Commencal. Festivities kick off May 31st.
Alright Cedric you now have home court advantage. Lets make it work.

Off the chain, so far...

So they are doing pretty good. I mean they have a stack of great riders; they’re sitting on superb bikes and having Nigel Page as a team manager, that’s like icing on the cake.

Some people said they did not think that the big “K” had it in him anymore. Well he had a lot of problems last season. Flats (tubes not the pedals) in race runs, unable to qualify in Champery and Canada giving him the shutout did not help his standings in the points field and could not have been great for the sponsors. It was not the biggest surprise though to hear that he would be leaving the MS Racing outfit. Where would he go? What would he ride?

Teaming up with Nigel Page, an icon in modern mountain biking, would prove to be a great setup. Both long-term riders for Intense, Ringle and Manitou these brands would follow Chris and Nigel to the Chain Reaction Cycles/Intense Race Team.
With new fast kids falling out of the sky these days there can be a lot of pressure on the seasoned riders to stay in the game and continue to be competitive. Sponsors have a lot of things on the brain when it comes to slicing up the money pie these days. The team would round out with Julien Camellini, Matt Simmonds and Ruaridh (sounds like Rory not Rudy , thanks for the correction!) Cunningham who was recruited by the team fresh off his World Championship win. It’s great to see a young guy like him get picked up by a team of well-versed pros.

Kovarik has been winning all the Fontana Winter Series races in So Cal and Julien just pulled out a win in the French Regional Championships beating many of his fellow countrymen, including Fabien Barel. The Chain Reaction Cycles/Intense Team has started to show their true colors. They like to win and they intend to do it often this season.

As for Ruaridh and his recently injured knee, he’s a kid; they are made out of rubber.

Lopes on Ibis for 2008

It has just been announced that Brian Lopes will be riding for Ibis this upcoming season. Yes, thats right Ibis. Insiders at Ibis say they have been working with him to help develop the brand in the race market. They look forward to working with him and having his years of experience on hand. Will they make a BL signature bike? They have been utilizing the DW-Link on their frames and it will certainly be interesting to see Brian riding a new bike, specially one that has connotations of being a light weight, high end, boutique brand. 

In the intelligent words of DS  "Ohhhh man."

CarrotTop to ride for Cannondale? You be the judge.

You put enough bird seed out and little birdies will come visit you and sing you sweet, sweet songs. A little hessian bluebird landed on my window sill and sang a tune of USA fast guy Duncan Riffle in the works of inking a deal with Cannondale. If this is true he will not be the replacement for former Cut rider Mick Hannah who decided to take a sabbatical from the race season and sow his Aussie oats. He will be part of a 3 man Euro squad set out to conquer the World Cup venues. I wonder what other sponsors they will pick up? With Cannondales fresh release of that new Moto, a new all mountain rig they will be getting a lot of much needed press. Not to mention of course a previous post of the "Special-Ed" hiring campaign. (Sidenote: Mike Sinyard-Specialized CEO-has been released from the hospital and is expected to make a full recovery from shooting himself in the foot.) Kudos Cannondale keep kickin out the new stuff and signing red heads!

 

Kovarik back on a Dorado, sweet memories...

Chain Reaction Cycles has received their new 2008 Intense M6 race bikes. Kovarik will be profiling some new kit on his race bike such as Race Face, Maxxis, Hayes and the new Manitou Dorado to be released in 2009.  Thanks Nigel. Now watch Kovarik 360 on Litter!

Re-Focus Trailer

A few weeks back we brought you a snip-it of the new trailer from Orpheus Productions entitled "Re-Focus" As the sequel to "Focus" they made some surprising changes.

Orpheus Productions are never ones to stand still, so where Focus was rough, raw and in your face, re-Focus is polished, shot in High Definition, over a period of nine months, utilising a custom designed cablecam rig to bring you shots impossible to achieve using conventional methods. Featuring all of the European rounds of the UCI World Cup series, the amazing World Championships from Fort William and several other selected European races, re-Focus is all about the racing.Re-Focus Trailer

Greg Minnaar to join the Syndicate.

The Santa Cruz Syndicate is excited to welcome Greg Minnaar onto the Syndicate for the next two downhill racing seasons! We expect the addition of Minnaar to raise the bar even higher for the Syndicate and are eager to get the new Santa Cruz V-10 underneath him. Having Steve Peat, Nathan Rennie, and Josh Bryceland work and train together with Minnaar should elevate the playing field to new levels in the downhill arena.

Rob Roskopp (owner, Santa Cruz Bicycles), has had an eye on Minnaar for a few years now, and when Honda made the decision to end their involvement in downhill racing, Roskopp saw this as the chance he was waiting for to add Minnaar to the successful Syndicate program. Having talented bike racers with big personalities is a prerequisite for the Syndicate, and Minnaar brings his professionalism, engaging personality and dedication to his craft to the squad. Something that impressed Roskopp the most was Minnaar’s performance at the World Championships in Fort William, Scotland, when in his race run, he crashed and continued on to a successful 4th place finish with a dislocated shoulder and broken scapula suffered in the crash! Witnessing that type of mental determination and control was compelling for Roskopp to aggressively pursue signing Minnaar.

Roskopp comments, “I’m very excited to have Greg on the Syndicate. I admire his talent, professionalism and work ethic and have wanted him on the Syndicate for some time. The Syndicate will now have a broad range in the downhill squad from young, up and coming Josh, to seasoned pros and legends, and will truly be a very international group. Having Greg will be amazing, and I look forward to seeing him race on the V-10.”

“The most important factor for me in choosing a team I race for is the level of support, and the ability to race at my best. It’s clear that the Syndicate is driven by people who love to race. To have a race winning bike beneath me as well as team mates that will continue to push me, makes me very excited about the upcoming season. We are going to be a pretty tough team to beat!” says Minnaar.

Something we strive for in the Syndicate is to create an environment where each rider can express their unique individuality and develop their personas in the sport. Supporting and maintaining the momentum Minnaar has attained in his career will be a feature of his program.

Steve Peat remarks, “Greg is going to be a huge asset to the Syndicate. He and I have been friends since he first visited the UK, a long time ago, and I can see how his drive to win along with his professionalism will be a huge plus for us on the circuit. Welcome aboard Greg!”

Josh Bryceland excitedly says, “That's awesome news! I can't think of a much stronger group with Steve, Nathan and Greg! I have looked up to Greg as much as I have Nathan and Steve the whole time. His style and his consistency will just make the Syndicate even stronger! Also, we can both be newcomers together, ha-ha!”

Nathan Rennie welcomes Greg to the team with his sense of humor, “Looks like there are going to be three naked 6’ 3” men in the back of Steve’s van this year. I had enough trouble understanding Steve’s accent.... Welcome, and oh, by the way, that’s my sandwich Greg.”

Once again, it is with great pleasure that we make this announcement and welcome Greg to the Syndicate!


Kathy Sessler
Santa Cruz Syndicate
Team Manager

"The Law of Fives"

Rankin is god..."The Law of Fives" is now out. The boys in the U.K. are sending it out as we speak. Excitement building, nervous energy will be replaced with hi-fives and f@ck yeahs! Here is the cover art and table of contents. Enjoy. Review coming soon.

2008 NMBS...maybe UCI?

So we received a press release from "NMBS" stating the new 2008 race schedule and series finals and we spotted something in the text, I have highlighted it for you. It seems that some of our prayers have been answered. It seems that these will be UCI sanctioned events and will have the category of "C1" and "C2" which is for single day and two day events.
With the two North American Word Up Cups in the works and the potential to gain valuable points at the local level, I'd say you don't have any more excuses!

Edit: We have been told that in the past these events did hold the UCI seal of approval pertaining to XC we fired an email off to the heads at USA Cycling, the whole time our fingers were crossed that the Gravity Gods would be looking down on us.


Round 1
March 29 – March 30, 2008
UCI C1
Fontana National
Southridge Park
Fontana, California
XC/DH/ST/4X/Super D

Round 2
April 5 – April 6, 2008
UCI C1
NOVA National
McDowell Mountain Regional Park
Fountain Hills, Arizona
XC/ST/Super D

Round 3
May 17 – May 18, 2008
UCI C2
Santa Ynez National presented by Platinum Performance
Ted Chamberlin Ranch
Los Olivos, California
XC/DH/DS/ST/Super D


Round 4
June 28 – June 29, 2008
UCI C1
Deer Valley National
Deer Valley Resort
Park City, Utah
XC/DH/DS/ST/Super D

Round 5 (This is why were hot!)
July 12 – July 13, 2008
UCI C1
East Coast National
Windham Resort
Windham, New York
XC/DH/DS/ST/Super D

Round 6, Series Final
August 30 – September 1, 2008
UCI C2
National Mountain Bike Series Finals
Tamarack Resort
Tamarack, Idaho
XC/DH/4Xor DS/ST/Super D

Mick Hannah Press Release

FROM THE MAN HIMSELF:
Press Release, 02 Nov 2008: Michael Hannah - 2008 Ride Plans

Michael Hannah has asked me to release the following to the MTB press:

"It seems that some of the MTB media have picked up on a media release regarding my 2008 plans and my relationship with Cannondale. Unfortunately a lot of the postings have contained inaccuracies and have left me in a position where I feel I have to set the record straight.

First of all my contract with Cannondale is still current until the end of the year and I have full intentions to honour that as Cannondale has always done the right thing by me.

Some time ago, Cannondale approached me with a plan for 2008. They left the ball in my court to decide on things and considering my time with Cannondale has been nothing but enjoyable, I really did think this was my future riding home. I could not make a decision by my deadline so I chose to let the offer go. To be honest nothing has really changed at all other than the fact that I have some opportunities arising at home and I am a little tired of traveling. I have been out riding for a number of years now, and even with the great support the Daniel (Hespeler), Rory (Mason) and all the rest of the Cannondale crew have always given me, I have found myself asking whether this is what I want to be doing next year (and perhaps beyond). I have always been a rider who likes to give 100% at every event and at this stage I am unsure of my future and Cannondale is not a company that deserves less than 100% from their riders.

My biggest regret is in not being able to put this into the proper words for those who have supported me, particularly Cannondale, and thus letting a situation be created where their brand could be hurt in anyway. I was stupid to share my thoughts with someone without explaining it properly or fully and the industry being what it is the next thing I know all of you are writing about my leaving Cannondale.

I want to state two things very clearly - I am not actively looking for another team although I have been approached AND I have never been happier with a bike than I have been with the Judge. To be honest guys, some of the waffle that I have seen written on the various forums is just not true. I have at this stage no plans for 2008 and do not intend actively looking for anything until I am sure in my own mind and heart that this is what I want to be doing. I want to spend more quality time with Hannah and my family for starters.

I would like to thank Cannondale for their awesome support and all of my other sponsors for their kind words - and in particular all of the people who have written about their disappointment in my perhaps not riding in the World Cup in 2008. This will not be the last you all see of me at that level - but it just might be in a different way in the future. Thanks to all of you."

Any queries should be directed to Michael.

Gavin Donehue

General Manager

Freesport Management

Focus and now Re-Focus

Focus was a film that popped out last year highlighting some key World Cup races and events in between such as Megavalanche and team training camps. The latest film to come out of Orpheus Productions is cleverly entitled "Re-Focus" and carrys on the tradition of killer footage from the worlds best. A snippet of a trailer is available on the site with a full trailer in the works. We will keep you up to date to a release.

MIck Hannah and Cannondale Break-Up

"Sometimes I rhyme slow, sometimes I rhyme Mick...."
The Cannondale Cut just got a bit slimmer as World Cup racer Mick Hannah has parted ways with the team. No word as of yet who he will be riding for in 2008 but with a sold win in Vigo this year and the power and commitment he shows to racing he will be sure to land a good gig.