2012 Trek World Racing Team Announced

Trek World Racing announces its roster for 2012, returning once again with an impressive line-up of Cross Country and Downhill riders ready to take on the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup, World Championships, Olympics and a selected set of major events including Crankworx in Whistler, the Sea Otter Classic and the Sunshine Cup in Cyprus.

DH: As the number 1 Downhill team in the world this year, Trek World Racing will return with 3 elite men, namely Aaron Gwin (USA), Justin Leov (NZL) and Neko Mulally (USA). The 3 Downhill men will be aboard their Trek Session 9.9 carbon bikes and racing the full World Cup along with a number of MTB Grand Prix events in the US, Sea Otter Classic, Crankworx in Whistler, and other selected events.

Also new for the team in 2012 is the hiring of 2000 World Downhill Champion, Myles Rockwell, as a rider liaison assisting the riders with their training, strategy and racing at the World Cups and Worlds.

Tracy Moseley successfully raced for the program for last 3 years, taking 18 World Cup podiums (including 6 wins), the World Championship Title in 2010, and the World Cup title in 2011, however she has decided to take her career in a different direction in 2012. T-MO will be making her own announcement.

XC: The team will field 4 Cross Country riders including new signing Junior XC phenom Anton Cooper (NZL) who will be racing selected events throughout 2012 while continuing with his education. Willow Rockwell (USA) returns to full time racing after getting married and having a child in December with husband Myles, with the goal of being selected to race for the USA at the London Olympics. Returning for their 4th year with the team are the Flueckiger brothers from Switzerland. 2010 Under 23 World Champion Mathias, and Lukas who finish 5th at last year’s Worlds, will be opting to spend more time racing the Trek Superfly 29’ers in 2012.

Rider Quotes in alphabetical order:

Anton Cooper – “I am very excited to join Trek World Racing for the 2012 season. It is a significant step forward in my goals of becoming a World class rider. This is aided by the fact that the team’s focus is at the World Cup, World Championship and Olympic stage where they are able to provide top leve l support that is required to perform at this level. This is a great way to kick-start my career as a professional Mountain Biker and I look forward to what lies ahead.”

Luk Flueckiger – “I have more confidence than ever before. I will start my 2012 season where my 2011 season ended. The Olympics are my biggest goal for the year.”

Math Flueckiger – “2011 was my first year as a full time professional athlete. It was such a big change and I expected too much from myself after a season like 2010. I learnt so much in 2011, and I’ll bring all this experience to 2012. I won’t look at other riders, results, etc. I will focus solely on me! My moto will be ‘step by step’, improving throughout the year.”

Aaron Gwin – “I'm looking forward to the upcoming year. We had an awesome season in 2011 and I'm excited to get back to the races with my team!”

Justin Leov – “2012 is going to be an exciting year; with a new coach on board I feel a new motivation towards my ra cing. My hopes and goals are to have fun at the events like I did this year and aim for those top steps of the podium, which so many times have just alluded me.”

Neko Mulally – “I'm excited to go into 2012 and put together all of the experiences that have brought me to this point. I can see it coming together already. It's going to be awesome spending every weekend with people I love being around, I really can’t wait to go racing.”

Willow Rockwell – “I look forward to being the fastest mom on the planet. With the support of my Trek World Racing team and sponsors, I know I have everything I need to be the very best. I intend to do my part, and let the universe supply me with energy, grace and balance as I follow my destiny path."

Team Owner Martin Whiteley – “After the successes of the past 3 years, the team returns once again with a strong line-up of athletes, and the same talented staff and sponsors we’ve been lucky to have with us in 2011, building on a ll that we’ve achieved to date. New signings Anton Cooper and Myles Rockwell bring both youthful enthusiasm and experience. Our major sponsors Trek, JBL, Shimano and Fox have been extremely supportive and I’m really excited to take the 2012 version of the team on the road next year.”

The team website www.trekworldracing.com will be updated with more information throughout December and January. For media who haven’t yet applied for their login to access photography, simply go to the Media tab on the site and apply.

Remy Absalon Takes Win At Reunion Island Megavalanche

Brendan Fairclough To Ride For Scott 11

Following the wrap up of yet another amazing season of Downhill racing, a number of interesting rumors involving Claudio’s 11, Swiss cheese, pump tracks, and Brendan Fairclough’s next move have been circulating online. SCOTT Sports is delighted to put an end to the speculation and to proudly welcome professional DH racer, and all round pinner, Brendan Fairclough to the Scott11 team. 

Brendan is widely recognized as one of the most well rounded riders on the DH circuit with a unique style that has captivated and inspired his many fans. Whether he is racing competitions or ripping with friends, his natural ability and bike control make him one of the most exciting riders to watch. Brendan is a regular top ten rider with an impressive 4th place finish at the recent 2011 Champéry World Championships, despite a torn ACL, and has featured in multiple highly acclaimed mountain bike films such as Clay Porter’s 3 Minute Gaps and Anthill Films’ Follow Me. Now, after having undergone reconstructive knee surgery, Brendan is ready to come back next season to continue working with top bike film producers and to take on the UCI World Cup DH series with a new knee and a new bike.

SCOTT Sports and the SCOTT11 team will give Brendan the opportunity to take his racing to the next level by providing him with unparalleled support and the finest equipment to reach his goals. Brendan will also play an instrumental role in developing and testing SCOTT products including SCOTT’s Gambler and Voltage FR bikes. 

“I’m really happy to have the opportunity to join Scott11 for the 2012 and 2013 seasons,” says Brendan. “It’s going to be a big change from the last few years since I’ll now act as the lead rider on the team, but it’s a role I feel I am ready to take up and feel it’s going to be good for me in my fight for a championship. It’s going to be good to progress with SCOTT in the downhill market and hope we can get the bike on the top step of the podium and beyond. Very happy to have signed and can't wait to get stuck into the season.”

“With Brendan on board, we can finally play a major role in the men's field,” adds Team Manager Claudio Caluori. “The whole team is totally excited and will work flat out to get Brendan where Floriane Pugin has been since joining Scott11: On that podium!” Welcome to SCOTT, Brendog! 

The Hive 2012 Product Line

Brook MacDonald Signs With 23 Degrees

23 Degrees Sports Management announced today that it has finalized an agreement to represent 2009 Junior World Champion and World Number 6, Brook MacDonald of Hawkes Bay, New Zealand. After an impressive 2011 that included 3 World Cup podiums and an overall 6th place in the series, Brook who turns 20 next week, has a big future ahead of him.

Brook had this to say: "Next year is a really important year for me. I want to build on the experience I gained this year and chase down my goals of being one of the top Downhillers on the circuit next year and hopefully gain a medal at the World Champi onships. To be honest, I struggle a bit with the admin and paper work side of the sport and just want to focus on my training and racing. I’ve seen what Martin and 23 Degrees has done for Sam (Blenkinsop) and other riders, and so I asked him to help me out with my career. I’m looking forward to it.”

Founder and Owner of 23 Degrees Sports Management, Martin Whiteley, commented on Brook’s signing.

"There’s no question that Brook is on the verge of something big in our sport and we’re very happy that he’s asked us to assist him. We’ll help him evaluate his sponsorship deals and take some of the burden away so he can put more of his focus into preparing for the season and racing at podium level in 2012. This brings our athlete management roster to 7; we don’t expect to add any more athletes going into next year as we have a great stable to work with for now".

Brook’s profile page can be found here: http://www.23degrees-sports.com/athlete.php?athlete_id=26