Statement From 23 Degrees On Aaron Gwin Leaving Trek

The last several weeks have been a very difficult period for our company as owners of the Trek World Racing program. Despite the fact that on August 9 of last year, Aaron Gwin signed a legally binding Letter Of Intent with our team for the next three seasons, his agent wrote an email to the team in mid-December stating he had decided to race for another bike brand. Mr Gwin confirmed his agreement with our team in public statements, and he and his agent repeatedly confirmed the existence of, and commitment to, the agreement in written correspondence with us. Yet, only weeks before the team was required to submit the official team roster to UCI, Mr Gwin informed the team that he was abandoning TWR in total disregard of his contractual obligations.

The team reached out on several occasions in December in order to try and remedy whatever concerns Mr Gwin had, but these were ignored until the team received a letter from his Attorneys on December 27 stating he would not ride for our team. In the interests of the team and our sponsors, we are actively pursuing all options open to us at this point, including legal action, and remain completely surprised by Mr Gwin's unprofessional actions.

Team Director Martin Whiteley says: "This has not been an easy time for us. In the bigger picture however I find positivity in the fact that the Trek World Racing program will continue regardless of the outcome of this dispute, as no single rider is bigger than the team as a whole. Every rider who has been on our Downhill program has had the best years of their career with us, and we will continue to bring on talented riders. The team has a history of helping riders win who had not previously won, including Aaron Gwin. It's our intention t o continue that type of record with new talent. I would personally like to acknowledge the complete support and loyalty we've received from our title sponsor Trek Bikes who have been unwavering in their commitment to the program since this news broke. In the interests of the fans, we hope this matter will be resolved sooner rather than later".

Specialized Signs Aaron Gwin

The mountain bike off-season is almost as interesting as the hockey/football/basketball off-seasons, with transfers and team changes becoming as talked about as the racing itself.

It was obvious something was moving in Aaron Gwin’s camp. The rumbles and murmurs had been building. Then when it was revealed Hill was moving on from Specialized, leaving a gap in the roster of one of downhill mountain biking’s most powerful teams, speculation roared as to who would replace the man who used to be the most dominating and frightening downhill racer.

In the past two years, Gwin has grasped the crown as the most dominant downhill racer. He has trampled on the competition, becoming the most successful American downhill racer of all time, and in record time. He won the World Cup overall in 2011 and 2012, becoming the first American to ever win an overall, and being the first man to win five World Cup DH races in one season. That was in 2011, in 2012 he only won four WC races. Gwin joins Specialized riders Troy Brosnan and Mitch Ropelato.

“I’m super excited to start this new chapter in my career with Specialized bicycles,” says Gwin. “The entire Specialized staff has welcomed me with open arms and I’m blown away by the level of support they’ve shown me. This is my dream program and I can’t thank them enough for this opportunity. Bring on 2013!”

Team manager, Sean Heimdal, is equally upbeat about Gwin joining the team. “The combination of Aaron Gwin and the Specialized brand have an American storyline written all over it that was always meant to be,” explains Heimdal. “Aaron will not only bring another element to the program, but it’ll be amazing watching this trio ripping down the tracks together. We can’t wait to get started with this new exciting opportunity and look forward to the season ahead.”

2013 Dirt/Norco Team Announced

We are very excited to announce that Team Dirt Norco has signed 2 new DH riders as well as an Enduro rider for 2013.

Ben Reid: (Rider/Team Organiser)

I think 2013 is going to be the most exciting year yet for team Dirt Norco, I feel we are working with some of the best companies in the industry (2013 sponsors soon to be released) and for me this makes riding my bike so much more enjoyable. I have made a great start to my training in preparation for the new season as well as working with Stanny on our new plans for the team.

In 2012 we had Duncan Riffle on board the team and we had a great season together and had lots of fun on the way, unfortunately we will not have the pleasure of D Riff on board the team in 2013 and we wish the big guy all the best for his future plans.

It has always been our goal to use the team as a platform to help out new talent and we are pleased to announce our new team mates for 2013. For DH we have young George Gannicott joining us who we are keen to help out going into his last year as a Junior, George was on a roll at the beginning of this season and proved himself a contender before breaking his collar bone weeks before the Worlds in Leogang, we also have Casey Brown who is set to have another great season in the Women’s Elite field, both these riders joining myself and Stanny on the DH circuit. As well as this we have Greg Callaghan who will be taking care of business on the new Enduro World Stage as well as in the UK and Ireland. I have been personally impressed by each of these riders by there skills and achievements on different occasions during the 2012 season and I am delighted we have been able to bring them on board.

Dan Stanbridge: (Rider/Team Organiser)

As Ben mentioned, it has alway been our goal with the Dirt Norco Race Team to support some young new talented riders. We are really excited to be able to do this in 2013 and even more pleased to have found some great riders to represent the team. Casey had an incredible debut world cup season in 2012 finishing on the podium at the finals in Norway, George already has some impressive wins to his name in the very competitive Junior class and Greg has shown his strength in the relatively new Enduro race series so 2013 is looking to be an exciting year for the team.

Casey Brown:

“Super stoked to be on a new team this year, Dirt Norco is well-established and has awesome riders who I’m sure I’ll learn a ton of good things from, right now I’m working hard and getting prepared for the next few months of training. I have some big plans for 2013 and am really excited to be on Norco!”

George Gannicott:

“I am really excited about joining Dirt Norco for 2013! It is a great opportunity to be part of the team and be with experienced riders. I’m keen to prove myself in 2013 and signing with the team will help me loads!”

Greg Callaghan:

“After first being introduced to the world of Enduro racing less than a year ago with the Irish Gravity Enduro series things have really gone well for me, it’s been a hell of a year and to go from my first season of racing Enduro to now being on a team as well supported as Dirt Norco for 2013 it is a great boost for me.

Having looked up to Ben as the top Irish rider since I started mountainbiking it’s awesome to now be on the same team as him and is super cool to see him passing on the love to another Irish rider by bringing me on board. I’m really looking forward to getting my hands on the Norco bikes and flying the flag next season, hopefully it’ll be a good season for everyone involved. This is definitely my most anticipated race season to date, I can’t wait to get going!

I’d also like to say a massive thanks to the people who have helped me in previous years, especially James and Natalie from OC Suspension who have treated me like a rockstar for the last 4 years.”

Caroline Buchanan Signs With Airborne Bikes

Airborne is proud to announce our newest DH and 4X team member, Caroline Buchanan.

Caroline hails from Canberra, Australia and currently resides in sunny California. She started racing in 1995 when she was 5 years old. With a huge list of accomplishments since then, she’s claimed over 12 national Australian titles, 2 World Champ 4 cross titles, 5th place at the 2012 Olympic games with a 1st in the time trial, 7 time Australian Cyclist of the year.

“We’re extremely proud to have Caroline on the Airborne team. She’s an excellent representative of her brands, and always carries herself as a true professional on & off her bike. We’re looking forward to supporting her goals for the 2013 Gravity season.” –Trevor Gay, Marketing & Team Manager, Airborne Bicycles For more news and updates, be sure to visit:

For more news and updates, be sure to visit:
www.airbornebicycles.com
www.carolinebuchanan.com

Sam Hill Signs With CRC/Nukeproof

Team CRC/Nukeproof are proud to welcome legendary Australian rider Sam Hill onto the roster, joining Matt Simmonds and Joe Smith as they look forward to success in the upcoming 2013 RockyRoads UCI Mountain Bike World Cup season. A five time downhill World Champion and with numerous World Cup podiums under his belt, Sam Hill is widely regarded as one of the most skilful riders on the circuit, often showing disregard for and picking apart the most loose, steep or gnarly courses in the world.

Matt Simmonds and Joe Smith, who both had their most successful professional season in 2012, are hoping to push themselves even further this year with the help of their new teammate. Matt said: “To have a rider of Sam’s calibre on the team will be awesome for us! Placing 16th overall in last year’s World Cup was great for me and gives me the perfect platform to improve my times this year and get closer to podium finishes.” Joe Smith, who took 19th overall in last year’s World Cup rankings, is stoked on what the future holds for the team, saying: “Finishing seventh at Fort Bill last year was a definite highlight, and to end up in the top-20 overall was fantastic. With the help of the team and some tweaks to my riding, this year should be amazing for us all.”

"I'm very excited about riding for team Chain Reaction Cycles/Nukeproof. They are very positive towards downhill racing and I know they are going to put in 100% just like me. I'm really looking forward to getting to the races under the Chain Reaction Cycles tents and hanging with the team. 2013 is going to be a good year." Sam Hill

"I'm delighted Sam has decided to join our team! I have been a big fan of Sam throughout his successful downhill career. He's had amazing results in the past winning five World Championship titles and is a fantastic ambassador for any company involved in downhill and mountain biking in general. We have worked hard on developing a great team and great bikes over the last five seasons and I believe having a rider of Sam's pedigree will step the team up to that next level and also bring on the results of Matt and Joe, who had very promising seasons in 2012. We are all really looking forward to having Sam on board helping the development of new Nukeproof products and hopefully helping Sam achieve his goals in racing in the next stage of his career. I can't wait for the 2013 season to begin!" Nigel Page