Tales of The Mob - Episode 2, Fort William

Fort William often produces great drama for both the fans that pack into the venue and for the hundreds of thousands watching at home; with this year’s edition being no exception. Most of the top ranked riders from 2016 arrived into Scotland without protected status thanks to the rained out end of round 1 in Lourdes (FRA). Other riders had higher than expected rankings that they wanted to hang on to, so the stage was set for a many changes in the overall ranking, and many possible surprises.

For the 15th time in a row, the legendary World Cup track in Fort William offered everything what makes downhill racing so exciting: a demanding track, changing conditions, and of course a crowd that knows how to cheer and celebrate the best riders in the world.

Last week the YT Mob went to Fort William to compete in the second round of the Downhill World Cup 2017. Unfortunately, the third rider, Angel Suarez, couldn’t join the team as he is still recovering from his wrist injury. So, his team mates Aaron Gwin and Neko Mulally had to challenge throughout the weekend without the lively Spaniard.

The qualifying on Saturday went quite well on the 3.07 km long track: Neko came in 21st and Aaron 5th. Their results indicated an exciting race and provided good starting positions for the guys. The wood section in the middle part of the track caused considerable havoc – the rinsed-out root section and loads of mud even caused the top riders to fall.

Race day started with sunny weather which actually means nothing in the Scottish Highlands as it can turn into the complete opposite within minutes. Neko showed an incredible run which resulted in his best ever performance in Fort Bill. As one of the first riders he managed to get through the wood section smoothly and with a total time of 4:46.099 he joined Troy Brosnan in the hot seat area. In the end, Neko went home with 7th place.

"This track has been a challenge for me over the years so to leave here with a solid result gives me confidence and keeps the momentum rolling.” (Neko Mulally)

His team mate Aaron started amongst the last five riders just when rain and heavy winds set in. In the upper part, it had no influence on his performance but his front wheel washed out in a lower section of the track while he was trying to set up for a left hander. This cost him two seconds of his lead. Finally, only two riders were faster than Aaron (4:44.143): Jack Moir and Greg Minnaar. “Great weekend here in Scotland. The fans were awesome and the track was tough as always. I really wanted that win today and I felt like the speed was there until that little crash towards the bottom of my run. I’m encouraged by my progress though and a 3rd place with a crash is a result that I will build on. Already looking forward to going to Leogang next week, I love that place!”

Aaron’s result pushed him 60 positions upwards in the overall ranking, now sitting in 8th position just behind his team mate Neko Mulally sitting in 7th. With two riders amongst the Top Ten Overall the YT Mob can look on a very good base to head towards Austria. From Thursday onwards the next round will take place in Leogang, a track which both Aaron and Neko love.

NEKO MULALLY JOINS THE YT MOB

The YT Mob is excited to announce that 23 year old Neko Mulally of the USA will be joining Aaron Gwin and Angel Suarez to make up our 2017 line up. After a successful debut season taking the YT TUES to a historic World Cup debut, the team couldn’t be more thrilled about bringing in this talented young rider to tackle our 2nd race season.
 
Back in 2010 Neko made his first mark in the world of Downhill racing by finishing 2nd at the Junior World Championships in Mont-Sainte-Anne, and then went on to make history in 2014 by finishing 4th at the Elite World Championships with his chainless run. He also made his first trip to the UCI World Cup podium that year by finishing 3rd at the Cairns World Cup, despite a crash!
 
Known as one of the friendliest and easy going riders in the pits, he’s a determined athlete on the bike and the team has every confidence that he will not only settle in perfectly with the team, but continue to build on the results already achieved in his career.
 
Neko said today: "The opportunity to ride for the YT Mob comes at an important junction in my career. The quality of the program has been proven and offers a dynamic where I have excelled in the past. On top of the excellent support, I'm thrilled to be surrounded by this group of people at the races. To ride alongside a teammate like Aaron in an environment that’s committed to success puts me in an ideal situation going forward."
 
Aaron says: "I'm really happy that we were able to sign Neko to the team this year, joining Angel and I. His work ethic, abilities on the bike, and overall positive attitude is exactly what we look for in a rider. We believe in him as he believes in himself and we'll work hard as a team to give him everything he needs to accomplish his goals of getting back to the top. It's going to be a fun year; the chainless destroyers are back together, watch out world!"

 

Team Owner Martin Whiteley says: “Of course it’s great to welcome Neko to the Mob, and in a way welcome him back home to the staff and support that worked alongside him for many years before. Neko was team mates with Aaron in 2011 and 2012 and learned a great deal during his time with him as Gwinny was racking up titles. I’m sure that he’ll welcome that opportunity again and enjoy mixing it up with Angel as well. Team chemistry is very important for us and this decision wasn’t taken lightly. Neko will be an excellent addition to the team.”
 
In addition to racing the World Cup and World Championships, the riders will compete in their respective National Championships, select Pro GRT and other events. Further images of the new race kits and bikes will be available in March.

Hi Neko. You are going to ride a TUES CF this year. How will your bike setup differ from Aaron’s and Angel’s?
I’ll run an XL frame, like Angel, to suit my long reach. My handlebars will be 20mm rise, lower than Aaron at 30mm and Angel at 40mm. I expect to run 170mm crank arms, and a 34t chain ring, which will give me a little extra leverage and less drag, but compromise from the clearance of a 165mm/ 32t set up like Aaron and Angel. I will have to put in the hours to decide whether the Coil or Air shock suits me better.

How would you describe your riding style?
I have always been focused on racing, so my style has been efficient and fast. Less flamboyant and more speed. Lately however, I have been pushing myself to learn new skills and ride harder lines that may not be faster in training. It keeps it exciting to look at a trail through a different lens sometimes.

Do you know your new team mates? Where did you meet first?
I have known Aaron for years as a teammate and fellow American rider. He's probably the guy who checks off the most boxes during his preparation and is a true professional. I can learn a lot from him. I met Angel 2 years ago, on the hot seat in Lenzerheide. I thought "who the hell is this Spanish kid that just beat my time!?" Since then I had the chance to get to know him at the races last season and I can't wait to spend more time together this year.

Who will be your mechanic? What is your brother gonna do in the next season?
This year I’ll be working with Ben Arnott, current Mob mechanic. Ben is an incredibly smart dude, a mechanical engineer with a ton of experience and a great rider too. I can't think of a better man for the job. My brother is pursuing his own goals at school and working as a shop manager this year. We had an awesome time traveling the world together these past two years and I hope we can do it again someday, but for now we are headed down our own paths.

Who else is going to sponsor you?
Personally I will continue with Oskar Blues Brewery, Bell Helmets, Royal Racing, Scott Goggles and Blue Sky Fuel. Oskar Blues is a local brewery just a few miles from my house who are involved in Mountain Biking at all levels. All of the employees ride and they are true fans of the sport.

Apparently, you are the only world cup rider with a beer company as a helmet sponsor. How does that go together?
Mountain bikers like to finish a great ride having a beer with their buddies. It's a fitting category to the demographic of our sport, and Oskar Blues takes pride in supporting cycling. They promote efforts to increase trail access and create events that truly benefit our sport. They are constantly stoked and a true pleasure to work with.

What are your goals for next season?
Ride inside the top 10
Push myself to new heights

Which races will you do?
UCI World Cup
UCI World Championships
Select Pro Gravity Tour Events
US National Championships

What’s going on at the moment?
Last month I transitioned from unstructured training to a dedicated schedule in preparation for the season ahead. This off season has kept me busy with a few projects I started along with moving into the house I spent the past year building. Together with some close friends I’ve built a year-round uplift access Bike Park in my region, and have organized a grassroots pre-season race series with 4 events in the southeast. Both have been really fun and a lot of work, and have been growing the sport hugely in my region. Now I'm all settled in and the projects are running smoothly, so training and racing are now my daily focus.

How is your training? Where do you usually train?
I like to train in the gym and on the XC bike during the week and ride downhill on the weekends. I am full time from now through to W/Cup round 1, and will maintain my fitness with a similar schedule between events this summer.

What does Good Times mean to you?
The feeling that you're stoked to be where you are. Usually on 2 wheels with good people for me.

What’s the difference between east coast and west coast riders?
East coast riders are tougher, we have to deal with all conditions haha :)

Who is your favorite riding buddy?
My brother Logan is the best person to ride with because his only goal on the bike is to have as much fun as possible!

What’s the most important thing in your life?
Waking up stoked to get out of bed and dive into the day ahead.

What makes you happy?
Being on the bike and feeling like you can do no wrong! Putting the tires exactly where you want them.

What makes you angry?
Being let down by my own mistakes.

If you could choose: With whom would you really like to party?
Stevie!

The best mountain biking video of all time?
Sam Hill’s race run at Val di Sole World Champs 2008

What are you doing when you are not riding?
Digging in the woods, or thinking about it!

Athlete Roster and Profiles can be viewed here: http://www.yt-mob.com/athletes/
 
Photo Credit: Callie Horwath

AARON GWIN WINS DEBUT WORLD CUP FOR THE YT MOB IN LOURDES

Reigning World Cup Champion Aaron Gwin scored a historic win for his new team’s title sponsor, YT Industries, by taking their TUES CF Downhill bike to a maiden victory on the slopes of the Pyrenees on the outskirts of Lourdes France. The opening round of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup, the 24th season of the series, presented plenty of challenges throughout the week due to changeable weather conditions.

Despite the sunny weather on race day, threats of a looming storm late in the afternoon certainly gave everyone something to think about as Aaron went up the hill to start his race. His win last year on this course was in extremely dry and dusty conditions, far from today’s track conditions, so to walk away with a podium result would have been a great start for the new team. After the first split it was clear that Aaron was on a great run, building on his lead throughout each of the 4 sectors before finally crossing the line with a 3m 09.131secs, some 2.7secs faster than previous fastest Danny Hart (GBR).

Nine riders were left to come down but all eyes were waiting on crowd favourite and World Champion, Loic Bruni of France. Bruni was showing incredible pace and was up on the first 3 splits but a small mistake was a sign of things to come as he pushed a little too hard towards the bottom and came off his bike. The win was Aaron’s. In fact, this was Aaron’s 50th World Cup start, his 30th podium, of which 15 have been wins.

Aaron said: “I’m so stoked to win the first round of the year with the new team. This week was especially challenging for everyone on the mountain due to the changing weather conditions, nearly every run was different, so to have it all come together on race day is really cool. I want to say a big thank you to the team staff, everyone at YT, and all of our team sponsors. We put in a ton of work in the offseason to get us ready for the races and it’s awesome to see it all come together so well. Really looking forward to the rest of the season; this was a great start and I believe we’ll continue to get stronger from here!”

Aaron’s team mate Angel Suarez had a tough week and after a heavy crash on a Saturday practice run and was suffering from a sore back. Unable to complete his second practice run he went straight into qualifying but was unable to ride at his limit and just missed out on the top 80.

The team now prepares for Round 2 in Cairns, Australia, on April 22 and 23.