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IT’S THE MTB NEWS
RIDERS: Jackson Goldstone has confirmed ‘fully torn’ ACL and MCL ligaments (basically, full knee explosion) in the new Santa Cruz Syndicate episode. Anyone who’s had one of those will be wincing. Get well soon. Talking of bouncing back, have a listen to Iago Garay’s Downtime Podcast episode – for those who don’t remember, Garay suffered a brain aneurysm last year while racing an Enduro World Cup. His recovery from brain surgery to getting back on the trails is truly inspiring.
EVENTS: Les Gets has finally been confirmed as the venue for the Haute-Savoie DH and XC World Cup races on 4-7 July. But while the enduro and marathon races are confirmed for 28-30 June, their venues ‘will be announced soon’. Media friends, accreditation is now open for World Cups. Anyone got a press card they can lend? Asking for a friend. Whoop has doubled down on its commitment to cycling in supporting not only the MTB World Cups (title sponsor until 2026) but extending that to partnering with Warner Bros Discovery as the broadcast behemoth’s ‘headline sponsor of its international cycling coverage’ across all events, including the Tour de France. That must be some serious investment. Whoop is a wearable health monitor bracelet pitched at athletes, health-conscious people and employers looking out for their workers. Where does it get all its money? Since it was founded in 2012, Whoop says it has ‘raised more than $400 million in venture capital’, including vast sums from SoftBank (the Japanese investor that has also piled billions into WeWork, which went bankrupt in November).
Talking of swimming in it, the Enhanced Games says it is ‘backed by the world’s top venture capitalists’ and aims to ‘reject the kleptocracy of so-called “not-for-profit” sports federations’ through its funding stream of ‘billionaires and the world’s leading venture capital firms’ (thankfully, it doesn’t look like mountain biking will be included in the first E-Games, whenever they are).
INDUSTRY: Canyon has signed road, cyclocross and MTB superstar Mathieu van der Poel for a staggering 10 years. (The German brand refers to the deal as an ‘agreement’.) Surely that is a sign of a recovering bicycle market? Good stuff. Atherton Bikes just launched their first aluminium model, the S.170, which has 12 size options and a lifetime first-owner warranty. Push Industries says its new Nine One is ‘the most advanced suspension fork to ever hit the trail’. On that note, our mate Paul AstonMTB has been banging on about upside-down forks for ages and just posted this review of his Rulezman RRT USD.
OTHER: If you haven’t been following Crankworx Rotorua, head over to the Red Bull event page to catch all the replays as well as the live dual slalom, pump track and first-ever women’s slopestyle this weekend. Men’s slopestyle, as mentioned above, has been cancelled. We’re officially sponsoring Phil Atwill and his Propain Positive team for the 2024 racing season – more on that soon. Canadian shredder Claire Buchar is fundraising with her second Ride for Ovarian Cancer. Donate here. Finally, is there anything that’s been forgotten?
