Cairns to host two Mountain Bike World Cups

Cairns will be the focus of international sports fans when it hosts the UCI Mountain Bike World Cups in 2014 and 2016.

Queensland Premier Campbell Newman and Minister for Tourism, Major Events, Small Business and the Commonwealth Games Jann Stuckey today announced the successful bid as professional riders strutted their stuff at Cairns Esplanade.

Mr Newman congratulated Cycling Australia on its bid for the UCI Mountain Bike World Cups and said the events would create an important tourism and events legacy for Tropical North Queensland.

“Today’s announcement is a major coup for Cairns and Queensland,” Mr Newman said.

“It provides a great opportunity to showcase a region renowned for being ‘Adventurous by Nature’ and will bring economic benefits to the Far North.

Where is Cairns?

“The World Cup events in 2014 and 2016 will be the focus of the world’s mountain biking community. Investing in these events means the Far North will have ongoing infrastructure, positioning Queensland as a location of choice for future World Championship Mountain Biking events.”

Mr Newman highlighted the fact that mountain biking was a Commonwealth Games and Olympic sport.

“Hosting successful 2014 and 2016 World Cups will clearly demonstrate the state’s capacity to execute world-class sporting events ahead of the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast,” he said.

“This Government recognises sport tourism as a major contributor to the Queensland economy and we have set ourselves the target of $30 billion in overnight visitor expenditure by 2020.”

Ms Stuckey said the city had long been seen as an ideal destination for hosting major sporting events, and was blessed with the natural attributes to entice competitors, families and friends to Tropical North Queensland.

“The events that were bid for and secured by Cycling Australia with the support of the Queensland Government through Tourism and Events Queensland, are expected to attract people from 45 countries around the world,” Ms Stuckey said.

“In addition, a series of participatory Cross Country Marathon (XCM) mountain bike events will be held in the lead up to each World Cup, encouraging cycling enthusiasts from across the country to bring their bikes to Cairns, test themselves on the trails and stay to watch the World Cup events.”

This race is going to be tough;-)

In 2012, the region welcomed more than two million visitors who spent $2.5 billion on visits, an increase of four per cent on 2011.

UCI Board of Management Committee Member and President of Oceania Cycling Confederation Ms Tracey Gaudry congratulated Cycling Australia and Tourism Events Queensland on the successful bid for the UCI MTB World Cup events.

“Today’s announcement is a significant one for cycling in Australia,” Ms Gaudry said.

“It marks the beginning of a new suite of major cycling events that the UCI and Cycling Australia have been working on together and the future is bright.”

Cycling Australia Commercial Director Mr Michael Edgley said the partnership between Tourism Events Queensland, Tourism Tropical North Queensland, James Cook University and Cairns Regional Council was the determining factor in Cairns winning the right to host these mountain bike events.

The UCI is due to ratify the full suite of UCI MTB events contained in the Cycling Australia bid at the June UCI Board of Management meeting.

Okay so you’re skint (aren’t we all), and yet you want to go and see the world’s best mountain bikers do their thing without having to sell a kidney! Well here I propose to you a shoestring budget to get you through the Fort William world cup weekend. Now to keep this trip on a low budget, I would recommend going up in as large group of people as possible! The more the merrier as they say.

Want to watch Troy Brosnan racing it this year?

Now before we get started we need to discuss the greatest issue of all, the midges. They do unfortunately thrive at Fort Bill, so make sure you keep them out of your tent! I do have a solution to the midges biting, it works for me, but not everyone. Avon Skin So Soft seems to stop the little blighters biting, but it won’t stop them landing on you.

I do apologise if you end up reading the rest of this article to that tune!

How to get there:

Now as crazy as this might seem I think the cheapest way to travel up to Fort Bill is by car, but the only way to make this work is if there are five people in the car, because this way you can split the cost of petrol between five of you, it might be a little uncomfortable if you’re in the back of a Peugeot 106, but who cares, you’re going to watch the World Cup on a shoestring.

Fort Bill this way!

Where to stay:

Okay then, seeing as Fort Bill is in Scotland that’s good news for our shoestring budget! The Scots have some fantastic laws in place to allow you to camp almost anywhere…for free! You can even keep your personal hygiene up to standard too, at the event location ‘Nevis Range’ they have public showers, which cost £1 a throw for a whole three minutes! We do recommend if you are planning to camp near a building, go and knock on the door and just make yourself known. Of course you can’t camp anywhere and here are the ‘rules:’

• “Houses and gardens, and non-residential buildings and associated land
• Farm buildings and yards
• Land in which crops have been sown or are growing (although please note that the headrigs, endrigs and other margins of fields where crops are growing are not defined as crops, whether sown or unsown, and are therefore within access rights).
• Land next to a school and used by the school
• Sports or playing fields when these are in use and where the exercise of access rights would interfere with such use
• Land developed and in use for recreation and where the exercise of access rights would interfere with such use
• Golf courses (but you can cross a golf course provided you don’t interfere with any games of golf)
• Places like airfields, railways, telecommunication sites, military bases and installations, working quarries and construction sites, and
• Visitor attractions or other places which charge for entry.”

Now if this ‘wild camping’ isn’t really your thing, and you’re after a little bit more luxury. There are a couple of campsites nearby that provide you with a shower and some drinking water. But you must remember this will impact on the final cost!

Tickets:

There are different types of tickets you can buy, you can see all the info about each ticket here. Luckily they do have a cheapskate ticket, which gives you entry to the event, and allows you to use the shuttle bus between, Fort William and the actual event (Which is in fact six miles outside of Fort William itself) the bus is important, because you can’t actually park at the event location, you’ll have to leave your car in the Fort. The cheapest ticket doesn’t let you use the gondola, but you don’t really need the gondola, you can walk up alongside the track all the way to the top. The other thing about the cheapskate ticket is that they don’t do it as a weekend package the only sell them as single days so you would have to buy two.

Food:

Well food can cost you as much as you want really, you could take a couple of ‘Pot noodles’ each for the weekend, or you could eat out at a fancy restaurant. So that’s why I’m not going to factor in the food to the final cost. We asked Joe Barnes about the local delicacies “Best chip shop is in Caol and is called Sammy’s. Well worth a fish supper. If you want to catch you dinner then Corpach pier has good fishing and in late summer you will get a mackerel every cast (if you’re lucky). A 12g silver spinner should do.”

You’ve got to love the fish to catch the fish

Cost:

Now I’ll start with the simple part which will be the same for everyone. The cheapskate tickets are £15 each, so that will work out at £30 for both days. If you want to ‘wild camp’ it’ll be free, but for those who don’t fancy that I’ve been checking out prices of a local campsite, this is where it starts to get complicated, because if you are heading up in a group of you, you will split the costs, and the costs will be significantly different if you have a group of 20 or a group of 3. I am going to base my costs on a group of 5 adults, that will be travelling up on Friday and leaving Sunday evening. The cost at one camp site for a 5 birth tent would be £48. Divide that by 5 and you have £9.60, so camping will cost you £9.60, so far we are up to an individual cost of £39.60.

Hoots mon! Any spare change for the gondola?

Now this is going to get even more complicated when trying to work out the cost of fuel, partly because fuel prices are fluctuating, partly because not everyone will be travelling from the same place, partly because different cars have different MPG’s and partly if you have a full car of people to split the petrol costs. Now this is the part that you have to ask around your group of loyal cycling friends, and find out who has the most economical vehicle, and try to sweet talk them into driving.

Danny Hart sending it last year.

For the sake of working out a rough final cost I need to pick a vehicle and a location to start from. Okay then I’ve got it, I’m going to be driving a Peugeot 106 2005 model with 5 people in, the average mpg on that model is 46. I also will work this out as if I’m driving from Bristol, hopefully a lot of you will live further north which will make it cheaper! Bristol to Fort William is 475 miles if you go along the suggested Google maps route, which would be a 950 mile round trip. I have based the price of petrol at 134.9 pence per litre. The cost that I have worked that out as would be £126.55, split five ways would be £25.33. If you want to work out the exact cost of traveling for you in your car have a look here. Now let’s add this to the other costs, and this comes to £64.93, and for you ‘wild campers’ out there it would come to £55.33.

Tickets: £30

‘Wild campers’ Total: £58.33

So if you’re not doing anything on the 8-9 June, with a spare £70 grab a couple of your friends and get yourself up to this years Fort Bill World Cup.

Here’s some action from last years finals to get your world cup juices flowing.

Has anyone done it cheaper in the past? Or got any suggestions to get there cheaper?

Yes that’s right folks, to coincide with the Enduro World Series kicking off, this year we’ve launched the awesome free to play Dirt Enduro Fantasy League Powered by Avid

There are some amazing prizes up for grabs.

Just hit up www.dirtendurofantasyleague.com and start selecting your team. Easy!

You’ve got 1 million quid to pick your dream team!

Mick Hannah, Tracey Hannah, Holly Feniak, Fabien Cousinié and Guillaume Cauvin from Hutchinson UR have switched from Morewood bikes to Indonesia company Polygon Bikes.

Polygon Bikes? Yes, you know the ones, Sam Reynolds and Yannick Granieri have been riding Polygon for a while now. Yes, that’s the one. The big Indonesian company. Keep your eyes out for a feature in Dirt Magazine in the near future, photographer Victor Lucas accompanied the team on their Indonesian expedition, so words and pics will follow.

After a great 2012 year during which the team made it on to more than 34 podiums throughout the season, Hutchinson UR has some important goals for 2013. The team has chosen Polygon as frames sponsor and welcomes the recently crowned female junior world champion, Holly Feniak.

Sometimes decisions regarding bike partners are difficult to take. But signing with Polygon was an easy choice for the team. Yannick Granieri and Sam Reynolds, friends of the team and slopestylers already riding for Polygon told the team that the brand was very professional and passionate about racing. After some testing with different bikes in Whistler last Autumn, Fabien and Mick realized that the Polygon DHX was the fastest bike that they had been riding. The team went to Indonesia in October to visit the factory and it became clear that Polygon and Hutchinson UR share the same goals and values. On top of that, Polygon is giving the riders a lot of liberty to develop the gravity range and to make all the bikes even faster.

To officially launch this partnership, Mick Hannah, his sister Tracey, Fabien Cousinié, Guillaume Cauvin and Holly Feniak all met up in Surabaya in Indonesia to launch the 2013 season at Polygon HQ accompanied by their title sponsor Hutchinson Tires.

Fabien, the team owner and also rider for Hutchinson UR says : “I’m very excited to have all the riders here together for the first time. It’s essential for us to be able to meet here in Indonesia to set up the Polygon bikes and have a look at the new Hutchinson tires we will be riding this season. I’m eager to get the racing started, from now my goal it’s to be more a rider than a manager, i’m so happy to have found a good staff to help all the riders and myself focus on racing.”

Yustian Nimara from Polygon says : “We are very excited with the signing of the team to represent Polygon in the World Cup circuit for the first time and it’s a dream come true to work together with outstanding athletes like Mick & Tracey Hannah and the junior world champion Holly Feniak. This will be an exciting time for both the team and Polygon to step up to the next level and to follow our strategic plan of working with young and outstanding athletes.”

Jérome Dumartin from Hutchinson says : “After the good season in 2012, we are proud to support our team again and we expect lots of great results especially since the arrival of Holly Feniak. Our presence on the mountain bike downhill scene is an essential strategic choice for Hutchinson ; our DH range is more and more complete every year in order to respond to the teams and customers needs.”

The Hutchinson and Polygon partnership is very helpful for the team’s improvement in racing and product development. Hutchinson will be providing tires for all of Polygon’s downhill and enduro range.

The team would like to thank the following sponsors to keep being part of the adventure for 2013 :

Hutchinson for tires, AllTricks.com as official bikeshop, Fox for suspensions , Formula for braking , Spank for cockpit, Bluegrass helmets and protections, Crank Brothers for pedals and seat posts, Zodiac Watches, 100% for goggles and sunglasses, Mavic for wheels, E13 for cranks, chain guides and chain rings, Zéfal pumps and chain lubs, Blackmountain snowscoot, ODI grips, FiveTen for shoes and Kronos titanium springs.

The team is also proud to welcome as partners :

Polygon as Bikes sponsors
Alpinestars for racing and casual clothes
Fizik for saddles
Sony for helmet cam
VP Components, for headsets
JetBlack Products for trainers
Clear Protect for frames protections

Mick : “This trip to indonesia is a perfect way to start the 2013 riding season. I’m happy to be riding a Polygon bike this year, as I’m confident that their downhill bike is easily capable of winning. In addition to that, Hutchinson is working very hard on providing us with the best possible tire choices. I’m working hard to be in top form for the World Championships in Pietermaritzburg in South Africa.”

Tracey : “I’ve just started riding my new downhill bike a few days ago. The recovery from my broken femur is going well and I’ve already got some great confidence on the bike. My first race will be at the Australian National Championships in Canberra this weekend. I’m eager to start racing again to see how strong I am.”

Holly : “This is the first time I’ve travelled to Asia and also my first trip so far on my own. The whole team really are amazing riders and a great laugh. I’m getting on with them so well. This year I will be doing the full world cup season along with other important international races that I have never competed in. It’s going to be a great challenge to discover and race all these new tracks. I can’t wait to get started!”

Guillaume : “This year will be my first in the Elite category. I want to do my best at all the races and see where that gets me. Mick and Fabien always help me a lot in training, scoping the right lines, checking the braking areas and setting up my bike. I know I have all the right ingredients to go fast. After being 2nd in Elite at the French Cup race last year, I would like to go one better this season.”

For more information you can go to :

Website : www.hutchinson-ur-team.com www.hutchinsontires.com, www.Polygonbikes.com

facebook page :
www.facebook.com/HutchinsonURTeam
www.facebook.com/Hutchinsonbicycletires
www.facebook.com/PolygonBikes

The RockyRoads website hasn’t been updated since October last year and rumours were rife on the interwebs that they were experiencing difficulties seem to be true.

The first 2013 World Cup is the XC event at Albstadt, Germany on 18/19 May, so they better get a move on.

The International Cycling Union (UCI) is looking for a title sponsor for the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup presented by Shimano, which gets under way in Albstadt (GER) in May.

The UCI will not be continuing its contract with RockyRoads.net, which was title sponsor for the World Cup series in 2012. Discussions are already under way with other parties with a view to different partnership packages including naming rights, on-site visibility and promotional opportunities across the disciplines XCO, DHI and XCE.

Meanwhile, long-standing presenting sponsor Shimano continues its partnership with the Mountain Bike World Cup for another four years.

The 2013 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup presented by Shimano will include eight rounds in eight different countries, finishing with the Downhill final in Leogang (AUT) in September.

So, following in the great tradition of name changes the Scott11 team is now called Gstaad-Scott.

I know it sounds like an expletive but Gstaad is actually a Swiss alpine resort.

You pronounce it something like…Shhhh-Starred. The G is silent, as in string.

The number 11 is now free to sponsor a team if anybody is interested.

Fun times on the slopes of Gstaad.

As well as the name change, the Gstaad-Scott team have signed up fast French youngster Patrick Thome and have also added a “sportive director”, former downhill pro, Cyril Langeau.

These two will join Brendan Fairclough, Emilie Siegenthaler, Noel Niederberger, Floriane Pugin and 4X riders Adrian Weiss and Mirco Weiss on the main team.

Gstaad-Scott are also supporting a development team with Felix Klee, Pascal Tinner, Dominic Tinner, Manuel Marty and Tim Kälin under the same roof. They’ve got enough riders for a football team!

Sponsor wise, they’ll keep long time supporters DT Swiss, Schwalbe, SHIMANO, FOX Racing Shox, Syncros and e*thirteen chain guides and Red Bull.

Patrick Thome on the 2013 Gambler.

Hit up http://gstaad-scott.com/ for more news.

Super fast rider Steve Smith continues his commitment to team boss Gabe Fox and Devinci by signing a multi-year contract.

Read on for the full press release but first here’s a quick chat with Devinci Global Racing team boss Gabe Fox.

Where are you right now?

Gabe Fox: Vancouver, in the pissing rain.

For those that might not know you, how long have you been in the bike business and how long have you been with Devinci now?

I’ve been involved with bikes since I was in grade 5, started working at the Cove Bike Shop sweeping the floors and as Chaz would say buffing the skid marks out. So that is about 24 years working with bikes, 15 years in the trade business and 9 years in retail. Been with Devinci for about two and a half years.

You and Stevie go back a long way don’t you? Seems like a strong bond of loyalty between you both?

Yes, I started working with Steve back when I was with Cove and he was about 14 years old. Helped him out with a bike when he had a destroyed one. Programs have grown bigger, stronger as have his results and rankings. Steve is a good kid. Direct communication is key, say what you feel. You always know what you are getting with Steve. Pretty cool to see his progression.

George Brannigan had been on the team for two years, growing in confidence and ability, peaking with an amazing 2nd in Hafjell last year. How do you feel about losing a talented rider like George to another team after investing a lot in them?

Without sounding bitter or angry? It’s always hard to lose a rider when you have invested time and helped get a rider to where they are, but in the end if they feel it is time to move on that is the way things go. I am confident with the program we offer and the talent which we have found and developed. There are plenty of other top riders who would love to be a part of Devinci Global Racing.
We have other riders in our development pool who are ready to step up and just waiting for the roster spots. I am really happy with our roster for 2013.

Speaking of Hafjell, that was an amazing result for DGR. Are you confident of more Devinci podiums, race wins this year?

Yes, Steve ended the year on fire. I suspect he should pick up where he left of. Nick Beer is going into his 2nd year on the bike. He got on the bike just before South Africa last year, this year he will have the whole off-season to get really dialled on the bike. So Nick should step things up. With the introduction of the Junior class I feel I have two riders who could win on ANY weekend. Our junior rider, Mark Wallace, stood on some Elite podiums last year and had a pile of other great results, and Gianluca has the talent, and now he is working with a trainer. I look forward to the season.

So who’s this new junior lad on the team?

We only added one rider this year to the DGR roster. Mark Wallace is a Canadian rider from Vancouver Island, he’s a 2nd year junior. We worked with him last year and I was really impressed with how he preformed. We were always going to partially integrate him to the DGR roster, but with the changes this is how things ended up.

Any wheel size experimentation going on?

Always working on the future…

Any change in sponsors?

Devinci Global Racing is proudly supported by: Cycles Devinci, Sram, Rock Shox, Avid, Truvativ, Easton Wheels, Schwalbe, Fox Head Clothing, ODI, E-13, Five Ten, Cane Creek, SDG, MyPakage, Crankbrothers and Planet Foods.

6 rounds this year plus the World Champs, would you like to see more venues? How would you like the WC series to develop?

I would like to see maybe 2-3 more venues. I like the Norway venue as it is a unique European location, but the country also has a history in racing with a huge alpine ski background, so the spectators can understand what is happening and will come out to watch. The course is amazing and I can see the growth of this event. I am all for the expansion of the World Cup, but I feel it needs to be to countries where they understand gravity racing, have a suitable World Cup worthy track or will build one, and will work with logistics and costs to keep them in check. No sense in jumping all over the World racking up costs just for the sake of it. All about the logistics.

Steve Smith at Hafjell, 2012 WC. Photo:Sven Martin

Smith Highlights Roster as DGR Rolls Out its WC-Dominating Formula

Devinci Global Racing enters the 2013 gravity arena with stacked lineup of podium threats primed to storm the UCI World Cup scene.

At the top of the heap, Canada’s Steve Smith signed a multi-year contract with DGR during the off-season and leads the team with a laundry list of bangers to cap last season. Smith, for instance, towered on the 2012 UCI podium, snatching gold in Norway and finishing the season fourth overall in World Cup standings. He also cleaned house at Crankworx—becoming the first rider in history to capture all three DH events and down the Triple Crown champagne.

Backing Smith is five-time Swiss National Champion Nick Beer, who finished fifth at Hafjell and is primed for top finishes this season. Junior rider Mark Wallace of Canada joins the mix as an elite up-and-comer, with two 2012 Cranworkx podiums already under the belt. Young gun Gianluca Vernassa rounds out the versatile DGR squad.

Steve Smith on the box at Crankworx. Photo:Sven Martin

The way we closed last season with wins at Crankworx, Podium at Worlds, and the destruction in Norway, I think the team is capable to go far. It’s great to renew the partnership with Steve, as well as to add a second Canadian to the roster in Wallace thanks to the new JR format.

DGR team manager Gabe Fox.

Amped to usher in a new season, the UCI World Cup 2013 circuit, World Championships, and Smith defending his crowning achievements at Crankworx 2013 in Whistler, marks this year’s full calendar of events.

I couldn’t be more excited to re-sign with Devinci The last few years have been unreal. I have amazing teammates backed by a world-class program and great bikes. The goal is to pick up where I left off last year and continue the charge.

Steve Smith

The electric DGR squad will also continue its on- and off-track success, working alongside SRAM’s BlackBox program and closely with product-development. John Dawson, Global MTB Sports marketing Manager, adds: “We’re looking to DGR as a leader when it comes to the “young gun” uprising, that proved to us—and themselves—that they can win and stand on the box at the highest level.”

Devinci Global Racing is proudly supported by: Cycles Devinci, Sram, Rock Shox, Avid, Truvativ, Easton Wheels, Schwalbe, Fox Head Clothing, ODI, E-13, Five Ten, Cane Creek, SDG, MyPakage, Crankbrothers and Planet Foods.

After the great 2012 season, for 2013 the team line up won’t change much with Mick ” Sik Mik” Hannah, Tracey Hannah, Fabien ” CousCous” Cousinié and Guillaume Cauvin still onboard. The biggest news is that we are very happy to welcome Holly Feniak, last seasons junior world champion.

Hutchinson United Ride from now on will be called Hutchinson UR . UR being the diminutive for United Ride.

In a few days the whole team will be meeting in the southern hemisphere and will be announcing the sponsors and new kits for 2013 with some changes.

2012 Junior World Champion Holly Feniak

Holly Feniak on top of the box at the Leogang Worlds 2012

Good news and bad news I think. 4X has a very strong European base. Leogang may attract a larger number of racers and fans. An expensive long haul flight to South Africa could deter 4X racers if financial help isn’t forthcoming from their National Federation or team. Better to have a well attended event. But it’s a shame that the UCI are favouring the XC Eliminator event over the 4X format.

The UCI have also announced the 2014 World Champs will be held in Hafjell/Lillehammer in Norway. Will the Norwegians include a 4X programme? Or is this the time for 4X to cut ties completely with the UCI and run their own Worlds?

What do you think?

UCI Off-Road Manager Mr Peter Van den Abeele explains the decision:

“The extra expenses for the organiser of building a four-cross track, together with the very tight competition schedule since the introduction of the eliminator racing, are the main reasons behind this separation,” explains Van den Abeele. “In addition, Africa does not have a tradition of four-cross and we would definitely have seen a lower than usual participation if we had left the world championships for this format in Pietermaritzburg.”

Van den Abeele said that Leogang, hosts of the 2012 Mountain Bike & Trials World Championships, was a logical replacement venue:

“The fact that the worlds will return to Leogang, where there is a real four-cross vibe, could give a real boost to this format. During last year’s World Championships, the four-cross racing was spectacular and greatly appreciated by the riders, spectators and media.

“We are extremely fortunate to have two excellent organisers, Pietermaritzburg and Leogang, for the 2013 UCI Mountain Bike & Trials World Championships,”

4X rider Scott Beaumont comments:

Whilst the decision to have a separate 4X World Championships for 2013 is a surprise, we somewhat understand the reasons why this decision has been made. The organisers in South Africa, I think it’s fair to say, are not the biggest supporters of 4X, whilst the organisers in Leogang, we know are going to put on a truly awesome World Championships.

There is some truth that federations would have possibly taken fewer 4X riders to South Africa due to the expense, however I think we need to balance this out by also noting that there will be less downhill and XC riders in South Africa than there were in Leogang 2012.

I think the South African organisers have focused far too much on rider numbers and not considered the extra Worldwide media coverage that the 4X race would have given them. Internet coverage that would have been provided by Red Bull Media House and the extra TV coverage on Eurosport and other TV stations around the world. This coverage would have provided them with much needed extra promotion for Pietermaritzburg, South Africa and all the sponsors that will be involved in their World Championships.

Having said that, their loss is clearly Leogang’s gain. After hosting the World Championships in 2012 for 4X, they understand just how much publicity 4X provides Leogang around the world, how action packed 4X racing is and ultimately they understand just how many 4X fans there are around the world. When the opportunity to host the 4X World Championships became apparent, there was no hesitation to bid for the event.

So much so, that Leogang will also be hosting the 4X ProTour finals in 2013 as well. Leogang really get it. It is a bikepark and they know just how vital 4X is to offering a complete bikepark and to the daily economy.

Our hope now is that the organisers in Hafjell look at the example Leogang have set. When the doubt was raised by South Africa, Leogang were straight in there with a bid to host the World Championships. We hope that Hafjell will see 4X as a great addition to their bikepark and something that is sustainable and in demand after the World Championships in 2014.

It is understandable that the UCI are pushing XC Eliminator at the moment to get another MTB race in the Olympics. This addition of another discipline has clearly crowded the schedule at World Championships. However the legacy of Eliminator is non-existent after a World Championships. You will not see any riders travelling to Leogang to ride the Eliminator course after the World Championships in 2012 and in 2013 again we can guarantee that Eliminator is not influencing any legacy.

With 4X there is complete legacy. A chairlift is not required and the track is useable year round. 4X tracks can be ridden on any mountain bike from hartail to xc to dh bikes. We hope the Norwegian organisers acknowledge this and the World Championships will be complete again once more in 2014.
Of course, myself and Chris Roberts will be in contact soon with Hafjell organisers to work with them and provide any help and contacts that we can to ensure that they host the 4X World Championships in 2014. After watching the downhill World Cup there last year, we think their trail builders could build something special and provide the riders in Norway a new 4X venue that can be used for coaching, National Championships and hopefully a 4X ProTour round in the future.
For 2013 the 4X World Championships will be in Leogang, and with the quality of the track and exceptional organisation, we know it is going to be an amazing Championship race for the rainbow jersey.

From all 4X riders, teams and fans all around the World, thank you to Leogang. We can’t wait for the gate to drop for the 2013 4X World Championships.

The UCI Management Committee also awarded the 2014 UCI Mountain Bike & Trials World Championships to Hafjell and Lillehammer.The Norwegian ski resort of Hafjell hosted its first World Cup event, the final of the downhill competition, in 2012 and this will be the first time that Norway hosts the World Championships. The racing will be split between Hafjell and nearby Lillehammer.

Jess, who rode for the team last year, will be joined by 2007 Junior World Champ Ruaridh Cunningham as well as Žiga Pandur and fast junior rider Jure Žabjek for the 2013 downhill race season.

Meanwhile Nejc Rutar will focus on the Enduro events and new signing Tanja Žakelj will race the XC circuit.

The downhill weapon of choice will be the Trek Session 9.9 frame with RockShox suspension, SRAM drivetrain, Avid brakes, Bontrager wheels and Schwalbe tires. All riders will also have Trek Slash for enduro events, while Tanja’s rig is the brand new Trek Superfly SL 29er with SRAM XX components.

On another note…if you get excited by the sight of a forge or a power hammer like me then there’s some interesting facts and history about Unior Tools over on their webber.

The Unior Tools pit set up

Here’s a look at the team:

Ruaridh Cunningham

Having ridden a Trek last year as a privateer, the step up to the Unior Tools Team is an amazing opportunity for me. I’m looking forward to working with the team and with their support I feel I can achieve the goals I’ve set for myself this season. They include top 20 placing overall in the World Cup and top 5 placing in BSD. // Ruaridh Cunningham

Jess Stone

Having been to New Zealand for a while and being able to concentrate on just my riding full time is very important before the start of the new season. I feel focused and ready for a season of some good racing. I’m really looking forward to having new members onboard and being able to learn from them and ride with them this year. // Jess Stone.

Tanja Zakelj

Reliable and relaxed people in the team, great sponsors and blue color – for me this is a perfect combination that will help me reach my goals. I want to repeat my best results in the World Cup and World Championships, or even get higher. Generally this means constantly being among top 15 riders on the planet. // Tanja Žakelj

Ziga Pandur

My wish to get into top 30 on the World Cup and World Championships gives me unlimited amounts of motivation and with the support of the team it feels more than possible. We are always serious when we need to be, but most of the time the atmosphere is relaxed and this is just what works for me. // Žiga Pandur.

Nejc Rutar

2013 season will be full of new things for me. I will race enduro, new and exciting discipline for me. The team itself will also experience a lot of changes, especially with Tanja and XC on board. The whole thing inspires me and gives me motivation ahead of unknown and new territory. //Nejc Rutar

Jure Zabjek

I’m really happy for this opportunity and I’ll do my best to be in top 15 on every Junior DH World Cup. Season will be long and hard, but I’m already looking forward to the last big race of 2013 – iXS European Cup in front of home crowd in Maribor. // Jure Žabjek

Cooperation with Tanja Žakelj brings new challenges for us, but also great benefits. It is no secret that Unior is rapidly growing on the bicycle tools market and additional exposure in the cross-country scene means a lot. Nejc’s decision to focus on the enduro is also very positive and as a team we will continue to give him our best support. Ruaridh, Jess and Žiga are names with large fan base and each of them will bring their share of good results and promotion for the team and our sponsors. Jure is also fast and can do a lot in the junior category. All in all we have amazing team of individuals, all capable of constant and high results, plus a team of hard working mechanics and best possible gear. We just can’t wait to get on the road! //Tine Mahkovec, Team Manager