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Edited Date/Time
8/22/2019 1:11pm
The 2016 UCI World Cup DH season is over. Here are some of the rumors I've read/heard, both online (message boards, article comments, social media) and from the redbull.tv commentary, for the 2017 racing season:
• Luca Shaw joining the Syndicate
• Loris Vergier moving to another team
• Ratboy leaving the Syndicate
• Ratboy quitting DH
• Sam Hill to race EWS full time next season (and some choice DH events)
• A Canyon-sponsored factory team will race in 2017 with Fabian Barel as Team Manager (will they get Loris?)
• Adam "Gas to flat" Brayton moving to another team
• Jerome Clementz will retire, or maybe not race a full season
• Luca Shaw joining the Syndicate
• Loris Vergier moving to another team
• Ratboy leaving the Syndicate
• Ratboy quitting DH
• Sam Hill to race EWS full time next season (and some choice DH events)
• A Canyon-sponsored factory team will race in 2017 with Fabian Barel as Team Manager (will they get Loris?)
• Adam "Gas to flat" Brayton moving to another team
• Jerome Clementz will retire, or maybe not race a full season
Loris no idea
Ratboy I heard will ride but just for fun as he's over all the cooperate giants, not sure if anyone noticed this season but he dropped Monster they didn't drop him.
Sam id hate to see him leave DH he's still got it in him I just think a new team will fire him up again, maybe Barel is reading this if so sign HILL!!!
Brayton has had a great season maybe he should join Brendo on Scott as he's still riding the older frame and has podium'd over both brendo and Niko so drop Mulally! Unless Barel is reading this and wants to sign him haha!
Rob and Claudio talk about Josh like he was done with riding period. To each his own, but considering he is two years removed from winning the over all. That would be a shock, however he is a pretty laid back guy. Remember that Mik took a year off.
This sport spits you out pretty good mentally and financially unless you are a long time consistent rider. How many guys are over 30? And how many of those guys are preforming race in and race out? Greg? Sort of Gee? Sam when he feels like it? Mik?Sort of when healthy maybe Needles?
In regards to the Gravity Republic Team. It reminds me of the early 2000's and Iron Horse with Rennie, Hill, Atkinson, and Greaves. Loaded beyond belief but how do you keep them all. I thought all of them have one more year after
this on their contract (Finn and Loic for sure). If that is true, then it will be interesting. I can see Devinci going all out to get Finn.
It would be neat to have the length of everyone's deal, but of course that would never happen.
The Canyon thing does not surprise me with Cube and Radon coming into the game over the last few years.
Gas to Flat, interesting deal selecting your own frame and then Hope and Ollins stuff. However, if someone came along with a factory deal, it would be hard to turn it down.
He is always so fun to watch.
dave
Canyon could afford Brosnan.
Space to fill on Norco, Brosnan and Vergier's departures creates a space on Specialized, reckon they'd like a US rider? Sorry to see Bruni split with protege Vergier?
Bryceland really feeling Peaty's absence, think it's pretty clear his influence was needed to keep Josh focused/hungry/fun practicing.
Seems a very long time till the first 2017 world cup in Lourdes April 29, and only 6 world cup DH races.
Regards to his focus and training? Don't be fooled, people thought the same about Palmer and he was putting in just as much if not more hours than anybody, and Ratboy is the same.
He doesn't need Peaty to focus, he just needs something he enjoys being focused on.
He'll need a season off just to grow it back.
Lot of these guys shuffle around team to team. Hopefully, they can put together a team that has another long run in them
But in the end it's racing and the racer needs to take care of themselves before letting loyalty step in... I'm still gonna be sad if he moves on though lol
We’re thrilled to announce Connor Fearon has signed a two-year extension of his contract. The young Australian gravity shredder has been piloting a Kona since 2010 and will continue to race his Operator DH machine through the end of 2018.
“I got my first Kona at the end of 2010 and tagged along with the world cup team for a couple of races in 2011 as a first year junior. In 2012 I placed third at the Junior World Championships. I’ve ridden for Kona ever since.”
Connor had a stellar season on board the new Operator, riding it to two top five podium finishes.
The quiet, all-round rider has been making some noise recently. One of the most exciting riders on the World Cup circuit to watch, his dependable top 10 placings, highlighted by trips to the podium in Switzerland and in Andorra last weekend, had him exceeding his own personal goals for the season.
Connor’s consistent 2016 season resulted in a top five finish in the 2016 UCI Downhill World Cup standings.
“My goal for the 2016 World Cup season was to be consistently in the top ten and finish the season top ten overall. To walk away with fifth at the final round in Andorra and fifth overall is a dream ending to this season for me. I never really think of myself as a pure downhill racer, I love riding all bikes from dirt jump hardtails to trail and downhill, just having the most fun I can on all the sweet bikes Kona makes.”
His passion for all-things-bike includes his input and heavy involvement developing the new Operator that will be available this fall, and was very evident in his excitement about his Ti Humuhumu ‘signing bonus’.
Kona co-founder Jacob Heilbron offered Connor his personal Ti Humuhumu as a signing bonus.
“I’m a bike enthusiast and like owning cool bikes that make me happy. I got a Ti Humuhumu frame as a gift from Jake (Kona co-owner) for signing again, I just look at it and think how cool it is. I will own that bike forever.”
The Downhill World Championships are just days away and Connor will be piloting this one-off green and gold Operator on the well-loved track at Val Di Sole, Italy.
Things aren’t slowing down for Connor anytime soon, after this weekend’s World Championships in Val Di Sole, Italy, he’s heading to Canada to star in a video showcasing Kona’s new Hei Hei Trail bikes and then teaming up with Aggy at Retallack to finish up the Operator video, a project spanning two summers and a full World Cup race season.
Connor will continue to pilot the Kona Supreme Operator with support from our key sponsors SRAM, RockShox, WTB and Maxxis.
Between the following:
* Peaty retiring
* Ratboy likely following
* Greg being content where he is at and mentioning end of last season leaving on a high note as well as possible health issues?
* the not a trade team drama
* the likely shifting around of bookeeping from Santa Cruz sale Maybe that is what Greg meant by "the family is only getting bigger". (management involved in day to day operations of Santa Cruz)
Peaty made it clear he will still be around the scene but only went as far as to mention festivities side of things. If the Syndicate was still going to be around I would think he would have made some mention of his involvement in helping Syndicate next year in his retirement interviews.
youda man Josh! keep shining!
Aaaand all I can say is BOOYAH!!!!! Glad to see him stay!!!
Palmer did sound like a huge fan of the Rat, similar bikes, could be an easy switch? Plus his sick worlds V-10 looks a lot like the M-16 http://www.intensecycles.com/bikes/m16c
plus flat pedals for both, so sick
......please
https://www.facebook.com/220772774665920/videos/1103119173097938/
But at around 1"23 Josh himself says he will be racing next year so...
https://www.instagram.com/p/BKGdxzjhPYb/?taken-by=gregminnaar
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