2021 Mountain Bike Team Rumors

Primoz
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SI
1/3/2021 2:47pm
Travis made a deal not to run Red Bull hats/helmets but instead rep Nitro Circus hats/helmets at the time. Looks like it was a part time deal or something as he's back to repping Red Bull helmets in his spring Quarantinekhana video and in the latest Gymkhana.

At the time it seemed like he's off the Red Bull program, but it was just the headwear thing for a time. His racing has been and still is Red Bull supported as well, his overalls in Gymkhana are still clad in Red Bull logos (besides the helmet), so yeah...

As for always on the team, I think it's more of a marketing value thing. Jon Olsson hardly ever skis anymore yet he's still repping Red Bull. Not always and not everywhere, but looks like his persona is worth enough to Red Bull to keep him around. I'm guessing it's the same for other guys too.
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brash
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745
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Location
AU
1/3/2021 2:50pm Edited Date/Time 1/3/2021 2:51pm
GT factory racing off Bell, now on Alpinestars for lids.

Source - Wyn Masters IG
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mixmastamikal
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85
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Salt Lake City, UT US
1/3/2021 3:56pm Edited Date/Time 1/3/2021 3:58pm
dirtyberd wrote:
"once on redbull, always on redbull" is the mantra i remember. has anyone been boot'ed from the bull in the past? @Philip_Rossetti, care to elaborate on...
"once on redbull, always on redbull" is the mantra i remember. has anyone been boot'ed from the bull in the past? @Philip_Rossetti, care to elaborate on why he is poison?
I believe Philip is saying red bull the drink is poison, not Andreu.

It is possible he took a fall and needed a new helmet but didn't have any safe painted ones around so just went with a plain black.
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lcgrant
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Location
Boulder, CO US
1/3/2021 4:12pm
dirtyberd wrote:
"once on redbull, always on redbull" is the mantra i remember. has anyone been boot'ed from the bull in the past? @Philip_Rossetti, care to elaborate on...
"once on redbull, always on redbull" is the mantra i remember. has anyone been boot'ed from the bull in the past? @Philip_Rossetti, care to elaborate on why he is poison?
I believe Philip is saying red bull the drink is poison, not Andreu. It is possible he took a fall and needed a new helmet but...
I believe Philip is saying red bull the drink is poison, not Andreu.

It is possible he took a fall and needed a new helmet but didn't have any safe painted ones around so just went with a plain black.
He is still listed as of 2021. I would think they would at least drop him from the website before a press statement.

https://www.redbull.com/us-en/athlete/andreu-lacondeguy
Edthorne
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CA
1/3/2021 4:27pm
Magnus Manson rumoured to be going to Forbidden Bikes. New DH under development and testing for 2021
He's been posting videos of him riding a druid on his Instagram for a little while now, the DH bike rumor is very interesting though!
1/3/2021 8:39pm
dirtyberd wrote:
"once on redbull, always on redbull" is the mantra i remember. has anyone been boot'ed from the bull in the past? @Philip_Rossetti, care to elaborate on...
"once on redbull, always on redbull" is the mantra i remember. has anyone been boot'ed from the bull in the past? @Philip_Rossetti, care to elaborate on why he is poison?
No not him! Andreu is a legend! But Red bull is, if I remember correctly it used to be banned until not too long ago in some European countries so that’s not something I want to drink. That’s just my opinion though
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Rbags
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10
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1/25/2019
Location
NZ
1/3/2021 8:43pm
Where on earth will Sam Hill end up if he's off nuke proof? Guessing he won't be going back to DH racing
1/3/2021 8:48pm
Rbags wrote:
Where on earth will Sam Hill end up if he's off nuke proof? Guessing he won't be going back to DH racing
I think the whole pandemic made him reconsider stuff, he willingly decided against racing in 2020 so I wouldn’t be surprised if that showed him what the family life is about. I’m afraid it might be a goodbye
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brash
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Location
AU
1/3/2021 8:50pm
Retirement.

Sinking Beers, riding Moto's, Watch his Kids grow up while remaining healthy.

He would make a great ambassador for a big company too.
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metadave
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CA
1/3/2021 9:15pm Edited Date/Time 1/3/2021 9:17pm
What even is racing without Hill? That's like imagining racing without Minnar....

But he does have what, three kids? And they're just hitting that age where dad being gone for 3-6 months a year has an affect on them and it's likely problematic for the whole family to travel with him and him keep his eye on the prize. If he is retiring he's going out as a legend and multi time champ in two different disciplines.

That being said, if we're all fortunate enough that he's going to be on a new team, I'll continue hanging on every race he's competing in. I think if he was retiring he'd have done it at a random time of the year, this seems more like a contract move timing wise.
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1/3/2021 10:15pm
metadave wrote:
What even is racing without Hill? That's like imagining racing without Minnar.... But he does have what, three kids? And they're just hitting that age where...
What even is racing without Hill? That's like imagining racing without Minnar....

But he does have what, three kids? And they're just hitting that age where dad being gone for 3-6 months a year has an affect on them and it's likely problematic for the whole family to travel with him and him keep his eye on the prize. If he is retiring he's going out as a legend and multi time champ in two different disciplines.

That being said, if we're all fortunate enough that he's going to be on a new team, I'll continue hanging on every race he's competing in. I think if he was retiring he'd have done it at a random time of the year, this seems more like a contract move timing wise.
Well ending a contract is still considered a contract move, isn’t it? I think he’s calling it quits. It’s better to go out on a high than to have to drag yourself through some average seasons that don’t reflect your capabilities at all.
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1/3/2021 10:16pm
metadave wrote:
What even is racing without Hill? That's like imagining racing without Minnar.... But he does have what, three kids? And they're just hitting that age where...
What even is racing without Hill? That's like imagining racing without Minnar....

But he does have what, three kids? And they're just hitting that age where dad being gone for 3-6 months a year has an affect on them and it's likely problematic for the whole family to travel with him and him keep his eye on the prize. If he is retiring he's going out as a legend and multi time champ in two different disciplines.

That being said, if we're all fortunate enough that he's going to be on a new team, I'll continue hanging on every race he's competing in. I think if he was retiring he'd have done it at a random time of the year, this seems more like a contract move timing wise.
I would imagine if Sam wants to do some domestic instead of the EWS, he could still do that without such a travel commitment...
1/3/2021 11:06pm
mwolpin wrote:
I always thought that once you gained the Wings, you never lost them. Have any other riders been sponsored and lost Red Bull support?
Fredleth wrote:
Kyle Strait, Bernardo Cruz, Paul Bas and Anthony Napolitan(bmx), just at the top of my head. I am sure there are plenty of others too.
The biggest athlete I can think of that lost his wings is Tanner Hall in the ski world. He's been one of the biggest and most influential skiers in the industry (regardless of whether or not you like him as a person), so it was pretty surprising to hear when they dropped him after 11 years. I'd say that probably says a lot about the kind of guy he is to work with.
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farozm
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SG
1/3/2021 11:17pm
I would love to see Sam Hill and Ed Masters together in Pivot Enduro Factory Team!
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Maxipedia
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Location
Brașov RO
1/3/2021 11:26pm
One of the more prominent names dropped by Red Bull in recent years was Tanner Hall, who has been obviously huge for them.

Being a Red Bull athlete comes with huge benefits, for example being thoroughly physically tested and receiving a custom-made training program developed by world class physicians and coaches, but it also comes with pressure and probably not all can handle it as well as others. One of the things is that they are VERY strict when it comes to branding, headwear especially, and riders need to pay attention with that. But I believe that by controlling things like they do, what you obtain is building a very coherent image. And little things matter. For instance, you can buy Monster and Rockstar branded hats from every company you can imagine, but you can't really buy a Red Bull one, like the athletes to, right? This creates the perception of and aspiration towards the brand that this stuff isn't for everybody and you can rep it only if you're elite in your field. It's a strategy, just like Monster's is the total opposite, making everything available for everybody.

As for what's healthy and what not, we could dig in deep into principles and what matters, learn how there are a lot of other companies out there who are not necessarily ”healthy”, either because of what they are selling or how they choose to produce their stuff (far east carbon and garments, meow?) and then we will eventually end up with the idea that the only companies worth being sponsored by are Chris King, Revel and Patagonia. Which is a bit absurd.

We can talk a lot about Red Bull and their methods, but aren't they supporting a network of quality media that provides us with quality and mostly FREE content?
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1/3/2021 11:30pm
Maybe CRC want to push to Vitus brand more now Nukeproof is set up well. CRC Vitus enduro team? Or maybe he’s just saying thanks. Nothing from either brand or team would suggest it’s just thanks until they post otherwise.
Bob Chicken
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YeahNah, VIC AU
1/3/2021 11:39pm
You can't get back into Western Australia without mandatory quarantine, even from most states in Australia, never mind overseas. So he's probably decided to stay home and enjoy life as others have said, it's just too hard to get back in once you leave.

I do some work for the WA government, I can't even get a permit to travel there from east coast Australia, been that way since March.
1/4/2021 12:10am Edited Date/Time 1/4/2021 12:14am
Maybe he is following in the footsteps of fellow shredder Makken who (if I remember correctly) left Red Bull since he did not endorse the product...
Maybe he is following in the footsteps of fellow shredder Makken who (if I remember correctly) left Red Bull since he did not endorse the product he was forced to promote...
Sorry for the tangent, but what was he forced to promote?
1
Primoz
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SI
1/4/2021 12:12am
I was told MTB and quite a few other extreme sports would be nowhere without Red Bull and their marketing money and exposure.
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Primoz
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SI
1/4/2021 12:13am
Lacanuck24 wrote:
Sorry for the tangent, but what was he forced to promote?
Red Bull?
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Karabuka
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377
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Location
SI
1/4/2021 1:29am
Luca Braidot as well... So my rumors from page 13 are now 80% confirmed hohoho (missing only Kerschbaumer to specialized and he has already left his previous team...)
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Johnboy
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7/31/2018
Location
AU
1/4/2021 1:42am
Sam Hill retiring or moving teams? [img]https://p.vitalmtb.com/photos/forums/2021/01/03/10295/s1200_1D94013D_3026_4B6C_B25F_09FB321A6190.jpg[/img]
Sam Hill retiring or moving teams?
Nothing in that post says. Retirement or leaving nukeproof.

He's just a thankful lad.
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