Commencal Enduro Team Signs New Title Partner Les Orres, Aims For Top Results in EWS and WC DH

Three big news announcements for 2022! The first is that Les Orres resort becomes the team’s title sponsor alongside COMMENCAL: we are now the COMMENCAL / LES ORRES Team! Les Orres has everything we could wish for: an extensive bike park with a lot of well-shaped Enduro and DH tracks and some fast lifts. Plus, its location in the Southern Alps guarantees us nice weather, something that is always appreciated!

This new partnership matches perfectly with our team’s project, not least because as of this year we are officially a UCI MTB DH Team as well as an Enduro team, with all our riders taking on both the World Cup and the Enduro World Series.

The third and final big announcement for 2022 is the signing of Lisa Baumann to the team. After racing in cross-country for many years, Lisa became Elites Swiss Enduro Champion last year and won her first U21 Enduro World Series in Crans Montana. Like Antoine Vidal (FRA), she’ll be racing in the Elite category this season. Alizés Lassus (FRA) and Jack Piercy (GBR) will both be competing in the U19 category, and all the riders will be trained by Cécile Ravanel.

Partnership-wise, the team is extremely proud to continue their relationship with many of their existing sponsors, notably with SRAM MTB, RockShox, Northwave and Schwalbe.

One major change comes with the switch to Duke Racing Wheels for 2022 and beyond. Based in France and committed to excellence, we’re extremely motivated to work with them to develop the best gravity wheels.

Cédric Ravanel, Team Manager (@ravanel.cedric): "Having Les Orres resort as a title sponsor signs a new step in our team evolution. We have always been careful to write the best possible stories with our product partners which always gave us the opportunity to ride the best bikes ever. Now, we have the support of the best French resort for training in the best conditions. What could we wish more?”

Cécile Ravanel, coach (@ravanel_mtb): “We have always been focused to train young athletes and see them evolve at the highest level in the Elite category. Antoine Vidal is the most recent example of this by chasing today the first places in Enduro and DH. My goal as a coach is to have complete athletes who are happy and ready to compete at the biggest competitions in the world and I am already looking forward to help them in such projects.”

Emmanuelle Tahmazian, Les Orres Tourism Office Director (@lesorres): "Les Orres resort is proud to associate its name for the next three years with the Commençal Team. We were greatly convinced by the ambition and by the diversity of its pilots (riding Enduro and DH and having Women & Men) coming from various European countries. The state of mind and the passion given by their coach Cécile and Cédric Ravanel are a real plus. This new dynamic is totally integrated in Les Orres development which keeps annually improving its Bike Park and will host the 2022 French Mountain Bike Championships. We’re also hoping to receive a positive response to host a UCI DH World Cup for 2024-25.”

Lisa Baumann (@_lisa.baumann._): "I am very honoured to join this team. I’ve loved the fact we have a huge training support and the family atmosphere of the team have fully motivated my decision. This is a great opportunity for me, and I know that the whole team will do its best to help me reach the highest level in Enduro and Downhill. See you soon on my Commencal Weapon!”

Antoine Vidal (@antoine_vidal07): "My ambitions are to perform at the highest level in Enduro but also DH. After my 12th place at the 2021 Downhill World Championships, my goal will be to get into the Top 8. I'm also aiming for a Top 5 overall in the Enduro World Series and why not, a podium on a big day!”