Orbea Enduro Team: The Adrenaline is Back!

This is the birth of the Orbea Enduro Team, a team will take us once again to the world’s most important competitions in a discipline we’re passionate about: enduro. Our aim is to let you see what an enduro competition is like from the inside, fighting for the podium in the best international events on earth.

Want to meet our new team?

Four Aces

If you’re a die-hard enduro fan, you probably already know them...They're bikers with great potential who have a lot in common with one another - they’ve all been molded since they were kids in downhill, BMX and XC competitions, etc. Besides, they already know what it’s like to climb the podium and they have that ‘hunger for victory’…

Thomas Lapeyrie (France, 27 years old)

5th EWS Italy – 2017
13th EWS Ranking – 2017
5th MEGAVALANCHE Alpe d’Huez – 2017

For Thomas, being part of the “Orbea family” is a “dream come true.” A fan of Julien Absalon, “who is still the best French mountain bike XCO cyclist in history,” he remembers when Julien won the Olympic championship with the Orbea Racing Team, and that’s why “this new stage with Orbea makes me feel like that kid who dreamed about becoming a great racer.”

The French biker is a real fan of bicycles in any of their modes: “Every time I climb on a bike, I think that today I’m going to have my best experience,” he claims, and among his best qualities he cites his mental strength. He’s a conscientious biker who pays close attention to and analyzes all the technical and physical aspects of his preparation: “I always strive to give the best of myself in every situation and to continue to learn. I love testing my skills in every element and finding that ideal sensation with my bicycle that lets me ride the perfect race,” he points out.

His goal is to place in the Top 10 of the EWS.

Becky Cook (United Kingdom, 31 years old)

9th in the EWS overall ranking - 2017
1st - the Welsh Gravity Enduro – 2017
1st - British Enduro Series Elite Champ – 2016

The British rider is one of the top bikers on the women’s world enduro circuit, which is pretty impressive, considering that she’s only been competing for a little over two years in this discipline. Becky comes from the world of trials, but since the very beginning, she has stood out among the best in this specialty: at her debut in Wales in 2015, she came away with the victory!

In 2017, she managed to finish in the Top 10 of the overall rankings in her first time at the EWS. That’s quite an achievement, and one she wants to better this season: “I would like to improve on that ninth place in the overall rankings and try to come in the Top 5 in more races. After that...Who knows? The competition in the women’s category is fierce, so it will be an interesting battle. I can’t wait to get started!” she explains.

The English biker understands very clearly why she has decided to join this project: “The people who are behind this group love enduro… Having an incredible bike and a great team supporting me in the races has made it very easy to make this decision,” she concludes.

Gabriel Torralba (Spain, 20)

Spanish Enduro Champion (Scratch) - 2017
3rd - EWS Madeira (Sub21) - 2017
7th - EWS Whistler (Sub-21) – 2016

The overall Spanish champion in this discipline describes himself as “tenacious” and “constant,” two qualities that can be seen in the way he goes all out on the attack downhill and on the slopes: a terrain where he moves like a fish in water and demonstrates the power and intelligence typical of bikers with more years of experience under their belts.

“My main goal will be to defend my title as Spanish Champion,” comments Gabriel, who will also compete in every race on the Enduro World Series calendar (EWS).Born in Riglos, Huesca, from the time he was very young, Gabriel has shaped his passion for enduro in the Pyrenees. He is “excited” to form part of this project. “We have managed to form a very competitive team, in terms of both the cyclists and the brands that support us. I think everyone is very committed and very eager,” he explains.

Javier San Roman (Spain, 19 years old)

Spanish Enduro Open champion (Scratch) - 2017
Spanish champion (Junior) - 2016

Besides competing in the EWS, the young biker from Biescas (Huesca) will be one of the favorites at the Spanish Enduro Championships. Those who know him well know that he is crazy about enduro and nature, which he defines as his “second home.” Maybe that is why he has become one of the most promising enduro bikers in Spain.

This is Javier's first experience on a professional team and he confesses that he is very “excited.” “Being able to share my experiences with bikers like Thomas and Becky will be very rewarding. I am more motivated than ever to be faster every day,” he concludes.

The Orbea Enduro Team will be accompanied by a top-notch staff, led by Julien Brugeas as team manager. Julien was a mechanic back on the Orbea Racing Team. After the team disappeared, he joined the Clif Bar Pro Team as part of the Orbea staff. There, he has been one of the architects of all the team’s achievements in the world of elite XC all these years, such as the World Cup and Cross Country Championship, and the Rio Olympic Games of 2016, to name a few.

Rallon R5: synonymous with speed

To reach its goals, the team will rely on the fifth generation of our enduro machine: the Rallon. A bicycle that has impressed the specialized media since it was presented in the Pyrenees last June, world. This impression was also shared by the members of the Orbea Enduro Team…

“It’s terrific; it’s the fastest bike I have ever tested. It has a pedaling efficiency that I have never seen before. I am very happy with the Rallon… I've already recorded some times, and the truth is that they are very good,” Gabriel explains.

Thomas highlights the versatility of this model.“My first impression was to say, ‘Wow, I’m speechless. ‘It’s everything that I’m looking for in a competition bike: it’s fast, smooth, stable and easy to ride,” he assures us. “It’s a ‘beast’ that pushes you along, faster and harder. If you give it something to eat, it’s happy and will do what you want,” he says.

Javier also agrees with his teammate in pointing out the great response this model has on every type of terrain. “It’s impressive and super versatile: it descends super well and if you need to pedal hard, it does that too. The truth is that it has surprised me.”

Becky joins her teammates in indicating that “it is an impressive bike: I can’t wait to ride it.”

Our debut in the Andes!

The Orbea Enduro Team will debut in the Andes-Pacífico (February 12-18 in Chile), a demanding five-day enduro race that begins in the Andes mountains and ends on the Pacific coast. Afterwards, it will take on all the events of the EWS:

EWS#1 - Lo Barnechea (March 24-25, Chile)
EWS#2 - Manizales (March 31 - April 1, Colombia)
EWS#3 - Olargues (May 12-13, France)
EWS#4 - Petzen-Jamnica (June 30 - July 1, Slovenia/Austria)
EWS#5 - La Thuile (July 20-21, Italy)
EWS#6- Whistler (August 11-12, Canada)
EWS#7 - Ainsa (September 22-23, Spain)
EWS#8 - Finale Ligure (September 29-30, Italy)

Orbea would like to make special mention of our partners on this new project. ENVE, the main sponsor, will provide the Orbea Enduro Team with the wheels that will go on the Rallon our bikers will ride, as well as the handlebars and stem. Fox will supply the suspensions, Rotor will provide the chainwheels and cranks, and finally POC will provide the gear and protection for our riders. We’d also like to thank Maxxis, Clif Bar, CrankBrothers, Selle Italia and Galfer for their participation in this exciting initiative.