The Athertons Sweep At Fort Bill

Round one of the Downhill series at the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup presented by Shimano became a family affair, with the brother and sister team of Gee and Rachel Atherton (GT Factory Racing) crushing the competition in the elite men's and women's races at Fort William, Scotland, on Sunday.

British riders have always upped their game at what is, essentially, their home course, and this year was no different. Fort William is considered one of the gravity centers of the sport, and boasts some of the biggest and most enthusiastic crowds of the year. At nearly five minutes long, the track is also one of the hardest, requiring technical skills for the rocky upper section, and power and fitness for the bottom half.

Rachel Atherton qualified first among the women, over six seconds in front of Emmeline Ragot (Lapierre Gravity Republic), but the defending overall World Cup champion has been burned before in Scotland, finishing second the last three years. Fort William was the only major downhill result missing from her resumé.

Emilie Siegenthaler (Gstaad-Scott) set the first sub-5:30 time, which held until Nicole Myriam (Commencal/Riding Addiction) went below 5:25. Manon Carpenter (Madison Saracen) then took the leading time below 5:20, but Ragot and Atherton were still to ride. Ragot couldn't manage to overtake Carpenter, so it was down to Atherton, and the British champion did not falter, finishing over ten seconds ahead of her compatriot.

"Winning is just ridiculously hard here," Atherton commented. "I have qualified first a few years here. You can't let your guard down. It is such a wild track and that run was just so messy all the way down, I was just thinking I'm throwing it away, the other girls are going to be smoother. I couldn't believe it when I crossed the line and finally heard the crowd cheering, instead of groaning like normal. I can't believe it."

Atherton leads the overall standings with 250 points, followed by Carpenter at 190 and Ragot at 180.

Unlike the women, the men's race did not have a single clear favourite. Danny Hart (Giant Factory), the 2011 world champion, qualified first, but less than two-tenths of a second ahead of Gee Atherton.

The leading time crept down slowly, with Austin Warren (Pivot Factory Team) the first to go under 4:50. Local Scottish rider Greg Williamson (Trek World Racing) was the next to spend any length of time in the Hot Seat, but the fastest riders were just starting to come down.

Sam Hill (ChainReactionCycles.com/Nukeproof), who won the world title in Fort William in 2007, broke the 4:40 mark, but that would not prove to be enough to make the podium. Only two riders later Brook MacDonald (Trek World Racing) took the lead, with five riders remaining, setting the stage for some of the closest times ever seen. The next three riders all came within nine-tenths of a second of MacDonald, but none could surpass the New Zealand rider.

Then it was the turn of Atherton, the 2010 winner at Fort William. The British champion was running the rock sections at the top noticeably faster than any other rider and, although he lost a few tenths of a second in the lower half, he still crossed the line 1.142 seconds faster than MacDonald to take the lead. Hart covered the top sections of the course almost as quickly as Atherton before fading in the pedaling section to finish seventh.

"I can't begin to describe it," said Atherton. "It is a pretty emotional feeling. It has been a while since I won here, and my sister won on the same day. It doesn't get better than this. I was scared, but it was a smooth run. This is the first run on a new bike but it went smooth. I couldn't have asked for a better run really. I am stoked to start the World Cup series like this. Bring it on, I say.”

Atherton leads the World Cup with 240 points, followed by MacDonald with 180 and Steve Smith (Devinci Global Racing) with 162.

In the new Junior mens’s World Cup category, Noel Niederberger (Gstaad-Scott) was the top finisher, followed by Michael Jones (FMD/Intense Cycles) and Lucas Dean (Australian National).

2013 GT Factory Racing Brings on Next Generation of Talent

GT Factory Racing announced today the signing of two of Europe’s most dominant young riders to expand its champion downhill and enduro race team GT Factory Racing. Taylor Vernon of South Wales will join the world’s fastest downhill race team to train alongside Gee Atherton, Rachel Atherton, and Marc Beaumont, while Martin Maes from Belgium will join Dan Atherton on the enduro team.

“Taylor was first brought to our attention last year and we’ve seen him post some solid results in the under 16 sections this past season,” said Dan Brown, Team Director. “The team is on a roll right now with Rachel’s World Cup win, fastest team overall title and Gee taking podiums in every race. It feels like the right time for us to start to bring on some new young riders and we think that Taylor has the potential to become a major force on the World Cup scene.”

Vernon is 16 years old and will be racing on a GT Fury. During the season, he will focus on dominating the Junior World Cups and World Championships.

“Words can’t describe how stoked I am to be joining Dan, Gee, Rachel, and Marc on GT Factory Racing,” said Vernon. “I’m so excited about racing at the International and
World Cup level and know that I could not ask for a better or more experienced team of people to teach me all there is to know.”

On the enduro side, 15-year-old Martin Maes turned heads when he took 5th place overall at the Superenduro of Nations at Sauze d’Oulz. He will be riding a GT Force and focusing on the Enduro World Series.

“Nobody could quite believe it,” said Dan Atherton. “There isn’t a junior category in superenduro so this 15-year-old boy is just wasting some of the toughest and most experienced adult riders on the circuit. We are really excited about the Enduro World Series in 2013 and I’m stoked to have a new teammate with this much potential.”

“This opportunity feels like a dream come true,” said Maes. “I have the greatest admiration for Rachel,Dan, Gee and Marc and will be so happy to ride with them. My key objectives for 2013 are to brush up on my English and to listen to Dan’s recommendations to progress on my bike.”

Keep glued to athertonracing.co.uk for all the latest on the team as they enter the 2013 season.

GT Bicycles And Atherton Racing Join Forces

Atherton Racing is proud to announce its partnership with GT Bicycles. Beginning in 2012, the mountain bike race team of Dan, Gee, and Rachel Atherton, will join non-family GT rider Marc Beaumont and form the new team GT Factory Racing.

“Atherton Racing is one of the most progressive teams in the history of mountain biking, and is known for taking the sport to the next level,” said Mark Peterman, Global General Manager GT Bicycles. “We’re excited about the partnership because it both continues GT’s legacy as the brand that helps progressive riders push their limits, and because of the opportunities it presents to develop new products.”

Over the past five years, Atherton Racing has seen over 50 professional victories and multiple World titles. For the first time, the Atherton team will also include a non-family member with GT rider Marc Beaumont. As a consistent World Cup downhill rider with podiums in some of the world’s greatest Enduro races, Beaumont will compliment Gee on the UCI DH circuit, and Dan on the Euduro circuit, as his focus has shifted towards Enduro-style events. The team will be riding the GT Fury, Sanction, and Force Carbon and Alloy.

In addition to racing, the team will provide important product testing feedback and work hand-in-hand with GT on future product advancements and the next evolution of GT mountain bikes.

“The new relationship that’s formed between Atherton Racing and GT has opened up so many opportunities for everyone involved, I’m stoked to be going into the next few years of racing being bolstered by a company with such a passion for the sport, and with a company that’s drive for the top step of the podium, matches that of my own,” said Gee Atherton.

About GT Bicycles:
Since 1972, GT has provided riders of all ability levels with a trustworthy, reliable, rock-solid bike they need to push their own personal limits, and the limits of cycling. Their legacy is instilled in every GT design, be it a BMX, mountain, road, or pavement bike. For more information about GT Bicycles, please visit www.gtbicycles.com

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