Permalink This Is Peaty Episode 1
Fuelled by Monster Energy, Episode One takes you on an international whirlwind adventure. Starting at the legendary Ingle Gym, Sheffield, along with close friend and Heavyweight boxer David Howe, Steve hasn’t been slacking in the off-season, that’s for sure.
Getting in quality Downhill runs in the UK is tough for someone like Steve, who’s nearest uplift is almost 2 hours away… So any excuse to head for San Romolo has to be a good one. Staying over at Argentina Bike with SPS rider James Swinden in tow, one Piaggio purchase later and a few amazing days in the sun, the season was off to a solid start…
It might have been an early start to the season this year, but everyone came out swinging at Round 1 Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. Huge Jumps, Dropper Posts, Weetabix and an ‘almost’ fairytale finish for the Santa Cruz Syndicate.
Obviously psyched for his team-mate Greg Minnaar, but a tough start to the year for Steve, back in 15th place. But don’t worry he’s not out of reach just yet though, with a long season still to follow.
Val Di Sole is basically Wharncliffe but a bit longer anyway, right?
Until next time…
Follow Steve and Co throughout the rest of the season over at:
Fueled by:
Monster Energy
In Association with:
Five Ten
Supported by:
Smuggling Duds
Royal Racing
Santa Cruz Bicycles
Team Santa Cruz Syndicate At 2012 Round 1 World Cup
HUGE WIN IN FOR MR. MINN AND THE SANTA CRUZ SYNDICATE AT WORLD CUP OPENER!! from santa cruz bikes on Vimeo.
ietermaritzburg, South Africa
March 18, 2012
Greg Minnaar wins the UCI World Cup Downhill season opener aboard his Fox/Shimano equipped carbon V-10 with an exhilarating run that had the hill alive with the roar of thousands of fans including the oneLife crew and the Minnaarmy! Steve Peat came in 15th and Josh Bryceland 21st on this improved, pedaling course in Greg’s hometown of Pietermaritzburg, South Africa.
It always feels like a homecoming for us to be in this friendly city and the Syndicate was welcomed back by all Greg’s family and friends. The local support of the race is big and there were many improvements to the track and the race venue. Training went well all week and the boys came into the season fit and lean. Greg was fastest in qualifier by the slimmest margin of .008 over Aaron Gwin and he picked up max points for his efforts. Steve was 11th fastest and Josh 17th.
Rain was on and off during the week and we had quite a bit come down on race night. Things dried up quick and we had a beautiful day for the race. Everyone got to the top of the hill eager to get the season underway. Greg started into his race run and made a few mistakes and was 2 seconds down at the first split. He gained some time by the second split and was only 1 second off the pace. Steve said, “Greg can make up that time.” As Greg neared the finish the volume of the crowd was at a fevered pitch and this certainly had to boost the effort into overdrive. As the leader board went green the oneLife crew of friends pushed the fence down and flooded into the finish arena while Steve lifted Greg off the ground in victory.
An ecstatic Greg says, “I made a few mistakes on the top part of the track and I knew I had to make up some time. On the bottom section I had to stand and pedal hard and I fought all the way to the finish. You know when you are coming into the finish and you see the oneLife crew breaking the fence down that you’ve had a good run. And then Steve jumped over the fence and grabbed me I knew I had won. It’s a great feeling to do well in front of all my family and friends and their support is amazing!”
Steve comments, “Another great weekend racing in Maritzburg. The fans and the onelife crew made it an awesome weekend, and I feel privileged that it was my 100th World Cup start. Luckily the track dried out and made the racing fast and tight. Although I wasn’t too happy with my 15th place result, I was over the moon for Greg. He dug deep and took the win for the home crowd!!”
Josh placed 21st and said, “After a hard winter training I don’t feel I quite did myself justice on my race run, but I left it all on the hill and the bike feels better than ever. I’m really happy for Greg, not only just with the win in his hometown, but starting the season with a win and full points. Also good to see Peaty Dog still has a little bit of fire in him, as always.”
The win makes Greg’s 16th World Cup win (11 on Santa Cruz) and is his 53rd World Cup Downhill podium, (besting Steve’s 52 podiums). Greg now leads the World Cup overall with 250 points over Aaron Gwin’s 200 points. Steve is 14th in the standings and Josh is 17th. Greg will be in the leader jersey going into the next World Cup in Val Di Sole, Italy in May.
MEN’S ELITE RESULTS:
1ST GREG MINNAAR (SANTA CRUZ SYNDICATE) 3:57.98
2nd Aaron Gwin 3:58.61
3rd Mick Hannah 3:58.97
4th Gee Atherton 4:02.36
5th Steve Smith 4:02.41
6th Jared Graves 4:02.78
7th Andrew Neethling 4:02.99
8th Troy Brosnan 4:03.58
9th Julian Camellini 4:03.65
10th Cedric Gracia (Brigade, Santa Cruz) 4:03.81
15th STEVE PEAT (SANTA CRUZ SYNDICATE) 4:05.65
21ST JOSH BRYCELAND (SANTA CRUZ SYNDICATE) 4:07.37
MEN’S OVERALL STANDINGS
1ST GREG MINNAAR (SANTA CRUZ SYNDICATE) 250
2nd Aaron Gwin 200
3rd Mick Hannah 160
4th Gee Atherton 150
5th Steve Smith 140
6th Jared Graves 111
7th Troy Brosnan 107
8th Andrew Neethling 105
9th Cedric Gracia (Brigade, Santa Cruz) 93
10th Aurellien Giordanengo 85
14th STEVE PEAT (SANTA CRUZ SYNDICATE) 80
17 JOSH BRYCELAND (SANTA CRUZ SYNDICATE) 68
THANKS TO THE SYNDICATE SPONSORS:
SANTA CRUZ BICYCLES
SHIMANO
FOX
ENVE COMPOSITES
MAXXIS
CLIF BAR
MUC-OFF
LIZARD SKINS
WTB
CHRIS KING
BIRZMAN
Gore® RideOn™ Cable Systems
FOXHEAD
2012 This Is Peaty Trailer
This Is Peaty - 2012 Trailer from Steel City Media on Vimeo.
Follow us: @ThisIsPeaty + ThisIsPeaty.com
Now then.
Steve Peat… Where do we start?
There’s literally nothing left to be said, about the man who has done so much for his sport. His relentless enthusiasm, fun and approachable personality has molded him into the role model that riders and fans of all ages, look up to today, and will do for years to come.
Flat out both on and off the bike…
It’s the reason we all love him and it’s the reason he’s still at the top.
Steve Peat has fun riding his bike. Plain and simple.
This Is Peaty is here to document that fun.
Coming April 2012.
"This Is Peaty is set to take you on a personal tour, through the UCI World Cup, World Champs, British Downhill Series + tons more along the way.
Don’t think for a second that it’s going to be racing 24/7.
You get the beers in, whilst Steve and co provide the entertainment… "
Cheers!
Supported by:
Monster Energy
Five Ten
Royal Racing
2012 Santa Cruz Syndicate San Romolo Testing
Santa Cruz Syndicate - San Romolo Testing from santa cruz bikes on Vimeo.
PRESS RELEASE
February 1, 2012
San Romolo, Italy
SYNDICATE TEST SESSION WELCOMING
FOX AND SHIMANO!!
Early season testing started for the Santa Cruz Syndicate with mechanics, engineers and riders arriving in the town of Imperia, Italy, for three days of extensive testing aboard the latest Santa Cruz full carbon V-10s. The bikes were decked out with the Syndicate’s newest sponsor products from Fox and Shimano. The Syndicate’s choice to join forces with Shimano and Fox proved to be a great decision as the test session was incredibly successful.
“Testing was amazing, the most productive test session I have ever been to. Besides good riding and eating killer Italian food, our Syndicate family expanded with Fox and Shimano. I feel this was a great start to the year and I’m looking forward to more positive things to come in 2012,” said Greg Minnaar.
The testing took place on the long downhill racetrack in San Romolo with shuttle assistance from Roberto Vernassa from Argentina Bike. The five-man Fox crew was ready to gather information from suspension testing using their state of the art data acquisition equipment. Spirits were high as everyone got started off on the dark chilly mornings while the mechanics built a bonfire at the bottom of the track to stave off a bit of chill. Riders were warm and tingly inside with big grins after the first run.
“We were getting everyone up to speed on the new full carbon frame, Fox suspension, and Shimano components. With the frame being much lighter than the previous version we had to dial the suspension in because of less un-sprung weight. I’ve also been riding the new XTR brakes for some time now and can’t get over how impressive they are, particularly with modulation. Feedback from all the racers was what I was expecting, a new milestone in performance.” Says Rob Roskopp.
Greg Minnaar exclaims, “I was blown away on the first ride down the rugged San Romolo track. The first thought was, this is a winning combo! Fitzy and his crew worked flat out to get us up to speed. Their passion, enthusiasm and suspension knowledge is going to be very positive to the Syndicate. It’s been awhile since I was last on Shimano, 2003... and that was a good year for me. I hope this is the good luck I’ll be needing to win another World Championship.”
Santa Cruz engineer Joe Graney says, “We look forward to a close relationship with the suspension experts at Fox. They arrived in Italy with a team of engineers and technicians—blowing everyone away with how they were able to accurately translate each rider’s input into measured improvements in speed and control. Shimano continues to push the envelope with technologies like Ice Technology brakes and the Shadow Plus derailleur, as well as the variety of options that can be configured for different conditions fits perfectly with Santa Cruz Bicycles’ core values of customer choice, usable performance, durability and long term support. ”
Our newest addition to the Syndicate, mechanic Jason Marsh says, “I’m super happy that we are using Fox Racing Shox and Shimano for the 2012 season. The new Fox 40 forks suit the carbon V-10 frame perfectly and the RC4 rear shock really compliments the VPP suspension design. The riders were all impressed on how good the bikes felt, even after the first run. I have worked with the Saint group-set for the last three seasons and I really like how they work. Saint cranks are super strong, brakes are simple to set up and the rear derailleur and shifter are super smooth and a nice set up. Finish and attention to detail can’t be matched. The support offered by the Fox team over the last few days has been superb and their race support is second to none. 2012 will be a great season.”
Steve Peat was surprisingly pleased, “We have had three awesome days testing and training in Italy. It was great to catch up with all my crew after a few down months throughout the winter and I was happy to get out on the Santa Cruz V-10 and trash it in the test situation. Fox is a company that I have watched over the years. They obviously have great product because the fast guys are using it and winning races now and again on it. And Shimano needs no introduction. It’s a no brainer that they have great products and I am looking forward to working with them at the races! We came up with some great set ups and I am now looking forward to the season. Now it’s our turn to give it a thrash on our V-10’s, 2012 should be fun!”
“The test session was a big learning curve for me. Having ridden Boxxer’s since I was about 14, I’m very used to the look and feel of the fork so it was a huge change. I really enjoyed the process of getting my new bike set up and it was interesting getting to know the characteristics of all the new products. The suspension seems almost limitless with it its adjustability and I think our bikes have entered a whole new realm of adaptability. Despite getting my ass kicked in the final race I had a really fun and productive four days,” said Josh Bryceland.
“Tradition is that the last day of testing we always have a race to see who is quickest. Once again, for the second time in a row Peaty took the win, but unlike the first time when Greg wore the dress to dinner, it was Josh’s turn to wear a skirt. Since there were no women’s clothes handy, Josh had to improvise and craft a fashionable number out of a pair of pants. “His outfit was complete with his ‘special’ tiger underwear”, chimes in Roskopp.
Joe Lawwill, Shimano’s MTB marketing manager says, “Shimano is very proud and excited to be working with Santa Cruz bicycles and the iconic Syndicate race team. We are looking forward to a successful and exciting 2012 season.”
Fox’s Mark Fitzsimmons says, “We are very excited to work with a team at this level. The professionalism of the team has shown in their years of great results and we look forward to bringing our suspension expertise to the program. We here at FOX thrive on the pure honesty racing brings to our development process and look forward to learning from Steve, Greg and Josh to continue to improve our products and aid them in their mission for podiums. Our goal is to provide our athletes with a suspension performance advantage and look forward to continuing this into the 2012 season.”
Syndicate head mechanic Dougie “Fresh” Hatfield says, “The Fox and Shimano Saint equipped bikes ran silky smooth during our test camp in San Romolo. The riders really liked the responsiveness and quality of the product. We are ready to go racing!!”
