I have nothing to back it up, just a hunch, but maybe Gwin will got to santa cruz? They are a big brand, and so can...
I have nothing to back it up, just a hunch, but maybe Gwin will got to santa cruz? They are a big brand, and so can afford to pay the kind of money Gwin will be wanting, and the syndicate will be loosing Peaty after the 2016 season? Another big name to add to their marketing quiver? I would if I was them.
SC, though successful, is nowhere as big as Specialized.
I have nothing to back it up, just a hunch, but maybe Gwin will got to santa cruz? They are a big brand, and so can...
I have nothing to back it up, just a hunch, but maybe Gwin will got to santa cruz? They are a big brand, and so can afford to pay the kind of money Gwin will be wanting, and the syndicate will be loosing Peaty after the 2016 season? Another big name to add to their marketing quiver? I would if I was them.
SC, though successful, is nowhere as big as Specialized.
dont forgot, SC sold-out to Pon Holdings BV, who probably has close to half a billion dollars in revenues for 2015 (based on projections from the 2012 earnings). I reckon they have deep enough pockets, certainly deeper than Intense/SRAM.
^^Well that certainly doesn't leave much to the imagination. if that's the case, I can't see Yeti ponying up that kind of dough. Trek certainly could though.
^^Well that certainly doesn't leave much to the imagination. if that's the case, I can't see Yeti ponying up that kind of dough. Trek certainly could...
^^Well that certainly doesn't leave much to the imagination. if that's the case, I can't see Yeti ponying up that kind of dough. Trek certainly could though.
Anyone thought about Gwin going to Norco? Norco's Manager is Gwin personal trainer, so that might fit together. Don't know if they can afford a Gwin though.
Nope, on mtb-mag that was discussed and disproved long ago. Gwin on a german brand (canyon or yt) and the two young frenchies replacing him is the safest bet
Who is to say that KTM can't pony up to make a race winning bike and team? Gwin hinted at a few main points in his interview on PinkBike. First was money: Just speculation, but KTM probably has more than any cycling brand. Another was brand focus, in that he is a DH-focused rider. Honda has released a one off bike before, why not KTM? He also mentioned he really likes contributing to the R&D side and developing bikes and product. Plus, he is already on contract for their motorcycles. Gwin has already displayed with Specialized that he likes to create and run his own program, and he mentioned he would like to maybe be one day involved with grassroots racing and industry "innards". A fresh-to-market brand run by him can also do just this. He can create a team, on his bike, with his sponsors, run the program to his clock.
As far as TeamRumors go, KTM is an Austrian brand, neighboring country to Germany and a Deutsch speaking country.
Now I'm sure a smaller brand like YT can throw all chips in and create a program, but there are only a few brands I can imagine to have more money to invest in their racing programs than Specialized, and survive. Especially as Big S has shown many times previous that they are not afraid to display big numbers on salaries with Palmer, Cavendish, and Gwin. Those feasible brands in my eyes are Giant, Santa Cruz, Nukeproof, and GT/Dorel.
-Giant in my mind is the most likely as they are lacking in luster for their DH department since Hart won World Champs. Don't get me wrong tho, Marcelo is one of my fav riders and I LOVE watching him attempt to rip off handlebars, he has been putting in SOLID results, and he is an incredible nice guy. In fact, a Gwin / Marcelo duo would be my go to for routing-on on Sunday. (Or is it Saturday now, wtf?)
-SC isn't likely as they already have an All-Star team, and the race pits would be a little awkward with Gwin, the Jesus loving straight-edge, hanging with the likes of a Doped-up Rat(ratty2016!), Gracia, Peaty and Minnaar. I'm sure they all get along on a professional level, but I picture Gwin's parties to be more like Richard Bagg's annual social vs Van Wilder's KY-infused titty-fests.
-Nukeproof has Sam. Who else do you need?
- GT/Dorel has already released a large team roster, with some fairly heavy-hitters. Not likely they will do conduct a special ceremony just for Gwin.
I'm curious to see if Canyon or YT can make it work. I just don't see YT being big enough, or having the right brand image for what Gwin is pursuing. I guess I dont I have a real grasp of how big Canyon is, but maybe they do have the funds to pull it off. Only time will tell.
Trek moved it's race team in house so Whitley has had something in the works this whole time.
So @general lee , if I put two and two together, Whitley has developed a third generation reboot team. That usually means he has an established alpha dog (possibly Gwin) in sites and a promising Alpha dog junior rider.
Whitley ran Greg M. through the Honda program, so there is the chance that Whitely has set up something for KTM and negotiated them signing Gwin. He'd be the logistic person that could make that program happen, but I have to assume Big House is still managing for Gwin on the contract side. I've never read specifically that Big House is his agent, but their friendship and both have such strong connections to moto that even Big House and Whitley could work together on something like that.
I could see Gwin signing on to a Whitley project with his own management handling his contract side.
-SC isn't likely as they already have an All-Star team, and the race pits would be a little awkward with Gwin, the Jesus loving straight-edge, hanging with the likes of a Doped-up Rat(ratty2016!), Gracia, Peaty and Minnaar. I'm sure they all get along on a professional level, but I picture Gwin's parties to be more like Richard Bagg's annual social vs Van Wilder's KY-infused titty-fests.
Yup. Anyone who suggests otherwise has no friggin' idea about team culture and how it works.
Canyon had the money to buy Claw, I know he's not winning the comps these days in terms of exposure and promotion value he's still worth a bit, Fabien Barel has just retired. It's a stretch but nothing seems to be following the script after the Gravy/Atherton movements.
So if KTM /YT is confirmed, what kind of support is KTM Bicycles (yes, there is KTM Bicycles and KTM Moto - two companies) offering? YT for bikes, so KTM for... orange color and big bucks? Curious what KTM is getting back from this deal.
In Gwin's last couple of Insta videos he's in a gym with Monster logo's dotted about and he is wearing a black cap (not the usual Redbull). What are the chances of him moving from Redbull to Monster I wonder?
So if KTM /YT is confirmed, what kind of support is KTM Bicycles (yes, there is KTM Bicycles and KTM Moto - two companies) offering? YT...
So if KTM /YT is confirmed, what kind of support is KTM Bicycles (yes, there is KTM Bicycles and KTM Moto - two companies) offering? YT for bikes, so KTM for... orange color and big bucks? Curious what KTM is getting back from this deal.
We speak about KTM Moto from the beginning I think, not bicycles.
(Gwin is already riding a KTM motor-bike on his free time)
This just makes me wonder how much one should pay a guy for riding his bike fast down a hill only 8 times in a year really. I know, there is much much much more to it. But only 8 real races a year, it's pretty silly imho.
" they didnt see me doing a safety meeting in the bushes."
I like your style sponger, secret agent shit
In all seriousness though...
You can definitely rule out all these smaller players (norco, radon, any other brand) because if Specialized can't afford him, these guys definitely can't. Well, I'm sure they could if they take a large enough chunk from their profits/cash, but it's definitely not worth it from a logistical 'corporate' viewpoint.
YT, Intense, KTM, or a partnership with Audi is probably the best speculation one could make. While the smaller companies may not have that money laying around, they can certainly scrounge it up for his paycheck and roll those dice. Gwin mentioned that it doesn't have to be the best bike out there, but definitely capable of winning(>> YT). The bigger brands can easily pay out but that would require more resources to gather up such a specialized team like the one Gwin is looking for. (no pun intended)
I wonder if theres beef between Graves and Gwin now. Graves is pretty much the only reason Specialized didn't have enough of a budget to afford him. Also, who is going to step into Gwin's spotlight once he leaves? Bruni?
I'm just thinking aloud now, but what if a powerhouse is born between the Lapierre boys and Gwin? (KTM)
How much do you guys think Gwin asked for? $450,000?
Is MTB really a sport where various brands such as Audi or KTM wants to pay a top guy, while the community really doesn't care about their product that much because those brands are not connected to sport on any level? Maybe in Ski or any other sport, it make sense (because those brands such as Audi sponsored a lot of events in that particular sport), but for me, its still hard to find any good reason why Moto company will be paying a top MTB dude while they can spend money on top moto dudes or just simply advertising their products to the real customers (and those are not MTB bikers)... I see zero gain and reason for KTM, more likely a dream of YT followers. But lets see.
Is MTB really a sport where various brands such as Audi or KTM wants to pay a top guy, while the community really doesn't care about...
Is MTB really a sport where various brands such as Audi or KTM wants to pay a top guy, while the community really doesn't care about their product that much because those brands are not connected to sport on any level? Maybe in Ski or any other sport, it make sense (because those brands such as Audi sponsored a lot of events in that particular sport), but for me, its still hard to find any good reason why Moto company will be paying a top MTB dude while they can spend money on top moto dudes or just simply advertising their products to the real customers (and those are not MTB bikers)... I see zero gain and reason for KTM, more likely a dream of YT followers. But lets see.
Unless the moto KTM starts making a bike (which seems unlikely), you're right, they're not directly linked.
At the same time, moto and DH are so closely related... especially if they've already got him on their moto bikes anyway, why not put down some money to have him repping KTM in the DH side?
When customers cross over from DH to moto, (which several of my friends have done, although not me personally) they'd have already had some nice marketing exposure to KTM via Gwinn.
So while I agree it might be weird for Audi, for KTM it doesn't seem that out of left field to me.
A reliable source told me he'll be on a half $x xxx xxx$ contract with YT industries
Gwin-?
Matt Walker-Cube?
Jacob Dickson-?
Laurie Greenland-?
Brannigan-Commencal?
Bruni-?
Vergier-?
Finn-?
Possibly Dean Lucas?
Am I missing anyone else?
As far as TeamRumors go, KTM is an Austrian brand, neighboring country to Germany and a Deutsch speaking country.
Now I'm sure a smaller brand like YT can throw all chips in and create a program, but there are only a few brands I can imagine to have more money to invest in their racing programs than Specialized, and survive. Especially as Big S has shown many times previous that they are not afraid to display big numbers on salaries with Palmer, Cavendish, and Gwin. Those feasible brands in my eyes are Giant, Santa Cruz, Nukeproof, and GT/Dorel.
-Giant in my mind is the most likely as they are lacking in luster for their DH department since Hart won World Champs. Don't get me wrong tho, Marcelo is one of my fav riders and I LOVE watching him attempt to rip off handlebars, he has been putting in SOLID results, and he is an incredible nice guy. In fact, a Gwin / Marcelo duo would be my go to for routing-on on Sunday. (Or is it Saturday now, wtf?)
-SC isn't likely as they already have an All-Star team, and the race pits would be a little awkward with Gwin, the Jesus loving straight-edge, hanging with the likes of a Doped-up Rat(ratty2016!), Gracia, Peaty and Minnaar. I'm sure they all get along on a professional level, but I picture Gwin's parties to be more like Richard Bagg's annual social vs Van Wilder's KY-infused titty-fests.
-Nukeproof has Sam. Who else do you need?
- GT/Dorel has already released a large team roster, with some fairly heavy-hitters. Not likely they will do conduct a special ceremony just for Gwin.
I'm curious to see if Canyon or YT can make it work. I just don't see YT being big enough, or having the right brand image for what Gwin is pursuing. I guess I dont I have a real grasp of how big Canyon is, but maybe they do have the funds to pull it off. Only time will tell.
Trek moved it's race team in house so Whitley has had something in the works this whole time.
So @general lee , if I put two and two together, Whitley has developed a third generation reboot team. That usually means he has an established alpha dog (possibly Gwin) in sites and a promising Alpha dog junior rider.
Whitley ran Greg M. through the Honda program, so there is the chance that Whitely has set up something for KTM and negotiated them signing Gwin. He'd be the logistic person that could make that program happen, but I have to assume Big House is still managing for Gwin on the contract side. I've never read specifically that Big House is his agent, but their friendship and both have such strong connections to moto that even Big House and Whitley could work together on something like that.
I could see Gwin signing on to a Whitley project with his own management handling his contract side.
How close am I?
Bruni- 100% / Specialized Confirmed
Vergier- 100% / Specialized Confirmed
Finn- 100% / Specialized Confirmed
Possibly Dean Lucas- Intense???
Yup. Anyone who suggests otherwise has no friggin' idea about team culture and how it works.
Canyon had the money to buy Claw, I know he's not winning the comps these days in terms of exposure and promotion value he's still worth a bit, Fabien Barel has just retired. It's a stretch but nothing seems to be following the script after the Gravy/Atherton movements.
(Gwin is already riding a KTM motor-bike on his free time)
I like your style sponger, secret agent shit
In all seriousness though...
You can definitely rule out all these smaller players (norco, radon, any other brand) because if Specialized can't afford him, these guys definitely can't. Well, I'm sure they could if they take a large enough chunk from their profits/cash, but it's definitely not worth it from a logistical 'corporate' viewpoint.
YT, Intense, KTM, or a partnership with Audi is probably the best speculation one could make. While the smaller companies may not have that money laying around, they can certainly scrounge it up for his paycheck and roll those dice. Gwin mentioned that it doesn't have to be the best bike out there, but definitely capable of winning(>> YT). The bigger brands can easily pay out but that would require more resources to gather up such a specialized team like the one Gwin is looking for. (no pun intended)
I wonder if theres beef between Graves and Gwin now. Graves is pretty much the only reason Specialized didn't have enough of a budget to afford him. Also, who is going to step into Gwin's spotlight once he leaves? Bruni?
I'm just thinking aloud now, but what if a powerhouse is born between the Lapierre boys and Gwin? (KTM)
How much do you guys think Gwin asked for? $450,000?
At the same time, moto and DH are so closely related... especially if they've already got him on their moto bikes anyway, why not put down some money to have him repping KTM in the DH side?
When customers cross over from DH to moto, (which several of my friends have done, although not me personally) they'd have already had some nice marketing exposure to KTM via Gwinn.
So while I agree it might be weird for Audi, for KTM it doesn't seem that out of left field to me.
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