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Answer:
This is not Gwin.
And someone should look up Waldershof's location. It seems to remind me of a hand-drawn image...
Gwin to Cube.
nope
Link
More wrenches and photographers, please. Leave it to a microcosm to overlap a lack of self-awareness with pitiful irony.
Mountain biking: eating its own spoiled tail since 1995.
Well, first of all, let me tell you that, just like anyone else (and their cat), I have been closely following this thread since the very beginning. As a matter of fact, I have been following Team Rumours since day one and I feel sad it's not happening anymore, since it was a ton of fun.
Here are a few of my personal opinions on what everybody's been discussing around here. I have no particular insider info, nor am I super smart. I only operate with simple logic.
1. Gwin and YT: First of all, let me just state the obvious: what we are doing here with all the speculation and waiting for the big news to drop (or not) is just publicity for both sides and they would be crazy to deny anything, since it is pretty much free. I guess we will find out for sure when the UCI will announce its trade team list, as I don't see Gwin riding for a team that doesn't have this status, no matter how Chad Reed he wishes to be. I don't know what the impact of this thread is a.k.a. how big the publicity here is and/or the fact that we mention Gwin and YT every time we breathe, but I'm sure the guys at Vital can tell us more about that.E
Even though YT grew a lot since it's launch, I can't see them afford Aaron by themselves. But all this ”Audi plus KTM equals love” thing is a bit ridiculous. If an athlete does a commercial for a car company, it does not guarantee him a sponsorship from said company. It you look at previous or current involvement of car companies in MTB, you will see that pretty much everything is possible: Volvo Cannondale, Mercedes Benz Marin, Volvo Kona, Subaru Specialized, Catera Klein (!), Subaru Gary Fisher, Ford Kona, Volkswagen Trek, GT Chevy, BMW Proflex (the list is huge) and I guess the latest ones I can remember are the Athertons with Mercedes Vito and Jeep. I belleve that if you have a competent manager who can approach sponsors from outside this industry (as in the glorious golden Grundig and Diesel World Cup days of the 90's), you can reach such deals. A MTB season budget can't be that expensive for a car company. Oh, and since I mentioned Grundig and Diesel, I might also remind you that Martin Whiteley was the head of the World Cup circuit back then and we have a lot to thank him for. His station wagon stanced-out Audi is also a common sight at World Cups since the Honda days, maybe even earlier. It's one of the 23 Degrees team vehicles.
2. Gwin and Martin back together: I can't possibly know who the new manager for Aaron is (since Houseman isn't anymore) or how he is operating, but I just can't see such a re-connection happen. Maybe we forgot how ugly that Gwin/TWR divorce has been. In my perception, back then Gwin wanted to prove everybody that he can make it on his own, without Martin's well-lubed and successful system. I also believe that Gwin wanted that TLD deal badly, being an ex-motocrosser and TLD being one of the most iconic brands in both industries. I always suspected that one of the reasons he ditched TWR back then was his wish to be on TLD, when TWR had just renewed the contract with Royal. I also consider the way Gwin handled himself those days to be somewhat poor, to say the least, and he definitely lost a lot of people's sympathy, mine included.
Long story short, I think the abrupt break between the two sides can be considered a deep insult towards one of the scene's most efficient and probably most respected people and that is Martin. What gain would either side have to rejuvenate this? Both have proved that they can find success on their own, so why even bother? If you tell me that Martin/23 Degrees have no been successful without Gwin, you are forgetting about Minnaar, Honda, Global and all that. It is more likely to prove the world they can win without Gwin.
I need to mention that I have spoken to Martin a few times in my life at World Cups or Worlds. One of the most educative talks was 11 years ago, when I was a national team manager with a pretty much non-existing budget from our federation. I moaned to Martin about the importance of a mechanic and he showed me the likes of Minnaar, Lehikoinen and Cyrille Kurtz, who were busy helping out with packing the team tent in Livigno. He said: ”Look at these guys, all of them are top World Cup racers. Having a mechanic is nice and saves time, but every single one of them can work on their bikes, if they need to.” Needless to say, I felt very embarrassed that I dared complaining afterwards. I also remember in those years two riders with no team deals, who were riding black bikes (an Orange 223 and an Intense M1) and black Oakley and TLD kit. One was Matti, the other one was Justin Havukainen and they were supported to ride the World Cup by Martin personally, hence the black gear. All of the above should give you a pretty good picture about Martin's character, work ethic and influence.
3. KTM and KTM moto: Even though these are different entities, it would make sense that they operate together, because they share a logo and an identity and people perceive them as one anyway. I mean, who the fuck knows that Volvo cars and Volvo trucks are different companies since years??? Another question would be: what is the benefit for either side? Can Gwin move some KTM motos? They have Roczen and Dungey and I suspect that Team Red and Team Blue are still selling much more than them. Oh, and Team Yellow and Team Green too, by the way! So I guess they could endorse him, just like motocross riders are endorsed by GT or Specialized, but being his main sponsors makes no sense. On what bike? I need to acknowledge, though, that that Cesar Rojo connection is interesting! He is a multi talented man, designed a MTB range for Mondraker that still stands tall, raced his latest prototype to a Masters title, is an accomplished photographer and product designer AND worked for KTM in their suspension development, as far as I can remember. A little irony? He was on Martin's awesome Arai Global Racing team, with Missy, Greg, Mick, Matti, Needles, Naoki Idegawa, Sean McCarroll and Marielle Saner.
KTM bikes? Yes, nice city bikes and XC race whips, but every time I go to Eurobike and see their Aphex DH bike I need to laugh. It is SO pathetic! This year they luckily took it out at least. So why would Aaron come to a Euro brand that has no DH bike what-so-ever? To pull a Tomac or a Lopes or a Loncarevich and ride a branded Intense? No sense! Does KTM sell bikes in the U.S., by the way? Does Cube? Well, the U.S. being the most important market in the world, you should take these questions very serious.
I don't know where Gwin will end up, but I want every good racer to have support. If Aaron can find corporate sponsors from outside the industry and generate a fresh team with a bike of his liking, then so be it and may he have all the luck!
Rocky Mountain? Interesting! There's about time to build a DH legacy! Plus that Maiden is arguably the most beautiful sled out there!
Oh, and I didn't understand yet if Gwin still is under contract with TLD. I thought Stikman reinforced this statement a while ago, but then those Alpinestars pictures appeared. Does anyone want to shed some light on this? Thanks!
Cheers from snowy Transylvania! :D
Mx
The KTM TLD moto team use Alpinestar boots because TLD don't make any. Gwin was probably tossed a pair from Troy Lee for a insta pic. Nothing more.
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