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Team lapierre out with team in 2016 ?
Also Troy Brosnan and the Specialized Factory team aren't listed at all...
Elite Teams have certain advantages, like better pit spaces, etc..
Edit: seems Maxipedia juuust beat me to it.
More fuel to the 2017 rumor fire.
There's nothing more exciting than seeing a rider on the come up. We root for the underdog because we see something special and wish for them to challenge the establishment. Occasionally, we're fortunate enough to see the potential of a true winner in those early years. With so much anticipation surrounding the Morpheus 'Conspiracy' release along with rumors swirling of its representation on the World Cup, Morpheus can now put those rumors to rest.Two time Crankworx podium finisher and winner of pro slalom, Dakotah Norton (USA) will be representing the Morpheus Team, riding the 'Conspiracy' on the UCI DH World Cup circuit.
Dakotah Norton is the unpolished gem that Morpheus has been searching for since we decided to compete in Downhill racing. We were fortunate enough to speak in depth with Dakotah prior to his media explosion at Crankworx Whistler. Two days later, Dakotah absolutely cleaned up Crankworx with two Pro podiums including a win in the ultra-competitive dual slalom event. After Crankworx, the entire industry had their eyes set on Dakotah -- he is determined to prove his performance was no fluke at all. Dakotah hadn't touched a mountain bike prior to two years ago - a pretty unbelievable fact considering his world class skill and talent; however, once you dive into the details of his background, everything becomes very clear. With a background based around Motorcross and BMX racing, his high-speed awareness and technical ability make him the perfect "mountain bike natural". While this is true, background and talent can only get you so far when you're set to go against the best in the world. Dakotah has dedicated himself -- his daily diet and training regimen is something you're more used to seeing from a top level professional athlete.
It's certainly an unusual athletic dedication for someone who is finishing an undergraduate degree in business. Starting from humble beginnings, Dakotah has the work ethic, skill and tenacity to be truly elite. Dakotah is the first representative of Morpheus' new International World Cup team. To ensure that Dakotah is prepared mentally, physically and mechanically for each event, team manager Mitch Chubey will be joining him in full support at each World Cup event. Dakotah also receives support from Shimano, Smith, Chromag, Schwalbe, 5.10, Troy Lee Designs, Onyx and Fox.
In anticipation for grooming our riders as previously done in the Slopestyle Arena, Morpheus is also beginning a National DH Development team, initially lead by 17-year-old Dylan Yoder. This will be Dylan's first year in the ProClass following up a very successful 2015. Dylan won both regional series' last year, the Atlantic Eastern States Cup and The Gravity East Series. Dylan is supported by Defiant Racing, Deity, Industry Nine, Maxxis, Honey Stinger, DVO, and Blue Mountain Bike Park. Now that the programs are in place and the 'Conspiracy' is on track for production release in July, Morpheus is eager to prove our competitiveness. Look out for Dakotah and the 'Conspiracy' at The Sea Otter Classic, as well as Crankworx Whistler, Red Bull Hardline and other downhill events across the globe!
Sam Hill no longer running TLD helmets? Leatt Helmet here?
"Not sure what the politically correct thing to say here is, but, we are a pretty open and honest brand, so here goes. Having Sam Hill in another brand of gear...sucks. Sam has been with us for over a decade, and when we lost him in gear (2014) it was not fun. We were able to keep Sam in helmets for the last 2 years, but for 2016 a newcomer came into his team's sponsorship negotiations and we dug deep to keep Sam - but also outfit the rest of his rad teammates. Sam's team did not want him doing his own deals, which is totally understandable, so we jumped in with an offer to sponsor the whole program - including Sam. Ultimately, the stakes became too high, this competitor was willing to pay significantly more and we had to step away. The team has a different sponsor for half shell/enduro riding, so the fact our guys wouldn't be able to wear our A1, along with our D3's, made it a little complicated. The stakes in that game became so high for our small brand, it would have diverted funds from future development of our products. It was also a bummer to not come to a deal with Sam's team because we have a good relationship with Nigel Page and his company, always fun working with those fellas, but, business is business. So, that's that. Sam will ALWAYS be a part of the TLD family, the door is ALWAYS open, and we would gladly have him back next year, in 2 years, in 10, whatever it takes. We love Sam Hill and we hope we are together again."
But money talks hey ,Business is Business.
Maybe some will laugh at this comment, thinking ”Dude, WTF, a helmet is just a helmet!” and right they are. But some products have a deeper cultural impact in our sport than others and people do associate certain athletes (influencers) with certain brands and a shift in that is not always natural. Anybody who followed our sport in the last 25 years, knows how influent TLD helmets have been style-wise. The unreachable Daytona, that you mostly saw in magazine pictures and less in real life. The D2, a benchmark that made every other producer to want to be TLD really bad (and boy did they try!) and can be considered not just a mere product, but an institution of style, almost mandatory to the privateers of the mid 2000's. The D3, the one paving the way towards the new generation of safer helmets, rejected by D2 purists at first, but definitely embraced these days, when its shape is a classic itself.
Before owning a D2, I collected images of it and used its silhouette for stencils. There is no need to tell you about my current collection of helmets, but I do confess this: every time I look at the red 2005 Hardtop and ask myself how do I justify its presence, I remember I got it just because I saw Sam Hill running one live in 2004, in Livigno, just before it made it to production. Those were the days when he was not a Monster athlete yet or at least when helmet branding wasn't so exclusive, so running a metallic red next year's helmet couldn't be an issue.
Nostalgia over.
Greetings from sunny Transylvania!
Mx
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