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New rumor I think? Milatul Khaqimah of Indonesia, with 420 pts (top ranked rider without a team in any category, except for Veronika Widmann) was put on Intense Factory in the spreadsheet by somebody. I looked into it, and she has very few followers on Instagram, and barely any from europe/north america. But... Joe Breeden, Lou Ferg, Mille Johnset, and Oscar Griffiths all follow her.

is the mechanic wearing a paper bag!?

I’ll repeat my previous comment , congratulations to Bailey Goldstone on 3rd place this weekend, great to see a CDN on the podium

Kaos riding new Orbea? Dont look like e.

One page back. This thread moves pretty fast, if you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it. (With apologies to Ferris)

Thanks for the shout out, Spomer. Like he said, I’m pretty tall and I have very long legs for my height, so I’m one of those weird ones who loves 175mm cranks on my mountain bike. I find anything shorter feels like circus cranks a little bit, and I lose the ability to modulate small but forceful movements when I’m climbing technical sections. I also like the ability to go from 0-60 HARD when I’m cranking for a jump, catching up to someone faster than me, or racing. I’ve tried 170’s and 165’s and keep coming back to 175’s. I...

Don't think this has been posted? Lachie to Monster

Peak #teamrumors flex is going back and searching through a couple dozen forum pages to quote your own (correct) predictions. Not bad.

Well I reckon that's the coolest bike in the world at the moment

I hope this is on topic - But since it was news from this week. Just got the OneUp pedals delivered. Some pics and size comparison to Saints for anyone that has been contemplating them. They are very similar in size, I would say maybe 5% smaller overall platform. Tried to "dry" clip them in to my Fox Union shoes, but the pins are quite high, and the clip mechanism seems quite hard (From my experience shimano is the same, and it takes a bit for them to "break in) - So I could not clip them in by hand...

@Spomer, can we please deviate the toe-clip topic to another thread, and make it in a slightly bigger default font?

With Trek's announcement today, it looks like #2 "Gwin back to Trek" fantasies have come to an end. Perhaps being a part owner of another bike company was a deal breaker. All eyes on you Dan Atherton.

Matt Walker & Chris Hauser confirmed trek factory via race registration for Tennessee National.

Where were we discussing race numbers? I’ve just seen an email with the Specialized numbers: Bruni #29 Iles #99 Williams #17

Gates sponsoring 4 teams - Aon, Atherton, MS Racing and Intense Factory Racing fine print says 100k goes to " the first elite racer, male or female, to win a UCI Mountain Bike Downhill event" - women race first on race day. if there's a double belt-drive win, does the female rider get the 100k or does gates hand out $200k? could happen! More Race Teams Bet on Gates Belt Drives for 2025 UCI Downhill Season – €100K Belted Purse Remains Up for Grabs DENVER (Jan. 15, 2025) – Gates (NYSE: GTES), a global leader in belt drive technologies, has...

4 world cup teams confirmed on gates belt-driven bikes - Aon, Atherton, MS Racing and Intense https://www.vitalmtb.com/forums/hub/2025-team-rumors?page=83#comment-56…

Sooo how about those team rumors?

I think this kinda sums it up - 1. If you're in a top 15 team, you can race. (regardless if you meet other reqs) 2. If you're top 50 for elites or top 100 for juniors, you can race. (regardless if you meet other reqs) 3. If you are the current World/Conti/National Champ, you can race. (regardless if you meet other reqs) 4. If you didn't make any of those, then you either hope to be on a). One of the 5 season wildcard teams b). One of the 8 chosen wildcard teams for that round or c). Your...

Big news from SCOTT today as they welcome Benoît Coulanges to the team. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The SCOTT DH Factory is thrilled to welcome none other than current Vice World Champion and two-time World Cup winner Benoît Coulanges to the team. This exciting French addition will strengthen the squad for the 2025 DH racing season and beyond. At 30 years old, Benoît Coulanges is already a force to be reckoned with in the downhill scene. During his time with Team Dorval AM, he built an impressive résumé, claiming two French Championship titles and earning countless World Cup podiums. Known for his blistering...