The World Championships showed just how difficult they can be for even the best riders in the world. It’s a one shot deal and the weather and mountain can have a huge effect on a rider’s performance no matter how hard they’ve work for it…

In the end it was a ride of pure brilliance by Danny Hart (GBR) in the Men’s, and a clean and aggressive run by Emmeline Ragot (FRA) in the Women’s, that took the titles. Unfortunately for all 4 of Trek World Racing’s downhill riders, crashes marred their runs on the drenched mountainside in Champery, Switzerland. The rain that was promising to show up on Sunday, arrived in abundance and made for a race of survival in the junior categories; and for very difficult riding for all others. Neko Mulally had qualified an easy 8th in Junior Men and was looking to step it up, but a crash early in his run that left him concussed put all hope of a medal aside. Neko didn’t suffer any serious injury in the final, but was still nursing a broken hand from earlier in the week.

Justin Leov was on a top 10 run when he crashed due to a vision problem with his goggles. It was very wet, the rain was pouring down, and vision was being compromised. Tracy Moseley crashed 3 times, the last one in spectacular fashion as she ran off course and into the crowd. Fortunately Tracy was not hurt, nor any spectators, and still managed a 9th place. Only 2 women got down the hill without a crash!

Fastest qualifier by 5 seconds and a strong chance for the win, Aaron Gwin was the last man to come down. At the first interval he was only 0.9secs behind Danny (who won by more than 11 seconds) but a small error ran Aaron off the track and hooked his Session 9.9 in the catch fencing costing valuable time. Aaron finished in 12th, clearly devastated by the run.

Despite Sunday September 4 not going the way of the team, all of the team members went to dinner that night and reflected on an amazing season, one that set many records. Aaron’s historic 5 World Cup wins, first team to win the Overall in Women’s and Men’s Downhill and be the number 1 team, and Tracy’s best ever season in her career.

Already the team management is planning 2012, but for now 23 Degrees Sports Management would like to sincerely thank all of the sponsors that made this season so great. Especially Trek for their incredible bikes and technology and on-site support, to Shimano for the componentry and the amazing proto-type equipment we’ve been offered to use, and Fox Racing Shox for simply being the best suspension out there. To JBL/Harman for the on-going support, as well as our other integral sponsors such as Kabuto Helmets, Royal Racing, FUNN, Gamut USA, SDG Components, Maxxis, Motorex, Isostar and Alpinestars. All of them have been key to our success. Roll on 2012!

Results for World Championships are here:

http://www.uci.ch/templates/BUILTIN-NOFRAMES/Template1/layout.asp?MenuId=MTYyMDg&LangId=1

Media seeking hi-res images can visit our website for their login.

Team website: http://www.trekworldracing.com

To watch the latest installment of the In Pursuit videos of the world champs CLICK HERE.

After what could only be described as an absolute stellar year for the TWR team with both their elite riders taking the world cup honors as well as receiving the team of the year award they showcase the latest edition in the TWR In Pursuit series…

On the eve of the World Championships this weekend, the latest instalment of the In Pursuit series from Trek World Racing has been released today. Entitled “Victorious In Val Di Sole” it follows the downhill riders in Italy for the final round of the UCI Downhill Mountain Bike World Cup. Watch as Tracy Moseley has an anxious day for the finals, ultimately winning the overall World Cup, and as Aaron Gwin takes his 5th win of the season, a new record! Winning the men’s and women’s DH Overall, and ending up the number 1 ranked team, it’s a season to remember for Trek World Rcaing.

To watch the video, CLICK HERE.

Watch the Downhill World Championships on Freecaster this Sunday, September 4 starting with the women at 14h00 and Men at 15h00 on www.mtbworldcup.com. It’s pay per view so visit the website and purchase your code now.

In an incredible end to an amazing season for Trek World Racing, here in Val Di Sole Italy, Tracy Moseley clinched the World Cup title and Aaron Gwin became the only man in history to win 5 Downhill World Cups in one season…

It’s also the first time in the history of the World Cup that a team has won both the Men’s and Women’s World Cup overalls in Downhill. To top off the great season, Trek World Racing ended up the number 1 ranked team.

The conditions for the World Cup finals were extremely difficult. The heat had dried out the super steep course and holes were filling with super fine powder. The lack of let up in the track made for a very difficult final quarter of racing as riders became very fatigued with arm pump, and the race was fully of spectacular crashes and saves. Neko Mulally was one of the riders that fell victim to the track conditions, crashing just after the first split, but ended up his season as 3rd junior overall.

Justin Leov, who missed the entire first day of training due to a visit to the hospital to check on a neck injury, managed to find most of his speed by the finals, and moved up from 25th in qualifying to 12th on race day, finishing 9th overall for the year, his 3rd top 10 career overall.

For the women’s event, Tracy had the unenviable task of riding fast enough to get enough points, but not pushing too hard on this difficult track and throwing away the World Cup title. With a lead of 125 points going into the final over Frenchwoman Floriane Pugin, Tracy needed to finish 7th or better to win. Tracy was not aware of this as she preferred to race without knowing the mathematical situation. In the end a solid, yet slightly nerve wracking run, was good enough for 5th, a perfect record of podiums for 2011 and the title safely in her hands.

Tracy said: “That is such an amazing relief. I’m so glad I didn’t know what position I had to come, that would have played on my mind. As it was, it was super hard to race this course. I wanted to let it go many times and just go for it, but in my mind I knew I couldn’t risk it all. Not the most enjoyable race, but so cool to win the overall in front of my boyfriend James and my parents. It’s been an incredible honor to wear the World Champs jersey all year, and to have had my best season ever while wearing it. A huge thanks to my mechanic Sander, he has been a massive part of my success”. For Aaron Gwin, the title may have been wrapped up but that wasn’t going to stop the 23 year old American from going for another win. Aaron has treated every race as an individual race to win, and the finals were no different. After qualifying first he was the last man to come down. For the team staff it was a nervous time after seeing so many riders crash, get loose and seemingly be on the edge the whole way down. Aaron however seemed to tame the course, almost looking slow by comparison, but the time gap kept building until eventually he crossed the line for the win. Not only the first to win 5 in a season, but now, after only 1 season, he is the 5th most winning man of all time in World Cup Downhills, behind Steve peat, Nicolas Vouilloz, Greg Minnaar and Sam Hill; quite a season.

Aaron said: “That was one of the toughest tracks I’ve ever raced on. So many holes you couldn’t see and lines blown out, it was a mission to keep your hands on the bars. I had a solid run and felt like I learned a ton this weekend. I feel incredibly blessed to have had the season I’ve had. I want to thank my team, Trek for the incredible carbon Session 9.9, Fox and Shimano for giving me the greatest product and support, and my mechanic Monkdawg who is always on it. God has been great to me this year, and I’m extremely proud for all the American fans who have been so supportive trackside and on-line.”

Team Owner Martin Whiteley said: “This year in Downhill we’ve had a dream season. It’s hard finding the words to be honest. Firstly I am extremely indebted to Tracy and Aaron for all they have done for the program and for our sponsors; they are amazing athletes, but even better team-mates. To be the number 1 team is especially rewarding because it’s something that all the hard working staff, mechanics, soigneurs, videographers, can take immense pride in. To all the Trek staff in Waterloo who have helped us become what we are today in just under 3 years, from the graphic designers to the engineers to the marketers, a huge thanks. And of course all of our sponsors that we include in the logos at the top of this page, we hope you have enjoyed the ride in World Cup 2011, and rest assured we plan to deliver again for World Cup 2012.” Results for World Cup DH #7 are here:

http://www.uci.ch/templates/BUILTIN-NOFRAMES/Template1/layout.asp?MenuId=MTYxMjU&LangId=1

Media seeking hi-res images can visit our website for their login.

http://www.trekworldracing.com

The latest installment of the ‘In Pursuit’ series is now available. To watch the video, CLICK HERE.

Trek World Racing celebrates their fourth number 1 spot on the DH podium this season and released the latest in their in pursuit series.  CLICK HERE to watch the video.

The latest instalment of the In Pursuit series from Trek World Racing has been released today. Entitled “Magic In Mont-Sainte-Anne” it follows the downhill riders campaign at the classic Mont-Sainte-Anne venue in Canada, where Aaron has his 3rd career win, and Tracy has her 15th career win…

Team-mates Justin and Neko also have great rides with the former in 10th and the latter in a career best 22nd. Sunday sees the DH riders racing in Windham, USA, after a great qualifying yesterday that saw Aaron 1st, Tracy 3rd, Justin 5th and Neko 24th. Racing is on Sunday for Downhill, the finals starting at 1.15pm (US Eastern time). Watch it all live on Freecaster, where you can check viewing times in advance:

http://freecaster.tv/mountainbike

To watch the video  CLICK HERE

Trek World Racing’s Willow Koerber, who is presently 4 months pregnant, will be visiting her teammates at the Windham World Cup this weekend…

Willow Koerber In Windham

6.7.2011

Trek World Racing’s Willow Koerber, who is presently 4 months pregnant, will be visiting her teammates at the Windham World Cup this weekend.

Willow, who found out she had fallen pregnant just 1 day before the opening round of the 2011 World Cup season, has been watching the progress of her teammates with huge interest and will this weekend be back in the team environment for the first time since South Africa. In addition to visiting the team and the team sponsors, signing autographs and commentating on Freecaster, Willow will be working on some of her other promotional plans for the remainder the year.

Willow says: “I’m really excited to be catching up with the team this Friday. They have been getting massive results and it’s time to cheer from the trackside! I’ll also be working with the team to map out the various promotional ideas we have for the remainder of this year, including the completion of my book, as well as participating in camps and workshops. I’ll be attending the event with my fiance Myles Rockwell and I know he’s keen to catch up with the downhillers too.”

The photos included here are the most recent of Willow, taken by Hailey King.

Any interview requests with Willow during the Windham weekend should be sent to info@23degrees-sports.com

Follow Willow on Twitter @willowkRocks Follow the team on Twitter @trekworldracing

Despite threats of rain for Sunday’s racing in Mont-Sainte-Anne, the wet weather stayed away and allowed for some spectacular racing on the famed mountain in Quebec…

Hosting World Cups and World Championships since 1991, it’s a track that all riders want to win on, a true classic. For Tracy Moseley the venue has many special memories from her World Title win last year, and for Aaron Gwin, it was the venue that launched him onto the World Cup scene back in 2008. After qualifying fastest by an amazing 11 seconds, Tracy set off last down the mountain on a course that was a lot dryer and faster, and had seen some very impressive times set by her main rivals, Rachel Atherton (GBR) and Floriane Pugin (FRA). After establishing a lead at the first split time, Tracy kept building until she crossed the line with a margin of 1.8secs. This was Tracy’s 3rd win of the year, and her 15th career World Cup win.

Tracy said: “They were 2 big goals for me this year, to win at Mont-Sainte-Anne, and to reach 15 career wins, so to have both happen here, on a track that gave me this rainbow jersey, is really special. I made a couple of little mistakes in the lower section but overall I’m happy with my run. A big thanks to my mechanic Sander, the bike was flawless all week”.

In the men’s race Neko Mulally was the first of the Trek World Racing riders to come down, putting in a really solid 4m 44secs and going directly into the hotseat. His run was smooth and without incident, and ultimately gave the junior rider his career best result of 22nd.

Next up was Justin Leov who had crashed in qualifying but as a protected rider was bumped up to ride 21 from the end. The skies were threatening rain at this stage, but the track was bone dry. Justin crossed the line being the first to go under 4m 40secs, with a 4m 39.48secs with what he called a smooth and steady run. It was straight into the hotseat for the kiwi where he sat for some time before some of the eventual podium riders came down.

Prior to Aaron’s start, the giant screen showed a devastated Gee Atherton (GBR) on the side of the track having blown his rear tire. No-one likes to see a champion like that go out of the race in this way. Later the fastest qualifier Greg Minnaar (RSA) would crash in his final run, finishing 18th, and was in hospital later having his hand and thigh checked. Fortunately he’s OK, but again, not a way we like to see the champions of this sport go out.

In Aaron’s run, he also had some moments making for a less than perfect run that had him a bit frustrated when he crossed the line, not thinking it was enough for a win.

Aaron said: “Sometimes it’s hard to judge these things. I mean it was loose, I ran wide on the right hander up top, two-wheel drifting to a dead stop, then I had some awkward bobbles down the track and I really thought I’d be lucky to podium. It sounds strange I know, but it’s really hard to judge. It didn’t feel like a race winning run. I’m bummed for Greg and Gee, I know how hard they must work for this.”

In a strong showing by the Session 88, every Trek World Racing rider that crossed the line went straight to the hotseat or won. Both Tracy and Aaron extend their leads in the series, with 3 races yet to run.

Media seeking hi-res images can visit our website for their login. http://www.trekworldracing.com

Results for World Cup DH #4 are here: http://www.uci.ch/templates/BUILTIN-NOFRAMES/Template1/layout.asp?MenuId=MTYxMjU&LangId=1

The team leaves Tuesday for Windham, USA for Round 5 of both disciplines. Live as always on Freecaster: http://mtbworldcup.com

Overall men’s results were as wfollows:

1          Aaron GWIN USA                                24        4:31.771

2          Josh BRYCELAND   GBR                   21        4:32.236

3          Brook MACDONALD          NZL        20        4:32.286

4          Danny HART             GBR                    20        4:34.450

5          Cameron COLE          NZL                   23        4:35.497

6          Troy BROSNAN        AUS                   18        4:37.897

7          Steve SMITH CAN                               22        4:38.578

8          Samuel BLENKINSOP          NZL       23        4:38.927

9          Andrew NEETHLING           RSA      27        4:39.098

10        Justin LEOV   NZL                               27        4:39.482

11        Fabien BAREL           FRA                   31        4:40.395

12        Marc BEAUMONT    GBR                   27        4:40.418

13        Matti LEHIKOINEN             FIN       27        4:40.607

14        Damien SPAGNOLO             FRA      26        4:40.824

15        Steve PEAT    GBR                                37        4:41.258

16        Shaun O’CONNOR    AUS                   20        4:42.221

17        Michael HANNAH    AUS                 28        4:42.343

18        Greg MINNAAR       RSA                   30        4:42.422

19        Matthew SCOLES     NZL                    22        4:42.794

20        Romain PAULHAN   FRA                 23        4:42.920

21        Brendan FAIRCLOUGH       GBR      23        4:42.950

22        Neko MULALLY      USA                    18        4:44.477

23        Ben REID       IRL                                   25        4:44.611

24        Robin WALLNER     SWE                    23        4:45.148

25        George BRANNIGAN          NZL        19        4:45.238

26        Sam DALE     GBR                                   21        4:45.861

27        Harry HEATH            GBR                    20        4:46.281

28        Luke STROBEL         USA                      25        4:46.370

29        Nick BEER     SUI                                    24        4:46.588

30        Ben CATHRO            GBR                      23        4:47.294

31        Loic BRUNI   FRA                                  17        4:47.416

32        Pierre Charles GEORGES      FRA     25        4:47.617

33        Matej CHARVAT      CZE                     26        4:47.777

34        Cédric GRACIA        FRA                     33        4:47.995

35        Mickael PASCAL       FRA                    32        4:47.999

36        Lewis BUCHANAN GBR                      18        4:48.599

37        Duncan RIFFLE         USA                    25        4:48.602

38        Florent PAYET           FRA                    25        4:48.626

39        Julien CAMELLINI   FRA                    27        4:48.669

40        Markus PEKOLL       AUT                     24        4:49.012

41        Dan STANBRIDGE GBR                        26        4:49.553

42        Kyle SANGERS         CAN                      18        4:49.968

43        Nico VINK     BEL                                    28        4:50.254

44        Matthew SIMMONDS           GBR         24        4:50.722

45        Dan ATHERTON       GBR                       29        4:50.779

46        Patrick THOME          FRA                     20        4:51.099

47        Nejc RUTAR SLO                                     22        4:51.225

48        Florian ARTHUS        FRA                     20        4:51.493

49        Fergus LAMB             GBR                       25        4:51.643

50        Connor FEARON       AUS                      17        4:51.774

51        Adam BRAYTON     GBR                         23        4:52.338

52        Chris DEL BOSCO    CAN                         29        4:52.668

53        Filip POLC     SVK                                      29        4:54.480

54        Dean TENNANT        CAN                       23        4:54.485

55        Harry MOLLOY        GBR                        20        4:55.030

56        Yann GAUVIN          CAN                       21        4:55.120

57        Ruaridh CUNNINGHAM     GBR          22        4:55.354

58        Gareth BREWIN        GBR                        20        4:56.744

59        Oscar HARNSTROM            SWE            21        4:57.006

60        Thomas BRAITHWAITE      GBR         27        4:57.097

61        Thibaut RUFFIN        FRA                      27        4:57.739

62        Dominik GSPAN        SUI                        24        4:57.788

63        Remi GAUVIN          CAN                       19        4:59.468

64        Fabien COUSINIE     FRA                      25        4:59.615

65        Greg WILLIAMSON             GBR           19        5:00.007

66        Oliver BURTON        GBR                        22        5:01.714

67        Boris TETZLAFF       AUT                      21        5:02.128

68        Scott MEARS             GBR                        22        5:02.315

69        Gaetan RUFFIN         FRA                      20        5:03.916

70        Hajime IMOTO          JPN                       19        5:05.559

71        Logan BINGGELI     USA                       22        5:06.151

72        Fabien PEDEMANAUD        FRA        27        5:06.863

73        Yuuki KUSHIMA      JPN                      18        5:07.461

74        Mark SCOTT GBR                                     18        5:09.093

75        Daniel SIMS   NZL                                   25        5:12.026

76        Marcelo GUTIERREZ VILLEGAS COL    21        5:17.438

77        Joseph SMITH            GBR                     21        5:19.325

78        Niklas WALLNER     SWE                       21        5:20.438

Women’s overall results:

1          Tracy MOSELEY                   GBR    32        5:12.980

2          Floriane PUGIN                     FRA    22        5:14.830

3          Rachel ATHERTON             GBR    24        5:20.510

4          Sabrina JONNIER                  FRA    30        5:21.474

5          Myriam NICOLE                   FRA    21        5:22.441

6          Emilie SIEGENTHALER      SUI     25        5:28.543

7          Petra BERNHARD                AUT    31        5:30.959

8          Emmeline RAGOT                 FRA    25        5:31.039

9          Céline GROS                             FRA    28        5:34.759

10        Micayla GATTO                     CAN   23        5:37.853

11        Jacqueline HARMONY         USA    33        5:41.576

12        Jill KINTNER                            USA    30        5:44.445

13        Jessica STONE                         GBR    21        5:46.270

14        Manon CARPENTER              GBR    18        5:48.781

15        Miranda MILLER                   CAN   21        5:53.389

16        Miriam RUCHTI                     SUI     24        5:56.101

17        Darian HARVEY                    USA    29        5:59.238

18        Gabriela WILLIAMS            CZE    30        6:10.944

19        Anne LAPLANTE                 CAN   21        6:37.222

20        Fionn GRIFFITHS                GBR    29        10:11.917

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