<p>Monster Energy Specialized's Australian dynamic duo of Sam Hill and Troy Brosnan returned to World Cup racing this week after domination the Australian national series over the winter. Brosnan finished in 8th place on a track that catered to his pedalling strength, just over 5 seconds back. Hill crossed the line in 11th place, .8 seconds behind his teammate.</p><p>
</p><p>
Cloudy skies met racers on race day here in Pietermariztburg, South Africa for the first round of the 2012 UCI MTB World Cup. The track dried up from the previous night's deluge and was rock hard and as fast as it had been all week by the time the top 30 <pubDate>Fri, 08 Jun 2012 13:26:43 +0100</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title>Sauser opens Trans Germany with stage victory</title>
<link>http://www.i-am-specialized.com/xc-mtb/news-article/sauser-opens-trans-germany-with-stage-victory</link>
<description><![CDATA[<p>Specialized Racing's Christoph Sauser got his Trans Germany mountain bike stage race off to a good start on Wednesday with a win in the 73.1km opening stage from Sonthofen to Pfronten.</p><p>
</p><p>
"Everything went as planned. It's important to win the first stage because then you can defend the jersey, and you have good morale for the rest of the race," said the marathon world champion.</p><p>
</p><p>
Rolling along on his 29er Specialized S-Works Stumpjumper Hardtail with Specialized World Cup Renegade signature tires at 26psi, Sauser chased down David George, who had gotten away on a climb earlier in the stage.</p><p>
</p><p>
"I closed the gap to him on the descent, due in part to my good tires and the perfect geometry of my Stumpjumper," said Sauser. "I went with the hardtail after looking at the stage profile and seeing how much gravel and asphalt there was. It was 90 percent smooth today, and the rest of the trails were not that difficult to ride."</p><p>
</p><p>
"However, the high speeds make for a different kind of technical stage. You have lots of fast corners, which can be slippery, so it's a fine line to not wipe out, but with the Renegade S-Works tires, I feel very safe."</p><p>
</p><p>
As he goes for his third consecutive victory at the Trans Germany, Sauser is pedalling 2x9 Rotor Rings (38/26T) up front paired with a SRAM XX 11/36 cassette out back.</p><p>
</p><p>
The Swiss rider is looking forward to Thursday's stage 2. "Tomorrow, it'll be more cross country-like in the last kilometers. I hope I can gain some more time there. I'll have to be sure to ride safe and not have any mechanicals."</p><p>
</p><p>
"Because this is a very fast race, the time differences are very tight. I like this race because it's so competitive. I don't have a big team with me here, so it's a challenge to try to win it myself."</p><p>
</p><p>
Specialized is onsite to support Sauser as well as other Trans Germany racers who are onboard Specialized bikes.</p><p>
</p><p>
Fresh off the Carbon Demo8 launch in Italy on Monday, Specialized's Benno Willeit helped out several competitors on Wednesday.</p><p>
</p><p>
"We gave out two bikes to racers to borrow because their bikes didn't show up in time," said Willeit. Both of them own 26er bikes, but after riding the 29ers today, I guess they will be selling their 26ers soon and switching platforms. They were so stoked about racing the 29er Specialized bikes with Brain suspension technology on stage 1 that it changed their opinions completely."</p><p>
</p><p>
Speaking of their bikes, the two lucky racers said, "We loved them," before sharing their thoughts on the Brain technology. "There is no playing around with different lockouts on the handlebar, no confusion, just riding and having fun!" </p><p>
</p><p>
Willeit, who is usually focused on supporting the Specialized Racing riders at World Cups, is enjoying the change of scenery and his role at the Trans Germany.</p><p>
</p><p>
"It's so good to help out people and also so different to what we normally do. This was the best feedback to get because we believe in what we do."</p>
More...
</p><p>
Cloudy skies met racers on race day here in Pietermariztburg, South Africa for the first round of the 2012 UCI MTB World Cup. The track dried up from the previous night's deluge and was rock hard and as fast as it had been all week by the time the top 30 <pubDate>Fri, 08 Jun 2012 13:26:43 +0100</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title>Sauser opens Trans Germany with stage victory</title>
<link>http://www.i-am-specialized.com/xc-mtb/news-article/sauser-opens-trans-germany-with-stage-victory</link>
<description><![CDATA[<p>Specialized Racing's Christoph Sauser got his Trans Germany mountain bike stage race off to a good start on Wednesday with a win in the 73.1km opening stage from Sonthofen to Pfronten.</p><p>
</p><p>
"Everything went as planned. It's important to win the first stage because then you can defend the jersey, and you have good morale for the rest of the race," said the marathon world champion.</p><p>
</p><p>
Rolling along on his 29er Specialized S-Works Stumpjumper Hardtail with Specialized World Cup Renegade signature tires at 26psi, Sauser chased down David George, who had gotten away on a climb earlier in the stage.</p><p>
</p><p>
"I closed the gap to him on the descent, due in part to my good tires and the perfect geometry of my Stumpjumper," said Sauser. "I went with the hardtail after looking at the stage profile and seeing how much gravel and asphalt there was. It was 90 percent smooth today, and the rest of the trails were not that difficult to ride."</p><p>
</p><p>
"However, the high speeds make for a different kind of technical stage. You have lots of fast corners, which can be slippery, so it's a fine line to not wipe out, but with the Renegade S-Works tires, I feel very safe."</p><p>
</p><p>
As he goes for his third consecutive victory at the Trans Germany, Sauser is pedalling 2x9 Rotor Rings (38/26T) up front paired with a SRAM XX 11/36 cassette out back.</p><p>
</p><p>
The Swiss rider is looking forward to Thursday's stage 2. "Tomorrow, it'll be more cross country-like in the last kilometers. I hope I can gain some more time there. I'll have to be sure to ride safe and not have any mechanicals."</p><p>
</p><p>
"Because this is a very fast race, the time differences are very tight. I like this race because it's so competitive. I don't have a big team with me here, so it's a challenge to try to win it myself."</p><p>
</p><p>
Specialized is onsite to support Sauser as well as other Trans Germany racers who are onboard Specialized bikes.</p><p>
</p><p>
Fresh off the Carbon Demo8 launch in Italy on Monday, Specialized's Benno Willeit helped out several competitors on Wednesday.</p><p>
</p><p>
"We gave out two bikes to racers to borrow because their bikes didn't show up in time," said Willeit. Both of them own 26er bikes, but after riding the 29ers today, I guess they will be selling their 26ers soon and switching platforms. They were so stoked about racing the 29er Specialized bikes with Brain suspension technology on stage 1 that it changed their opinions completely."</p><p>
</p><p>
Speaking of their bikes, the two lucky racers said, "We loved them," before sharing their thoughts on the Brain technology. "There is no playing around with different lockouts on the handlebar, no confusion, just riding and having fun!" </p><p>
</p><p>
Willeit, who is usually focused on supporting the Specialized Racing riders at World Cups, is enjoying the change of scenery and his role at the Trans Germany.</p><p>
</p><p>
"It's so good to help out people and also so different to what we normally do. This was the best feedback to get because we believe in what we do."</p>
More...