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2011 Yeti World Cup Team announcement

congrats to Richie Rude :thumb:
Nice to see an east-coast pinner make it to the prime-time.

http://yeticycles.cmail1.com/t/ViewEmail/r/903EF683028FA08B/BB38CA7880E3CDF99A8E73400EDACAB4

The Yeti / Fox Racing Shox team, perennially one of the strongest mountain teams on the circuit, announced its World Cup and national teams today.



Current World Cup 4x Overall Champion, Jared Graves will anchor the World Cup team and will be joined by rising star and fellow Aussie downhiller Shaun O’Connor. The national team is deep in talent and will feature two current national champions - Ross Milan (4x) and Mike West (Super D) and a deep pool of young downhill racers including Tyler Immer, Eliot Jackson, Joey Schusler, Chris Boice, and junior Richie Rude.



The Yeti / Fox Racing Shox Factory Team has consistently produced top World Cup talent. Yeti president, Chris Conroy, credits this to the development system they created five years ago. “We are committed to finding and developing young talent,” Conroy said. “We have invested significantly in our World Cup and national teams so our riders get great coaching, strength training and mechanical support to help them reach the next level of the sport.”



Shaun O’Connor, who finished 17th overall on the World Cup circuit last year is stoked to be riding on the Yeti / Fox Racing Shox Factory Team, “I am really excited to be on the Yeti program,” O’Connor said. “I was looking for a team that would allow me to grow as a rider and improve my racing... the Yeti program is a perfect fit.”



Jared Graves, who has raced on the Yeti program for the last seven years, will race the full World Cup schedule in four cross and race select downhill races as well. “Jared is one of the best all-around riders in the world. He’s always the man to beat in four cross and this year he’ll compete in downhill again,” Conroy said. Graves has a bevy of bicycle racing honors, including four cross World Champion, Australian Olympic selection for BMX (he finished 5th) and countless domestic titles in downhill and four cross in the United States and Australia.



Three new riders join the National Team, already stacked with local talent Joey Schusler, (Boulder, Colo.) and Chris Boice (Keystone, Colo.). Tyler Immer (Rancho Mureita, Calif.), Richie Rude (Redding, Conn.) and Eliot Jackson (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) are fast and talented. All three raced their first pro races last year and quickly made a name for themselves. Most notable displays of their natural talent include Immer’s third place at 2010 U.S. Mountain Bike National Championships, Jackson’s qualification at World Cup #5 Val Di Sole, and at 16 years old, Richie Rude’s first place in the Eastern States Cup Series overall.



The National Team looks to litter the podium at regional races; select Pro GRT races including MSC #5, Wildflower Rush; U.S. Open; USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Championships and World Cup races in Canada and the U.S.



“I’m excited about the new National talent coming up. Our program is about discovering new riders and this year we have a lot of new, young talent with a lot of potential,” said Damion Smith, Team Manager.

The team will be training under James Wilson of MTB Strength Training Systems. Wilson’s program has steadily become recognized as the premier mountain bike strength training system, and has been accredited for some of the top riders’ strength progression in the sport. Shaun Hughes is returning as Team Mechanic for the National/World Cup team after a great season last year. Damion Smith going on his sixth year as Team Manager, continues to manage the race programs.



The team will be racing the best equipment in the sport: Fox Racing Shox, Shimano, DT Swiss, Schwalbe, 661, Jett Designs, Topeak, WTB, Sunline, e13, ODI, Chris King and Motorex.



Yeti Cycles is a rider-owned high-end mountain bike company, based in Golden, Colorado. The company has twenty-five years of racing experience and focuses its product development on making racers go faster.
 

Eastern States Cup

Turbo Monkey
Feb 29, 2008
2,465
2
East Coast
Glad that finally is out !!! I am so stoked for Richie, I was so excited for him and his dad that it was next to impossible to keep my mouth shut.

Watch out world.
 

captainspauldin

intrigued by a pole
May 14, 2007
1,284
190
Jersey Shore
Good stuff, good to hear about Eliot and Richie. Joey got bumped to the national team? Guess he couldn't get results on the WC team that yeti wanted last year?
 

slyfink

Turbo Monkey
Sep 16, 2008
9,752
5,554
Ottawa, Canada
Joey got bumped to the national team? Guess he couldn't get results on the WC team that yeti wanted last year?
Any info on this? I'd be dissapointed if he wasn't racing the world cup circuit. If only because I really liked the media he put out of his travels this past year. I would think a year's grace to get used to the world cup circuit circus isn't too much to ask...

but maybe he wants to stay national and close to home this year to focus on studies n' stuff? who knows. But he seemed like a good kid with good potential. Would like to see him do well.
 
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Banga

Monkey
Sep 7, 2001
362
11
Wellington, New Zealand
Any info on this? I'd be dissapointed if he wasn't racing the world cup circuit. If only because I really liked the media he put out of his travels this past year. I would think a year's grace to get used to the world cup circuit circus isn't too much to ask...
Would you be saying that if he wasn't American?

Seems like a cool kid but didn't seem to have a race head to perform at the top level. Plenty of first year juniors were able to qualify top 80 for world cups last year...

Not bashing the guy, but from Yetis point of view I'm sure they would rather have riders that would be in the main game each weekend rather than running the risk of another year of DNQs
 
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slyfink

Turbo Monkey
Sep 16, 2008
9,752
5,554
Ottawa, Canada
Would you be saying that if he wasn't American?

Seems like a cool kid but didn't seem to have a race head to perform at the top level. Plenty of first year juniors were able to qualify top 80 for world cups last year...

Not bashing the guy, but from Yetis point of view I'm sure they would rather have riders that would be in the main game each weekend rather than running the risk of another year of DNQs
yes. I'm not American, so his nationality doesn't have any bearing on this. :D. My point was that I like the media content he delivered (films & photos). Also, from all the interviews and profiles I've seen of him, he seems to be a humble fellow and nice enough.

I have no idea what his real racing skills are. But I also know that racing is more than just about skills, it's also mental. He's young, and maybe hasn't had the opportunity to develop the mental aspect of his game yet. Which is why I suggested that maybe more than one year to "prove" himself on the WC circuit would be warranted.
 

profro

Turbo Monkey
Feb 25, 2002
5,617
314
Walden Ridge
If I was Yeti, I would have done the same thing. He had a whole year and it didn't quite pan out. Give another up and comer a chance. As Banga pointed out, plenty of other first timers qualified.

I really like how Yeti does their race program.
 

yopaulie

Monkey
Jun 4, 2009
165
7
NH
I think its so competitive now that you really only have one "factory" chance to prove yourself at the World Cup level. Then again if your times kick ass it won’t matter who you are you will get another chance.

Congrats to Richie Jr and Sr.....great people!