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2022 Racing/Team Rumors

aaronjb

Turbo Monkey
Jul 22, 2010
1,105
659
Anyone ever see Jasper Penton's videos and social media content? UK dude who could rip. Had trouble with the law and may be in jail now? @Gary please ask around about him on whatever one of those rainy islands you call home.
 

Gary

my pronouns are hag/gis
Aug 27, 2002
8,501
6,399
UK
I used to follow Jasper on instagram. But stopped following tons of folk this winter. Sick rider. No idea what he's like as a person tho. Don't know him at all. He's dahn sauf (Southern England) I believe. I've spoken to a few folk who ride the same bike parks his vids were filmed in and know him vaguely but no one I know well. So you know moar than me.
Hopefully he's not wrappped up in the Andrew Tate scandal
 
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Gary

my pronouns are hag/gis
Aug 27, 2002
8,501
6,399
UK
wee bit of digging and a "Jasper Penton" from down that way was given a driving ban back in 2021. If it's him it might explain seeing less of his riding around that point. not a common name but young guys having runins with the law isn't exactly uncommon.
Maybe ask Norbar. He's way better at unsubstanciated speculation than me
 

jonKranked

Detective Dookie
Nov 10, 2005
88,703
26,934
media blackout
I think him going to SC makes more sense than Canyon, which is what a lot of people figured after Moir was leaving. Canyon's enduro team is notoriously cheap, and I'm sure that Jesse wouldn't leave a program that he liked for so long to go to something half-assed like Canyon. Plus he's a notorious suspension tinkerer and is one of the guys Fox has testing their newest Live Valve shock, so I think it more likely that he sticks with a team on the suspension he knows, as opposed to different (Canyon / RS). If SC dropped all their 50:01 guys and decided to make a real enduro team, it makes sense they'd want at least 1 established rider to found the team around.

The suspension thing makes me doubt that he's going to Specialized too.

I'm curious to see if they'll be on the same sponsors as their DH team (Fox/Shimano/Burgtec), or RS like they have been on.
is ratboy still on SC?

also, to you point re: enduro & world cups perhaps the syndicate will no longer be exclusively DH?
 

Gary

my pronouns are hag/gis
Aug 27, 2002
8,501
6,399
UK
Josh's been on Cannondale for the past few years. I guess through his relationship with the fabric guy Nick Larsen.
 

Gary

my pronouns are hag/gis
Aug 27, 2002
8,501
6,399
UK
Santa Cruz could probably do with having a pro enduro racer . Their (ews)enduro team has consisted of Iago Garay and Mark Scott for what seems like ages. Iago is stepping down and Mark has suffered from injury a lot the last few years and seems happier doing gravel bike tings.
 

Gary

my pronouns are hag/gis
Aug 27, 2002
8,501
6,399
UK
No, he left years ago. He quit racing world cups because it was bad for the environment, so he now tours the world in an RV doing jibs.
Last I heard he still had his canal barge home but spends most of his time at his GFs farm and doesn't travel all that much anymore.
The environment thing was blown out of proportion at the time. Pretty sure he just wasn't feeling it anymore as a WC racer.
 

Jeremy R

<b>x</b>
Nov 15, 2001
9,701
1,056
behind you with a snap pop
Last I heard he still had his canal barge home but spends most of his time at his GFs farm and doesn't travel all that much anymore.
The environment thing was blown out of proportion at the time. Pretty sure he just wasn't feeling it anymore as a WC racer.
I am just being a turd because I miss seeing his crazy ass around. Dude was bonkers.
 

toodles

ridiculously corgi proportioned
Aug 24, 2004
5,829
5,206
Australia
Pretty sure he just wasn't feeling it anymore as a WC racer.
I sorta figured he wasn't big on the training regime requirements and drug testing but could be way off the mark. He had one of the sickest styles though - miss seeing him race. Dude looked effortless
 

buckoW

Turbo Monkey
Mar 1, 2007
3,838
4,881
Champery, Switzerland
Last I heard he still had his canal barge home but spends most of his time at his GFs farm and doesn't travel all that much anymore.
The environment thing was blown out of proportion at the time. Pretty sure he just wasn't feeling it anymore as a WC racer.
That was just Claudio wanting that to be THE story. 100% Claudio.
 

fwp

Monkey
Jun 5, 2013
415
410
Always baffled me that Ratboy retired on top, Him and Stevie were the only two riders the slay the dragon that was Aaron Gwin in his prime, during his 7 year run. They both did without fancy idlers, big wheels, or ridiculous wheelbases. Ratboy had the sickest "not even trying" style too. What a legend.
 

trib

not worthy of a Rux.
Jun 22, 2009
1,637
641
Always baffled me that Ratboy retired on top, Him and Stevie were the only two riders the slay the dragon that was Aaron Gwin in his prime, during his 7 year run. They both did without fancy idlers, big wheels, or ridiculous wheelbases. Ratboy had the sickest "not even trying" style too. What a legend.
Bryceland was the last small wheel winner and had just demolished his ankle. I think he saw a change coming and an uphill battle to stay at the pointy end of things so took the path of travel, have fun, and go at his pace. Got to remember that he may have been young when he retired but he’d been sponsored since early teens. 10+ years of riding the same WC tracks probably drains the joy out of it.
 

canadmos

Cake Tease
May 29, 2011
21,918
21,433
Canaderp

Its obscene just how fucken chilled the dude looks.
ya know, with discovery and all that hoopla, replays of future races are probably going to be a thing of the past. :(

I'm talking like how you can just pull up Red Bull TV and watch a race from last season, season before etc.
 

trib

not worthy of a Rux.
Jun 22, 2009
1,637
641
I wonder how much of a loss Blenki will be for Norco. He’s transitioning to a select race program and increased content production, but is also still competitive in NZ and crankworks style races.He’s also a photographer and fan favourite. Wherever he goes (Cube still being rumoured?) he’ll be getting plenty of coverage.

Mark Wallace may be more competitive than Blenki, but gets far less media coverage. I assume he’s asking a lot less, and is probably more willing to do a full season plus enduro etc, but it’s going to be a very different Norco team.
 

vivisectxi

Monkey
Jan 14, 2021
516
617
yeast van
for an occasional top-10'er, mark is one of the most off the radar racers out there. to the detriment of $$ generation, i'd imagine. dude is certainly a shredder, so unfortunate we don't see more exposure. rad to see him on a (stacked) local squad, though.
 

canadmos

Cake Tease
May 29, 2011
21,918
21,433
Canaderp
Kind of strange for someone, who started and lived a brand, to suddenly be gone from it. You'd think they'd have "ins" on bikes for the rest of life, if they wanted?

Though really it was sold so long ago, maybe it was just a matter of time?
 

trib

not worthy of a Rux.
Jun 22, 2009
1,637
641
Kind of strange for someone, who started and lived a brand, to suddenly be gone from it. You'd think they'd have "ins" on bikes for the rest of life, if they wanted?

Though really it was sold so long ago, maybe it was just a matter of time?
7 years since the sale to Pon, now that I think about it it’s kind of weird we didn’t see him leave the SC stable earlier?
 

fwp

Monkey
Jun 5, 2013
415
410
Williams was the obvious choice for the big S. Wonder where that leaves Grice? I really thought he may have had a chance to make it in the big leagues as a junior. Guess American fans still have hope for the future with Vermette?