Santa Cruz Bikes

Minnaar 2nd Overall In UCI World Cup Downhill Series

Val Di Sole,
Italy Aug. 21, 2011

The UCI Downhill World Cup Finals were held this weekend in the beautiful Val Di Sole (Valley of the Sun) in the scenic mountains of Italy. Greg Minnaar finishes the season in 2nd place overall with a 6th place ride, and Aaron Gwin is the series champion which was already decided by his points spread at the prior race in La Bresse. Minnaar and Gwin were the only two riders to win world cup races this season with Minnaar winning two to Gwin's five. Josh Bryceland raced solid to 11th place in the race and achieved his goal of finishing top ten overall. Steve Peat crashed in the final, which dropped his overall to 11th, just under Josh's 10th overall.

Continue Reading »

Minnaar wins big in la bresse!!

Minnaar wins big in la bresse!!

Aug. 7, 2011
La Bresse, France

Santa Cruz Syndicate’s Greg Minnaar (SRAM/RockShox),wins his second World Cup downhill this year as his teammates have a topsy-turvy day with Josh Bryceland having a stormer of a run (likely to be a top five run), but then slipped his pedals and flew off his bike right at the last big double jump. Steve had a brilliant 5th place run, only to be disqualified after he rode slightly over the tape. This makes Greg’s 15th World Cup win and ties Steve for career podium appearances at 52 each.

The week was filled with laughs as we reunited after a few weeks off and the small town of La Bresse welcomed the mountain bikers warmly and the race organization was fantastic. The mayor of the town was very involved in welcoming us and they had a big rider presentation in the center of town that was broadcast on French news channels. The group was buzzing off one another and practice went well all week. They had good qualifying runs with Steve 4th, Greg 5th and Josh 12th, which poised them well for the finals.

As the race unfolded Marc Beaumont was the first to put a low time down and unseat Ben Cathro who had been warming the hotseat for ages. Watching the big screen as Josh came next you could see he was riding amazing, and then the first and second splits showed him fastest. With just the last jump and finish line in sight Josh’s foot slipped off his pedals and as he rode up the face of the jump he bailed off huge. He jumped back up on his bike and got across the line, but was devastated by the happenings and no one could believe it. Luckily he wasn’t hurt.

Fabien Barel up next on a flyer and with nothing to lose he hung it all out on the track having a wild ride. He ends up on the podium in 4th and announced his upcoming retirement from racing. He and Marc had put down such fast times and now Greg was on course and his first split was 3 ½ seconds over Fabien!! He just needed to keep his focus and flawless riding going and he did so brilliantly to take the lead and hold it to the end. Steve came down right after Greg and while a few seconds back of Greg it was still going to be a podium run. After Steve finished it was seen that he had barely ridden over the tape placed low, and just went outside a pole, therefore he run was disqualified, much to everyone’s disappointment after watching Steve have such great form and solid, fast race run. Just a few more riders to go, and one Aaron Gwin to try to topple Mr. Minn, but to no avail, Greg remained best on the day to take the win and Aaron clinched enough points to take the UCI overall title with one race left to go.

Greg says, “I’m glad to have made my second appearance on the top step and there are many attributes to getting there: the Syndicate being one, all of our sponsors, and three weeks of good training in San Francisco. I’m right where I want to be and want to keep the momentum going into world championships. As far as my race went I had a good top half but I lost concentration on the second half of the track when I had quite a bit of mud spray into my goggles. I was contemplating ripping a tear off but I didn’t want to lose time. Congrats to Gwinny for winning the overall and I want to wish Fabien Barel all the best and also congratulate him on having such an amazing career.”

A disappointed Josh says, “The last time I raced in La Bresse I struggled so I was keen to get back and make amends. I enjoyed my time there, the fans were really cool and I got my V-10 working mint on the short track. After a steady run and getting 12th in qualy I was nervous but I thought I’d be able to do well. After a pretty good run in the final I slipped a pedal and crashed off the last jump after my split showed I was 5th. I was really devastated but I’m looking forward to the next couple races.”

Steve comments, “I was excited to revisit La Bresse and ride the track from 2 years ago. I worked hard with Ricky Bobby and got my Santa Cruz V-10 set up awesome on day one and didn't look back till race run. I am very disappointed with the UCI for disqualifying me for going out the tapes. I couldn't see the tapes as someone had gone out before me so they were too low and I didn't get an advantage from the mistake, the rules need to be changed!! My run was good enough for 5th but could have been quicker without the incident, it's good to know I was riding well but annoying I didn't receive my points for the position.”

Up next are the World Cup finals in Val Di Sole, Italy. Meanwhile we are on holiday in Italy resting up and preparing for the season’s final races, which will conclude with the World Championships in Champery, Switzerland.

MEN’S FINAL RESULTS:

• 1st: GREG MINNAAR (SANTA CRUZ SYNDICATE) 2:09.61
• 2ND: Gee Atherton 2:10.07
• 3rd: Aaron Gwin 2:12.04
• 4th: Fabien Barel 2:13.08
• 5th: Cameron Cole 2:13.59
• 6th Marc Beaumont 2:13.75
• 7th: Steve Smith 2:14.00
• 8th: Damien Spagnolo 2:14.80
• 9th: Justin Leov 2:14.80
• 10th: Ben Cathro 2:15.22
• 54: JOSH BRYCELAND (SANTA CRUZ SYNDICATE) 2:20.92
• DSQ: STEVE PEAT (SANTA CRUZ SYNDICATE) 2:13.16

Thanks to the Syndicate sponsors:

• SANTA CRUZ BICYCLES
• SRAM, ROCKSHOX, AVID, TRUVATIV
• ENVE COMPOSITES
• MAXXIS
• CLIF BAR
• MUC-OFF
• LIZARD SKINS
• WTB
• CHRIS KING
• Gore® RideOn™ Cable Systems
• FOXHEAD
• BIRZMAN
• FIVE TEN

Another career podium world record for Peaty last weekend in Windham!

Windham, New York
July 10, 2011

Santa Cruz Syndicate's own Steve Peat (SRAM, RockShox), has had some redemption at Windham Mountain at the 5th round of the UCI World Cup Series with his 2nd place finish to Aaron Gwin, thus achieving his record 52nd career World Cup DH podium appearance. Greg Minnaar put together a run that had him outside the top ten in 12th place and Josh Bryceland overcame a shoulder injury for 13th. This boosts Peaty to lucky number 7 overall, Minn still has a lock onto 2nd, and Ratty moves into 8th overall in the points standings.

Continue Reading »

Bryceland takes 2nd At World Cup #4 MSA

RATTY ON A ROLL, BRYCELAND TAKES 2ND AT MT. STE ANNE!

Mt. Ste. Anne, Quebec, Canada

New school is in session and Josh Bryceland (Santa Cruz Syndicate/SRAM/RockShox) joins the ranks of the youngsters making headlines with his second place finish today at the UCI World Cup downhill at Mt. Ste. Anne, Canada, which is his first world cup podium! This comes on the heels of his win at the Halo BDS UK national race last week in Llangollen, Great Britain where he is also leading that series. After a first place qualifier Greg Minnaar was poised for a win but made an uncharacteristic mistake in the rocky woods which sent him over the bars and netted him an 18th place finish. Steve Peat finished 15th, which was a frustrating result for him.

Continue Reading »

SPS continues to fly in Llangollen

28th June 2011

The Steve Peat Syndicate convoy rolled in to Llangollen last weekend for round 4 of the Halo British Downhill Series.

Well known as one of the steepest tracks in UK downhill, Llangollen offers riders the kind of challenge that all downhillers dream of. On this occasion though, wildly mixed track conditions from wet and loose on Saturday to bone dry and fast on the Sunday added to the demands of the course and set the stage for SPS to put their season long training to good use.

With recent SPS recruit and experienced race mechanic Jamie Johnston busy in the pits preparing the team V10s for action, the riders walked the track and swapped notes with each other and team boss Peaty before heading out for practice. The stage was set for race day.

Peaty talks lines with Tom Kelly and Freddie Oxley

As Sunday dawned, the sun appeared and dried the track out in record time. Gone were the loose, slippery conditions of Saturday practice and attention quickly turned to setting the bikes up for a fast, dry track. Working as a team, the SPS riders pulled together and helped each other get ready for their runs.

This prompted Peaty to later comment “The camaraderie in this team is awesome to see. They all help each other with set up, track walks and lines. It makes me so proud to be part of SPS”

On to the racing and as ever the Halo British Downhill Series did not disappoint. On weekends like this it is all too easy to see why the British downhill scene is widely regarded as being amongst the best in the world.

The highly competitive Expert class saw three SPS riders in action with the ever-impressive Nathan Vials cementing his domestic comeback from an awful shoulder injury with a well-earned 6th place. By his own admission, Vials is not yet back to full strength so to finish just 1.45 seconds back from the winner is a very strong performance and sets him up nicely for the forthcoming World Cups in Mont St Anne and Windham.

Dale Russell, fresh from his 4X exploits at Fort Bill’s World Cup weekend, finished in 14th with Tom Kelly in 31st.

Dale Russell prepares for his run with SPS mechanic Jamie Johnston

The Masters category is always an exciting race to watch and Llangollen continued this tradition with a very close fought race. For SPS, Chris Griffiths has been flying the flag very strongly all year. His season long battles with downhill legend, Nigel Page, have been one of the highlights of the season for many and continued last weekend with Chris coming in 3.4 seconds behind Page for third spot and yet another podium finish.

Chris Griffiths hits the track on his way to a strong podium finish

Team Manager and reigning British Masters Champion, Tristan Tunstall, put in a strong ride to finish 7th.

In the bulging Junior field, Josh ‘Loosedog’ Lewis continues to impress. Josh’s season has been one of steady improvement following an off-season of heavy training. His ninth place finish is the latest sign that this popular rider is continuing to improve and is adding consistency to his riding.

Billy Matthews and Freddie Oxley also ran strong races coming home in 15th and 17th places with Jack Read and Ben Humphries finishing 37th and 51st respectively.

At the other end of the age range, Vets SPS rider Ally Simpson finished 13th and then promptly ran off to check on team mate Jenny Beesley who he had earlier strapped up for her race run following an injury in Saturday practice. Ally is an NHS physiotherapist by day and official SPS physio at the weekend and is proving to be a very welcome addition to the team both on and off the bike.

Following that injury on Saturday, Jenny Beesley continued her debut race season with a very strong ride and proved yet again that she is continuing to improve and get stronger by the race.

In Senior men, Michael Vickers’ early season form and debut SPS win has set expectations very high. His 8th place finish at Llangollen, whilst not as strong as he would personally like, continues to cement him as a rider to watch at every race.

Michael Vickers continues to impress

Speaking after the race, team boss Peaty was quick to praise his team and pointed out that their performances continue to impress in their first season together.

“SPS is growing more than I ever expected” he said

“These guys are developing individually and as a team. It’s great to see them grow in confidence and improve their skills on the bike as the season goes on. We have some really talented riders here. They put pressure on themselves to perform well and our aim is to help them reach their potential quicker”

Speaking of his latest recruit, Jamie Johnston, Peaty said:

“Jamie is a huge benefit to the group. Now we have a top class mechanic at every race to get the bikes ready for each run. I’m really pleased to have him on board with us”

The next round of the Halo BDS is in Fort William on 10th September with the National Championships back at Llangollen on July 23rd – 24th. Be sure to come along and see the SPS guys in action.

SPS is proud to be associated with and supported by the following companies:

• Santa Cruz
• Royal Racing
• SixSixOne
• SRAM
• Syncros
• Maxxis
• Five10
• Troy Lee Designs
• www.ActionCameras.co.uk

You can also find out more about the team and its sponsors as well as get in touch with the Steve Peat Syndicate today at www.stevepeatsyndicate.com

Goldman reports from Jump Ship

 "Crowds filled the harbor of Victoria last weekend for Jordie Lunn's Jump Ship dirt jump comp. The course was technical thus being very entertaining for the riders as well as the spectators. The atmosphere was incredible, pontoon planes landing and taking off every few minutes, boats, sea gulls, and even a boat of pirates showed up for the festivities. It was classic.

Prior to the event I think that most of the riders had thought it would be rather sketchy riding on the water. But the barge was actually rather stable, and the only movement that we could actually feel was the slight wobble of the scaffolding start drop as someone rolled off. Since we were in a harbor, there were no waves and the wakes that came through from small boats were no match for the size of the massive barge. After the first few minutes standing on the barge, I know that my mind was set to ease.

Best trick was first on the menu and I couldn't wait. The first jump was so much fun and I couldn't wait to throw some tricks for the massive crowd that gathered. I got a flip nac, flip tuck, and flip indian air on my runs and was super stoked. Casey Groves was throwing down as well, nailing some of the most technical tricks I've seen in a while, most notably his tuck no hand to tailwhip!! But it was Mike Montgomery that stole the show. With a huge 720 on the first jump followed up by a flair over the channel gap, no one could argue he was the man of the hour. Congrats buddy. Day 2 was underway and the crowd had grown even larger. The beer garden was selling out as truck after truck arrived with kegs, you could tell the spectators were getting rowdy! One guy managed to scale onto the barge and attempted to dive into the harbor but was caught by security moments before his lift off. Ohhhhh, drunk people, they always think they are so sneaky. Qualifiers were underway shortly after. The format was best run of three, which was very helpful for some people because the headwind became difficult at some points during the event. Top 10 proceeded to finals best of 2 runs. It started off rather slowly in finals but by the end it was getting intense. I blew my foot of on my first run and didn't make it through the rest of the set. Frustrated, I was ready to try and throw it down on my final run but tagged a little case on my flip nac and missed my second trick. I continued through the line but these days if you're not tricking every obstacle you'd better kiss your podium spot goodbye.

The show ended with a bang as Mike and Brandon were the last 2 riders to drop. Mikes 1st run didn't work out so the pressure was on, he dropped in and nailed his run! The crowd went wild. Putting together the top run hands down so far, Brandon has his work cut out for him. Everyone was watching closely as Brandon scaled up the scaffolding, we all knew Brandon was about to get rowdy. Flip, 3x, oppo 3, truck, and a tailwhip over the channel. With a giant roar from the crowd Brandon flipped his bike into the air and raised his arms. Vulnerable and in the moment, Brandon had no clue what was about to happen. A group of riders flew him through the air and into the giant pool that was on the barge, and that's how you know… you've won. Congrats Brandon! A podium later the top 5 was revealed and the long night of partying began. Thanks again to Jordie for producing another top notch comp. I can't wait until next year. See you all in Highland."

-Jamie Goldman
Photos courtesy of Jordan Insley

Minnaar’s 3rd Place In Leogang Equals Peaty's WC DH Podium Record

Leogang, Austria

The third round of the UCI World Cup Downhill Series took place this weekend in the scenic village of Leogang, Austria where Greg Minnaar (Santa Cruz Syndicate, SRAM/RockShox) stepped onto the podium again with a third place finish to equal teammate Steve Peat’s career record of 51 World Cup downhill podium appearances. Aaron Gwin sets the bar high again with a brilliant run for first and Gee Atherton rides a very smart race for 2nd. Josh Bryceland and Steve Peat had decent runs for 11th and 12th respectively. Santa Cruz rider Cedric Gracia put his fitness to the wheels and placed 7th, just a tenth of a second shy of a podium position.

The series has been an exciting one so far as stellar performances by the youngsters are shaking things up with Steve Smith, Brook MacDonald and Danny Hart in the top ten. They are proving to be real contenders and it’s making this world cup season storyline fresh and exciting.

Continue Reading »

Syndicate in Fort William

Santa Cruz Syndicate Exclusive From John Lawlor! from santa cruz bikes on Vimeo.

FT. BILL THRILLS, MINNAAR WINS!!

 June 6, 2011
Fort William, Scotland

Santa Cruz Syndicate’s Greg Minnaar (SRAM/Rockshox), moves into the leader’s jersey with his big win at the UCI Downhill World Cup in Fort William, Scotland. This was his fourth win at Fort William at the 10th running of the downhill classic on in the Nevis Range, and it was his 50th career World Cup downhill podium appearance. Steve Peat and Josh Bryceland both had good solid performances, which netted them 11th and 14th position respectively.

Continue Reading »

Mike from SCB introduces the Blur TRc

Mike from Santa Cruz quickly covers the main points of the brand new Blur TRc.

7 Questions at Sea Otter: Santa Cruz Blur TRc - More Mountain Bike Videos

Thanks for Vital MTB for the video