Enduro isn’t going away any time soon, in fact it looks like 2014 is shaping up to be the biggest year yet for the newest mountain bike discipline. Proof of that is Felt’s new Enduro Team roster that is seven riders strong. Making up the team for 2014 are Casey Coffman, Charlie Sponsel, Jon Wilson, Cody Phillips, John Clark, Jeremiah Newman and Jake Dore (not pictured). Team members will be racing the 150-160mm travel, 26″ wheeled Compulsion series, or the 130mm travel, 29″ wheeled Virtue Nine series.
From Felt:
Casey Coffman returns to the Felt Enduro team in 2014 riding the Virtue Nine, a bike he is very familiar with.
“I am super excited to start my fourth year with Felt,” says Coffman. “The Virtue Nine is a bike I have been looking forward to for a while now. It holds its speed extremely well, and at the same time it low enough that it doesn’t feel like a big-wheel bike. It’s an amazing bike to ride, and I’m stoked to get it on some race courses.”
Coffman is focusing on the California Enduro Series as well as the North American Enduro Events and North American World Series Events.
“The new team is unreal, we have a bunch of really great guys that can shred their bikes. It’s gonna be super fun traveling with these guys this year. And with the new bike and experiences I have, this season is a step forward for me at the races.”
Charlie Sponsel, winner of last year’s Cascadia Dirt Cup, has joined the Felt Enduro squad for 2014 and is impressed with the technology of the Compulsion.
“The hardest and most important thing to get working is the suspension–and Felt’s is dialed. The Compulsion carries all of its speed through corners and chatter bumps, and I really like the long wheelbase over rougher terrain.”
Cody Phillips is a student at Lees McRae College, attending on a cycling scholarship. He has thrown a leg over the Compulsion and, “it rode really, really well. The geometry and suspension are dialed.”
In preparation for the upcoming season he’s been practicing his descending skills and racing cyclo-cross, which he describes as, “basically a fast, flat enduro.”
Jon Wilson is a returning member of the Felt Enduro squad. When he isn’t racing he is teaching fifth grade in the Reno, Nevada school district. He loves his job and home, but he was also glad to get out of the snow and visit the Felt headquarters in Southern California on a recent photo shoot trip.
“It was great to meet everyone at Felt and on the team, as well as check out the new bikes that are coming out,” said Wilson.
Jeremiah Newman has numerous first place finishes in the Oregon Series and the World Enduro Series in Colorado and Oregon as an Expert category racer. This is his first year as a professional and he is looking to continue his domination in 2014 aboard the new Compulsion, Virtue, and Edict.
Jake Dore is a South Tahoe resident and has made some changes to his 2014 training program. “Typically I would have been skiing, but there’s not enough snow here, but I’m lifting weights.”
Dore was top ten in last year’s Kamikaze Enduro and his goals are to continue his top ten streak in major events as well as getting on the podium at all California and Oregon races. When he is not racing or training, Dore works a full-time in construction as well as teaching avalanche avoidance at the local ski slope.
Finally, returning rider John Clark rounds out the 2014 Enduro team. The 29-year old will be competing in the California Enduro Series on his Compulsion.
“The suspension is dialed and for a 6” bike it was easy to climb and it railed on the descents,” said Clark. “I could go over almost anything.”
This season Clark is focusing on the California Enduro Series and top-20 at the Oregon Ashland’s Enduro. To do that he is “focusing on the basics, doing road rides, going to the gym, and eliminating the mistakes I made in the past years.”
