After it was announced that the Athertons have left Trek World Racing, Trek has given us a glimpse into what the future will hold. We still don’t know who will be on the team, but we do know what they’ll be riding – and apparently what wheel size.
According to the press release, the new team will be racing on the 29″ version of the Trek Session DH bike. While the 29″ version was initially launched in 2017, there were still plenty of World Cup racers on various teams riding 27.5″ wheels in 2018. But for Trek World Racing at least, it looks like it’s 29 all the time in 2019.
With the Athertons gone, it also means a pretty big switch in suspension to RockShox to complement the full SRAM build kits – with the exception of the Bontrager wheels and tires. This makes sense given that SRAM doesn’t really have any DH wheels at the moment.
The yet-to-be-announced team will “include three elite riders and one junior rider who will focus on the UCI World Cup Downhill circuit and select regional and national races.” Are the actual riders pictured above? Is it just a decoy to distract us? We’ll find out soon. But what is known is that their equipment partner for clothing and protection is 100%, and will include their Aircraft helmet, goggles, and a new line of DH-specific protective gear that will be launched soon.
It’s shaping up to be a fun year for the World Cup!
