Atherton Bikes has announced it’s complete team lineup and sponsors, or as they like to call them “product development partners”.
The race team will consist of Rachel Atherton, who will be eyeing a WC Title onboard her own bike brand this year, and Gee Atherton will also be chasing gold. Young gun, Charlie Hatton remains on Atherton Racing in 2019 and Mille Johnset moves up the ranks from Atherton Academy member to become a full-time Junior racer.
You may have spotted in our exclusive interview last week that the Atherton DH bike we had on film featured the excellent Maxima disc brakes, and today it has been confirmed that German brand Trickstuff will support Atherton Racing in 2019.
Along with Trickstuff, tyre brand Continental is on board as a sponsor, as is Stan’s No Tubes for wheels, Fox Suspension, Crankbrothers, and Rockguardz. UK brand Renthal will supply handlebars, stems to the team while WTB is currently working on a custom Atherton saddle.
Welsh start-up Kingud a brand making a name for itself as a lubricant and cleaning products company will ensure the Atherton Bikes remain clean and running like new, while it’s up to Endura and Bell to keep the team looking good while remaining safe on track.
Atherton Bikes Press Release Follows:
“Dan, Gee and Rachel are pleased to announce their team-mates and partner line up for Atherton Bikes’ inaugural race season.
Our vision for this vital stage of our development is to work with those brands who share our drive to push bike technology to the max. We couldn’t be happier with our 2019 partnerships.
Dan Atherton said “Obviously product development will be key this year as we adapt and optimise our new bike. It’s great to welcome Renishaw and Trickstuff to the team and to re-connect with Continental Tyres and Stan’s No Tubes, all of whom will be highly significant in the evolution of our prototype to race-ready product.”
Renishaw are one of the world’s leading manufacturers of additive manufacturing systems. AM is the 3D printing process used to create the lugs on our bikes and involves melting titanium with a laser. Renishaw’s expert engineers will be a vital part of the process which will enable our 2019 bikes to be fully customisable and more adaptable than ever before.
Team Director Dan Brown said “For 2019, we were looking for far more than traditional sponsorships. We are stoked to return to work with Continental with whom we have already designed a range of products. We’re looking forward to being back on board with further developing that range.”
Oliver Anhuth, Continental’s Global Head of Marketing, said “We have a shared history where we’ve developed top-performing tyres for specific purposes in The Kaiser 2.5 and the Mud Kings and we’re looking forward to returning to a partnership with Atherton Bikes that we’re convinced will yield great success on the MTB scene as well as future industry-leading product development.”
Rachel said “Mud Kings are my favourite tyre ever, I love cutting them down to the perfect length for each race track. Buzzing to be back with Conti, I’ll never forget them letting me drive an Audi R8 down the autobahn as fast as I could go!
We have run Trickstuff brakepads for a couple of years to give our braking systems the performance edge we needed so when the opportunity arose to run their brakes, we jumped at the chance.
Gee said “We’ve been out testing and they’ve nearly had us over the bars a couple of times! I’m pretty sure they are the most responsive brakes we’ve ever run.”
We will revisit our successful partnership with Stan’s No Tubes and continue our relationship with Fox suspension. We are delighted that cockpit, seatpost & pedals and mudguards remain with Renthal, Crankbrothers and Rockguardz respectively while WTB will work with us to deliver a custom saddle.
Off the bike we are delighted to announce a new cleaning partnership with Kingud, a local Welsh start-up already turning heads with their great products and their passion for preserving the environment which matches our own. We continue our relationships with Endura and Bell Bike Helmets.
In rider news, 2018 teammate Charlie Hatton will join Gee and Rach to take on the Elites and Mille Johnset will graduate the Atherton Academy to take her full place on the team as she battles to become the fastest female junior.
Between them the new team will take on the full UCI World Cup Series as well as select Crankworx and Red Bull events.
Gee Atherton said “It’s great to be riding with Charlie again this year –we are excited about his potential and can’t wait to see what he can do with our new bike underneath him.”
Charlie said “It’s pretty exciting to be riding a brand new bike, especially one designed by these guys. I love the raw look of it. It’s so rad. I can’t wait for the season to start.”
Rachel said “Mille has been part of the team for years through the Atherton Academy, she is already one to watch. As we launch our own independent team it’s important to us to support an up and coming female rider. Mille is the whole package, great personality, great results and at 17 she is already a pro at promoting the sport. I’m delighted that Mille will ride as a fully fledged member of Atherton Bikes.”
Mille said “Going into 2019 with the new bike is so exciting, I’m feeling a bit more confident this year but at the same time more nervous because I know what to expect! I have used the winter to get stronger so I hopefully can stay on my bike!” .
Preparation is already in full swing as we set out to prove the new bike on the toughest of testing grounds. With this team behind us we can’t wait to get started.”