The Athertons Join The Endura Clan

Writer and expert7 years ago

We’re proud to announce a powerful partnership with Trek Factory Racing DH that will see Dan, Gee and Rachel Atherton ride in our flagship MT500 mountain bike apparel and protectors.

Our partnership with the first family of downhill mountain biking will also include support for Trek Factory Racing's next generation riders, including Kade Edwards and Charlie Hatton, and developing talents from the Atherton Academy, such as Mille Johnset.

Brand Director Pamela Barclay said that the riders of Trek Factory Racing DH were a significant addition to our mountain bike tribe; a diverse collection of riding talents that includes YouTube sensation Danny MacAskill, UK freeride legend Chris Smith, Italian Enduro racers Alex and Denny Lupato, and German adventurer Harald Phillip.

"There is a buzz around aero gains across all tribes of racing right now and we plan to bring our proven expertise and manufacturing might in this area to bear on the downhill course…. watch this space.""We’ve wanted to work with the Athertons for some time now. Their success is a given, and to that extent, a partnership is a no-brainer for Endura, as we already work with a host of world class athletes, across a range of cycling tribes."Dan, Gee and Rachel offer something more and embody the Endura mantra of Renegade Progress. Sometimes, you have a hunch that a group of people share your outlook on life, and we’ve always admired the way that they go racing: with commitment and dedication, but an unmistakable sense of fun. It already feels like a good fit."Dan’s Dyfi bike park project could have real significance for Welsh tourism, Gee is a world class rider at the top of his game, while Rachel’s dominance of women’s downhill racing speaks for itself; not that she is one to let others speak for her – a quality we admire immensely at Endura."We also share a passionate vision of how action sport can inspire youngsters, and look forward to working together on projects that can unlock their potential."

Trek Factory Racing DH's riders will race in jerseys handmade in Scotland, based on the MT500 Print Long-Sleeve Tee. In addition, they will help to develop a race pant to be launched in spring-summer 2019.

Our continually expanding collection of protection products is another category that will benefit from Trek Factpry Racing DH’s input. Rachel, Gee, Kade and Charlie will race this season in items due for launch in 2019. Their feedback will be invaluable to the development process.

The Danny MacAskill-inspired One Clan collection, launched at Christmas, is purpose-designed for riders who want to stay casual on the bike and off. Trek Factory Racing DH riders have already asked for more items from this collection.

Endura

In 2018, Endura will celebrate its 25th anniversary. The renegade clothing manufacturer, born on a kitchen table in Edinburgh, now manufacturers 50,000 items a year by hand at its custom clothing division in West Lothian, as well as working with global manufacturing partners to provide a ready-to-wear range of unparalleled breadth.

Examples include the MT500 Jacket II, winner of countless awards and widely considered the definitive mountain bike jacket, and the Eurobike Gold Award-winning Encapsulator skin suit, used to break the UCI Hour Record on two occasions (male and female). From the Danny MacAskill-inspired One Clan leisure collection, to leading edge collaborations with Drag2Zero and Koroyd, Endura serves riders at every level of the sport.

Endura also supplies world class athletes across a range of cycling disciplines, including mountain bike trials (Danny MacAskill), mountain bike enduro (the Lupato brothers), professional road racing (Movistar Team, Cervélo Bigla) and triathlon (Tim Don, Lucy Charles, Joe Skipper, Rachel Joyce and Nils Frommhold). Not only does the motto #AllTribesOneClan accurately describe Endura’s all-encompassing consumer offering, it encapsulates its unswerving commitment to a host of cycling tribes.

Atherton Racing

Atherton Racing competes as Trek Factory Racing in elite downhill mountain bike races, including the UCI World Cup and the UCI World Championships, and in events designed to push the limits of the sport and to broaden its inclusivity, such as the Red Bull Hardline and the Red Bull Foxhunt.

Atherton Racing’s athletes include former multiple world champions Rachel and Gee Atherton, and exciting young talents Charlie Hatton and Kade Edwards. The Atherton Academy, mentored by senior rider Dan Atherton, supports the brightest prospects for the future of downhill racing, including Mille Johnset.

Rachel Atherton

Rachel Atherton is a four-time UCI World Champion (2008, 2013, 2015, 2016) and five times the overall winner of the UCI World Cup (2008, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016), as well as a recent winner of BT Sport’s Action Woman of the Year Award. YouTube footage of Rachel overtaking more than 100 women at the Redbull Foxhunt event - a downhill ‘race’ in which amateur riders received a significant headstart - has been viewed more than 26,000 times.

Gee Atherton

Gee Atherton is a double UCI World Champion (2008, 2014) and a former UCI World Cup winner (2010). He has been British downhill mountain bike champion on three occasions (2009, 2012, 2013), and was crowned European champion in 2006. Additionally, he has won several individual rounds of the UCI World Cup, including at Fort William, in the Scottish Highlands. He relaxes by racing a rally car, and last year competed in two rounds of the British Rally Championship, on the Isle of Man and in the Border Counties.

Dan Atherton

Dan Atherton is widely regarded as one of downhill mountain biking’s greatest talents. A supremely gifted rider, he has won races at the highest level in disciplines as diverse as downhill, enduro, four cross, and BMX. Savage injuries were the other constant in a decorated career, and in 2016 he stepped back from racing to focus on mentoring riders from the Atherton Academy and building a bike park near his home in Wales, in the spectacular Dyfi Forest. The park, due to open to the public this year, could have far-reaching benefits for the regional economy.

Endura

Writer and expert