In 2021, we are delighted to announce a new team with athletes that we believe will lead us to even greater success. One of our goals is to invest and continue to develop young talents such as Sina Frei and Laura Stigger while, in the men's field, new grafts with world champion Jordan Sarrou and Gerhard Kerschbaumer.
Source: press release
Jordan Sarrou is the 2020 UCI MTB World Champion and joins Specialized in a multi-year partnership. The 28-year-old Frenchman enjoyed riding Specialized bikes from a young age and expressed great enthusiasm by joining the factory team - “It's a great motivation for me and I'm very excited to ride for Specialized; they are the best brand for mountain biking and cycling, so it is a great excitement for me to be part of the family now. "
Winning the world title in 2020 was a dream for Jordan. In 2021 he has even bigger dreams of competing in the Olympics and defending his world title - “First, my goal is to be at the Tokyo Olympic Games at the start, then to defend my world title and be on top of the World Cup. Race world. "
Brian Gordon, MTB product manager in Morgan Hill, California, is thrilled to be working with the new team of cyclists. “Specialized Factory Racing is and always has been an integral part of product development at Specialized. There is no doubt that the energy and enthusiasm around the 2021 team roster will motivate and inspire us to push the limits of product innovation in every aspect “. The close bond between the race team and Specialized's product team has been instrumental in building the legacy of Specialized Factory Racing and the Epic platform. The 2021 program will only see this bond strengthened, further pushing product design into the future.
Benno Willeit, who has been with the global racing team for more than 10 years, returns to the Specialized Factory racing team as program manager. Willeit has spent the past few years pioneering the E-bike racing category for Specialized and his wealth of knowledge and experience on the world cup circuit will be invaluable to the team's future success - “I have spent the last few years with the Team of enduro. It's great to be back with the XCO team, that's where I started my career and I'm delighted to be here in Stellenbosch with our team. The goal of this team camp is to get to know us all, but also to generate content for our sponsors and riders. So far we are having a lot of fun together and I am excited for the years to come ”.
Together with Sarrou, Specialized has signed former Italian national champion Gerhard Kerschbaumer. “Geri”, as his teammates call him, has set his sights on the 2021 world title which will be held in his country of origin, Val Di Sole, in Italy. In addition to chasing the rainbow stripes, Kerschbaumer will focus on the World Cup series and an Olympic medal - “I enjoyed my short stint with the team. We are here at our first team training camp and things are going very well. I come from a very small facility and having all this support is very exciting for me. I've never had a personal mechanic before and I have to get used to having access to all this new information and products. I can learn a lot from Jordan, who is the world champion and I am looking forward to 2021 with the team “.
Sina Frei has an impressive track record that includes U / 23 World Champion, U / 23 European Champion, Swiss Champion and, at 23, she is undoubtedly one of the women to watch in the Elite category. Frei joins Specialized in a multi-year partnership and is thrilled to be returning to racing: “It's really exciting to join Specialized. I'm already enjoying the team environment and it's such a great group of people to be a part of, everything is very professional. "
Joining her teammates on the S-Works Epic for the first time, Sina was impressed with the setup of her new bike and Retül fitting process - “From the first time I was on the bike, it was super comfortable. Riding here in Stellenbosch, the bike is smooth and very precise in driving. I also wore a Retül for the first time ever and the data is really interesting. I like to see the numbers and we have already made some changes that have improved my position on the bike “.
Laura has big goals for the 2021 season, including a World Championship medal and XCO World Cup podiums.
The Specialized Factory Racing Team will focus on the UCI XCO MTB World Cup season, including the Olympic Games, Sea Otter Classic, Specialized Market Activations and National Championships. The team is proud to be supported by SRAM, Rockshox, Wahoo, Cliff, HT Components, Retül, Roval, Motrex and Supacaz.
