News and notes from the MTB scene
- By VeloNews.com
- Published Dec. 1, 2001
After a run of bad news from the mountain-bike racing world — cancelled races, rider defections, folding teams, etc. — finally some good news. Word from the West Coast is that the newly formed all-women’s squad, the Luna Chix featuring world champion Alison Dunlap, have inked a deal with Santa Cruz as its bike supplier for 2002.
Dunlap rode for GT last year, but that team’s status is much in doubt for the upcoming season following the company’s bankruptcy and ensuing purchase by the Pacific Cycles, which has shown just a marginal interest in supporting racing.
Meanwhile, on the others side of the Atlantic, it looks like another GT castoff, Fabien Barel, who was a teammate of Dunlap’s in 2001, has found a ride with Maxxis Europe. The Frenchman Barel won the World Cup downhill at Grouse Mountain, but suffered a knee injury at the race in Japan and missed the most of the second half of the season. Still, he is considered one of the most promising young downhillers in the world.
Also reportedly hooking up with the Euro Maxxis squad will be Claudio Caluori, who rode for Team Tomac last season and is the No. 9 ranked downhiller in the world.
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