WTB racers Jerome Clementz (WTB/Cannondale/Fox), Fabien Barel (Mondraker) and Mark Weir (WTB/Cannondale/Fox) finished first, third and fourth in the third annual Trans-Provence Enduro Stage Race last week using WTB products. The race featured twenty-six primarily downhill single-track stages over a seven-day period, starting near the town of Gap in the South of France, and winding its way nearly 200 miles farther south to Monaco, with over 3100 feet of climbing, and 5000 feet of descent.

Clementz and Weir utilized WTB’s new All-Mountain Casing Tubeless Compatible System (TCS) Bronson 2.3 and Wolverine 2.2 tires and Stryker TCS Wheelsets to stay at the front of the pack throughout the week. TCS wheels, rims and tires provide the only UST-Certified Sealant-based System on the planet.

“This race was an awesome once-in-a-lifetime experience,” states Weir, “we all ran our new TCS tires with ‘InnerPeace’ sidewalls. They feature a butyl liner that is lighter than UST tire sidewalls, andprovides excellent puncture protection and stability when we are hitting it hard! It was so fun to ride from stage to stage with your competitors and then put the gas down all the way to Monaco.”

All three racers use WTB’s extensive range of saddles as well. Former World Downhill Champion Fabien Barel uses a classic Silverado, while Clementz and Weir are riding on the new-for-2012 Volt SLT.

Subaru Mountain Bike Team rider Fabien Barel stormed to victory in the fifth downhill world cup of the season in Maribor, Slovenia.

The three-time world champion proved last weekend that he is back on form and recovering well from a dislocated patella suffered earlier this season. Barel is the first non-Santa Cruz Syndicate rider to win a men’s world cup downhill this season. He bested Sam Hill and Greg Minnaar on a rough, technical track made more difficult by torrential rains the day before.

“The weekend was really challenging, it was my first time riding in the mud since my knee injury,” Barel stated. “After a 13th place in qualifying, I was hoping for a top 10. But in my race I felt that it was now or never, so I pushed the limits.”

The Barel has been plagued by injuries for several seasons, but this victory proves that the charismatic Frenchman is still one of the best riders in the world. “It is an unreal satisfaction to take first place and be back on top of the international scene so quickly,” he said. “On the other hand, I know I need to improve even more if I want to stay at the top.”

Barel—and the Subaru Mountain Bike Team—ride WTB saddles and tires. His components of choice are WTB’s Silverado saddles and Timberwolf tires.

For more information please visit WTB.com or www.subaru-mtb.com

Mark Weir, WTB’s PR manager and pro athlete, is joining a select group of the world’s best mountain bikers in a race down Mt. Kenya this February. The event, named Urge Kenya, is being organized by two-time downhill world champion Fabien Barel and Fred Glo of Tribe Sports Group. Only ten athletes will be racing this spectacular, ultra-endurance downhill event and all proceeds will be donated to ACORD, an international alliance working to promote social justice throughout Africa.

So far, the alleged roster of riders consists of Mark Weir, Brian Lopes, Fabien Barel, Wade Simmons, Ritchey Schley, Steve Peat, Julien Absalon and Anne Caroline Chausson, among others. The riders will spend three full days trekking to the 16,355-foot summit of Lenana Peak. Although each competitor will be assigned a Swahili guide, the riders must carry their own bikes. The hike up the mountain will serve as course inspection and the start order will be determined by each rider’s knowledge of the Swahili language, encouraging interaction between riders and guides throughout the trek. The voyage up Mt. Kenya will undoubtedly be a life-changing bonding experience for the group. The trip down will be a flat-out battle between the world’s best mountain bike pilots across a half-dozen ecological zones, including bamboo forests and Afro-Alpine chaparral. The group will speed through the impressive landscape and finish in less than three hours.

Fabien Barel and Fred Glo are visiting the area right now organizing the event and Mark Weir is anxiously awaiting his departure in late January. “It will be a once in a lifetime trip,” said Weir. “I just hope I can breathe at 16,000 feet.” Weir also stated that he’d be riding with a paper bag over his head to prepare for the thin air. In a more serious tone, Weir stated, “this is an incredible opportunity to use our sport to help people that are less fortunate.”

photos courtesy of Fred Glo.