After 10 months off the start gate, the French men were back on track this weekend in Barcelona. The Mondraker Factory Team was in San Andreu de la Barca to race the open of Spain.

It was a successful event, well organized by the Oulego’s Family, with 350 riders in the start gate and more than 2,000 spectators around the track. Fab packed up the two runs on the front of Bernat Guardia, winner of the previous edition.

“I felt good on the bike. Really happy to have the emotion again of the start gate. It has been a long challenge for me to get back on the bike after the injury. I am really pleased obviously with this first place but I still have a long way to go until I am 100% and back onto speed.”

Barel, a WTB-sponsored rider since 2007, will race again this weekend in France to further prepare for the season. We’re proud to see that Fabien’s saddle of choice is the WTB Silverado!

1. 75 BAREL Fabien Elite (1) 1:55.348

2. 1 GUARDA PASCUAL Bernat Elite (2) 53:56.187

3. 3 OULEGO MORENO Ivan Elite (3) 1:57.523

4. 135 WALLNER Robin Elite (4) SUECIA 1:58.298

5. 6 CANALS FLIX Pasqual Elite BAWSHEE-SANT ANDREU 1:58.511

Weir in Kenya for the 2009 Urge event.

After a 12-hour commute sandwiched in the center seat aboard a 747 headed from SFO to Paris, France, Mark Weir is approaching his final destination–the Urge Cabo Verde Ultimate MTB Gravity Adventure. You may recall a similar adventure that Weir participated in two years ago in Kenya, where proceeds from the event supported water system development efforts in the impoverished region where the event took place. You may also recall that Weir’s bike was left on the tarmac somewhere in the commute, forcing him to compete on a borrowed bike.

We are happy to report that Mark and his bike have arrived safely to the first of the two Cabo Verde islands (Fogo and Santo Antao) located off the coast of Africa, where this year’s event will take place. Here, Weir will join 14 of the world’s best professional endurance downhill riders (WTB-sponsored riders Fabien Barel and Jérôme Clementz included) and two amateur riders for the first race on Thursday, February 10. The race begins with 10,000 feet of climbing, dropping down the backside of the steep, loose volcano and into a rocky, technical rain-forest style trail, ending at the beach. No one racing will get to see the course, as the riders will ascend up a different side of the volcano–a true enduro format. With all the risks involved with riding the aggressive and technical terrain without a pre-ride, the athletes will be forced to ride by their wits and good judgment.

Stay tuned as Weir keeps us posted on Facebook!

Jérôme Clementz, riding the Bronson/Wolverine combo to victory in the Enduro du Mercantour, France.

Catching up with Jérôme Clementz is not easy, as most racing against him in the Megavalanche and other enduro-style events will tell you. For those who may not know, Clementz is a top-ranked and incredibly talented, all-mountain rider from France who started riding WTB tires and saddles last summer.

Jérôme is also fast—real fast! He won the 2010 Megavalanche Alpe D’huez and is shown here at the Megavalanche la Reunion. Good news! If you speak French you will look really smart when you translate the video commentary for your friends.

Jérôme Clementz’s Cannondale, featuring a Weirwolf TCS 2.3 up front with a Wolverine TCS 2.2 on the back, and Rocket V saddle.

Clementz likes good beer, hanging out with friends after a ride and talking about life. He prefers the outdoors, eating home-cooked organic meals, and venturing to concerts when time permits. Sounds familiar perhaps even standard. However, the unpredictable nature of enduro racing is not your standard format of racing, nor is it for everyone—but it is for this guy. Here’s why plus a few more details about the Cannondale rider, enduro racing, training, and a life committed to riding:

Q. Why do you prefer enduro racing?
A. Enduro racing is multipurpose and every ride is different. We have several kinds of races (Mass Start, Against the Clock, and Super D).

Q. What was the most challenging enduro race for you this year? Why?
A. That was Megavalanche. This race is awesome and unique. First you have to start on a glacier and race with 2,000 riders. You ride on many different kinds of ground (snow, rock, grass, roots, dust, wood,…). You must be fast in the technical parts, strong in the physical to maintain your rhythm during one hour of racing. Then there are so many things that can happen during the race, that when you finish without any problem it’s already a victory.

Q. Where do you ride for fun?
A. I like to ride in the French Alps and on my home trails, taking my bike, meeting some friends, going out for a ride and speak about life with a beer in the hand.

Q. What do you do to train for these events?
A. I train all year—cross country skiing, swimming and running during the winter then road, downhill, all mountain and cross country when the weather is better. You must be a good overall rider to be at your top in enduro racing. I don’t ride too much. I prefer quality over quantity, with a lot of different exercises.

When asked how he likes WTB so far, Clementz answered, “I have everything that I need to trust in my tyres to ride fast. WTB did a great job to build the ultimate stuff for the enduro.” He added that he enjoys working with those passionate about mountain biking and looks forward to helping to make WTB products even better no matter where you ride.

Jérôme Clementz, riding the Bronson/Wolverine combo to victory last weekend in the Enduro du Mercantour, France.

Who needs the jab-cross when you can have a one-two combo like the new Bronson 2.3 AM TCS tire up front with a Wolverine 2.2 AM TCS tire on the rear. Like any prizefighter will tell you, knowing your opponent is half the battle. The scenario is much the same with the bike versus the mountain. Knowing that your tires can handle the rough terrain of an aggressive Enduro race was a question WTB has put to rest with the first-place results just handed in by professional Cannondale riders Jérôme Clementz and Pauline Dieffenthaler.

Clementz, who finished in front of second place winner Rémy Absalon (Commençal) and Florian Golay (Felt – Crossroad Cycles) in third, rode the Bronson/Wolverine combo to victory last weekend in the Enduro du Mercantour, France. Dieffenthaler tried out the new WeirWolf up front and climbed to the top of the podium at the Elsass Enduro Tour .

Meanwhile, back at WTB, Jason Moeschler was amongst the first to receive the news, responding with, “This is a HUGE victory for WTB! Jérôme Clementz is one of the top enduro racers in the world.” He went on to explain that when he and Weir were in France this summer racing in the French Enduro Series, they left Clementz some tire samples, and asked him to test them for WTB. “We wanted his honest feedback,” Moeschler explained, asking Clementz, “Can you win Enduros on WTB tires?”

The verdict is in. We hope this will be the first of many victories for both Jérôme Clementz and Pauline Dieffenthaler on or off WTB tires, but preferably on…

Pauline Dieffenthaler, rode a WeirWolf to victory at the Elsass Enduro Tour.

The Road to Valloire was a windy one that turned out to be its own kind of enduro. With bikes and a baby on board, the team needed to find the most direct route, which meant driving over the Col du Galibier or the Col du Gal-e-bare?

On the Road with Weir and Moeschler from WTB on Vimeo.

Once in Valloire, the guys managed to maintain their leads on the Bronson tires, with an anticipated top finish on the last and longest run of the day. Despite coming off the bike somewhere in the 5,500 ft. descent, Weir finished second in the day’s fourth run with an unofficial time of 30:38.0, putting him in third place overall that day. His finish was just three seconds off the leader (Remy Absalon) with third place (Jerome Clements) 22 seconds behind the leader. After three strong runs, Moeschler’s fourth was compromised by his first flat of the trip. He rode it out and managed to finish with his wheel intact and still remarkably true. Although, he chalked the flat up to rider error, Moeschler decided to change it up for the next day’s runs, putting a WeirWolf 2.3 in back, keeping the Bronson tire up front.

On the second and final day of the 2010 Enduro Series Championship, both riders pushed their bikes and bodies to the limit. They were looking at four runs, five miles each with approximately 2,560 feet of descent on the rocky, extremely fast, and aggressive “no trail” courses (as in no established trail or line, they take ribbon and make a new course out of raw mountain side). In the end, a broken derailleur and derailleur hanger cost Weir at least 20 minutes and put him out of the race. Moeschler finished the day in 12th and 23rd overall, while Weir was off the chart (literally) for the day and 34th overall.

It was a challenging day that grew more challenging by the minute as they contemplated getting themselves, their gear, families and bikes from France to Switzerland in the world’s smallest tin can van. The answer: pawn the back two seats of their rig off to the greatest guy around (Robert Hamilton-Smith) who, after competing all weekend, agreed to lug the things to Switzerland in return for lifetime gratitude and an open invitation to Weir’s. What a guy! Thanks again Rob! And special thanks to Frank with Shock Therapy, Fred with Tribe Sports Group, and Momo with The Race Company for the great hospitality while we stayed in Germany and France. You guys can stay at Weir’s too!

Now that the trip is over, everyone is home, back to work, getting ready for the big trade shows. “Just a short time ago, we were on top of the world on some French Alp peak,” Moeschler explained. “It is amazing how being in the mountains can make you forget about everything. It is why we go to the woods…to get away from it all. We need to do it more—like every day.”

Cheers to that! You don’t have to be in the Alps to find a sweet ride this summer. Just head out the front door and take it from there.

From Downieville to Europe, Team WTB Competes across the Globe!

After taking last year off, Mark Weir made a triumphant return to the 2010 Downieville Classic Mountain Bike Race and Festival. He finished first in the longest (17-mile) downhill race in the nation with a smoking fast time of 44:01.5. This is the eighth year Weir has won first place in this event! Jason Moeschler took fifth place in the Downhill with Kenny Burt one minute behind in eighth place. Despite riding with an injured knee from the previous day’s XC race, Moeschler’s combined times in the 29-mile XC (1:58:52) and Downhill events (44:57.1) secured him a spot on the podium for third place in the All Mountain event. Ben Cruz rounded things out for the team, finishing in 13th place, one position ahead of Team Giant’s Carl Decker, who won the previous day’s XC race and the All Mountain event.

“To come back after two years and regain the Downhill title was a moment that will forever warm my soul,” Weir said, after explaining that he had literally spent about half his life in the town where he credits the race and the trails for bringing him the best things in his life—his friends and the lifestyle that makes him who he is.

Weir went on to thank everyone from his wife, parents, friends, sponsors, to the people of Yuba Expeditions and the Downieville Classic, who have become his family. He added a special thanks to his teammate Jason Moeschler, who he says is everything he inspires to be. “I am truly his biggest fan,” Weir said, explaining that without Moeschler this adventure would have ended two years ago.

Besides just being really fit, fast and exceptionally talented bike handlers, here’s what Weir and the WTB Pro team ran on race day that helped get them on (or darn near close) to the podium.

• Mark Weir – Stryker XC Wheels; Wolverine 2.2 All Mountain TCS tires; Valcon Carbon saddle

• Jason Moeschler – Stryker XC Wheels; Wolverine 2.2 All Mountain TCS tires; Silverado Carbon saddle.

• Kenny Burt – Stryker XC Wheels; Wolverine 2.2 All Mountain TCS tires; Silverado SLT saddle.

• Ben Cruz – Laser TCS XC rims laced with Laserdisc Lite hubs; WeirWolf 2.3 All Mountain TCS tire in front and Wolverine 2.2 All Mountain TCS in back; Rocket V SLT saddle.

In the Expert Master’s category, Team WTB’s Fred Falk finished strong with a second-place finish in the Down Hill (51:41.0) and All Mountain events, just 20 seconds off the leader. In the Junior Expert category, Max Houtzager (high school student and WTB intern by day) swept the field and took home first place prizes in his category in the XC, downhill (49:20.0), and all mountain events. Team WTB junior riders Thomas Ravina finished in second (52:43.7) with Chris Ravina in 9th (1:13:45.8).

All in all, it was good to be riding WTB if you were in Downieville for the race, and it is always good to be in Downieville if you are up for the challenge of all-mountain, technical riding with some of the best people around!

Speaking of best people around….so where was Bobby? That was the question the team heard all weekend in Downieville. The answer—Bobby McMullen was racing the Super Enduro in Sauze D’Oulx, Italy the weekend of July 3-4, and the Mega Avalanche in Alpe d’Huez, France last weekend. Check out some of Bobby’s Euro adventures beginning with an interview from the Super Enduro in Sauze D’Oulx, Italy.

Between the SuperEnduro, the Mega Avalanche, and the Downieville Classic, Team WTB had it covered over the last few weekends as the team divided to expand its global perimeter. Next stop: Weir and Moeschler will take a turn in France to compete in the Enduro Series in Vars on July 24 and 25, and in Valloire from July 31-August 1. Keep it here for more updates.