Enduro Practice = Fun - photo: Brian Raphael

Thank Goodness for Enduro Racing. NSMB.com just posted this great article featuring WTB’s very own Mark Weir and Ben Cruz. Read this excerpt from Mark and definitely check out the full article here.

Enduro is about enjoying yourself, it’s racing the best parts of trails with gas still in the tank to ride the trail at maximum speed in technical situations. Not about relying only on fitness and coasting down the hill. The perfect Enduro is one that leaves you with the feeling of power left over but the trail was so technical it made it hard to lay down that power. If you are too hard on equipment and lack finesse Enduro makes you pay. Either a weight penalty, which in turn is a time penalty. By a running a heavy set-up to make up for straight line mashing you just lost a minute on the climb. Enduro racing is calculation and knowing the way you ride and building the bike to get the most you can from your strengths. You can’t hide your weaknesses but you can disguise.

Team WTB/Fox Racing Shox/Cannondale/Shimano

Jason Moeschler, 32, began racing bikes at age 16 and over the course of his racing career has become a three-time Mountain Bike World Championship Competitor, 1997 US Junior National Champion, as well as a three-time Downieville All Mountain Pro Champion. Today, Moeschler races the clock for daylight to do more than just ride his bike. It’s a constant battle to balance the demands of his full-time job with racing, training, and as of last September—being a dad.

As WTB’s OEM Sales Manager, Jason endures a hefty travel schedule that could keep him in the air for multiple and lengthy flights to Asia each year. In 2011 alone, Jason spent more than two-and-a half months in Taiwan. Trade show travel and the chunk of time he spends at the computer each day are additional necessities that often conflict with his training. However, Jason still manages to get on his bike even if it means bringing it with him to Taiwan for morning “dawn patrol” rides or an occasional race.

Jason sprints to a fifth-place finish at the 2011 Merida Cup in Taiwan.

After talking with Jason, one might think that riding and racing bikes is all he’s ever aspired to do. But with the divorce of his parents and pure exhaustion from his relentless travel, training, and racing schedule, Jason stepped away from the national racing scene at age 19 in 1999. Working full time, he was able to help his mom make the mortgage payment and complete his AA degree from Sierra Community College. In a few years, Jason left his job at the local bike shop to try his hand at carpentry. He worked construction for close to three years, building custom homes for a local contractor in the Nevada County area.

When Moeschler started racing again locally, a chance conversation with Mark Weir on the podium in Downieville about why he wasn’t wearing his sponsors’ gear (because he wasn’t sponsored at the time) led to Weir adding Moeschler to his WTB/Fox/Santa Cruz team in 2004. After his third consecutive win as the All Mountain Pro Champion in the Downieville Classic, Jason was approached by WTB to represent the company as the Western Regional Technical Sales Manager. He gladly accepted and was once again back in the bike industry where his role has since evolved to include more responsibility in the area of sales and product development. Most recently, he worked with Mark Weir and product developers to create the company’s new TCS line of tubeless compatible tires, rims and wheels.

Moeschler prefers epic rides with friends to racing, but manages to remain a threat on the XC and enduro downhill race courses as part of the Cannondale Over Mountain crew. Either way, any excuse to be on a bike is a good one, and Moeschler uses the technical sections to make up for the time he might lose in pedaling—his main defense against dopers, as he explained in an interview with Decline magazine, noting that “he didn’t think they’d developed a drug that could make you descend faster yet.”

Jason Moeschler featured in 2011 at The Ranch along with the rest of the Cannondale Over Mountain Crew.

Even though work and personal commitments (becoming a new dad) didn’t permit him to do as much racing as he would have liked in 2011, he still managed to make it to the podium, finishing second at the Oakridge Super D and second in the XC at the Tara Llanes Classic at Northstar.

Jason takes two-week-old Jace up to his first podium at the 2011 Tara Llanes Classic.

He also placed in the top 10 in the duo category with teammate Mark Weir in the BC Bike Race, and took 5th places in the Overmountain Enduro at Highland Park in New Hampshire as well as the Merida Cup in Taiwan.

Photo courtesy of Cannondale at the Overmountain Enduro.

In short, Jason is a busy guy but racing mountain bikes remains a passion he continues to indulge. Among other things, he says it keeps him motivated to stay fit and live healthy. For Jason, staying fit and living healthy also meant moving back to his hometown of Nevada City, California, where he works from home and can do any number of epic rides in the Sierra foothills right from his front door.

WTB OEM Sales Manager in training.

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.

Photo courtesy of Jen Burt.

Hometown: Novato, California, USA
Age: 21
Team: WTB/Cannondale/Shimano/Fox Racing Shox
Discipline: Downhill, Endurance DH, Super D, XC

Ben Cruz is the most recent addition to Team WTB – Wilderness Trail Bike’s factory squad, joining Mark Weir and Jason Moeschler on the WTB//Fox Racing Shox/Cannondale/Shimano Team in 2010 and the Cannondale Over Mountain crew in 2011.

Over the course of a year, Cruz has competed in the 2010 and 2011 Trans-Sylvania Epic seven-day mountain bike stage races, the Whiskey Offroad 50 miler in Prescott, Arizona—choosing to face the stacked field of stiff, XC competition on his Cannondale Jekyll all-mountain machine instead of the more popular 29er option.

Ben shredding the downhill at the Ashland Spring Thaw. Photo courtesy of Jen Burt.

Later that spring, Cruz joined Weir on the podium in Ashland, Oregon for the Ashland Spring Thaw and put in a solid effort in the Ashland Mountain Challenge event. He also just completed the Downieville Classic, placing fifth in the downhill and top 20 in the XC, a significant accomplishment given the complexity of the course. Thanks to substantial snow levels, race organizers were forced to redirect the course while elevated snow melt made the infamous waterfall section both treacherous and fun for those who could charge it without hesitation, something Cruz had no problem doing!

According to the July 2011 Decline Magazine profile on Cruz, it was Cruz’s lethal combination of endurance and being wicked fast on a trail bike that caught his neighbor, Mark Weir’s, eye. Living just a few blocks from Cruz in Novato, California, they would often ride the same local trails, where it became evident that his friend’s fitness and skills would be ideal for enduro events.

To train for the enduro season, Ben puts in at least 10 to 15 hours of trail riding a week with some additional time spent on the road bike to build fitness. “A big part of my core workout is digging,” Cruz explains. “I dig lots of trail and not only is it a good (physical) workout it’s a mental one too!” With a goal to climb a million feet of elevation this year, Cruz will make every race and workout count. “It’s really hard and I’m off the back right now but I’m gonna keep goin’ for it,” adding that he is just stoked to be riding every day. “When I graduated from high school, I told myself I didn’t want to do anything not bike related so every day that I ride is another goal achieved.”

Photo courtesy of Milliman/Cannondale.

The summer race season will provide ample opportunity for Cruz to continue on his quest to climb a million feet and to meet his goals on the bike as he puts his rigorous training to the test, joining Weir in the High Race in Valloire, France for the closing event in the French Enduro Series. After which, he and Weir will join fellow Cannondale Over Mountain teammate, Chris Van Dine, to represent the USA as a three-man team in the Enduro de Nation in Sauze d’Oulx, Italy. And in October, Cruz and Weir will compete as a duo team in the Trans-Provence seven-day stage race.

2011 is shaping up to be an exciting race season for this young, NorCal talent! Season race results below.

• Sea Otter Classic Downhill Competition- 41st Place
• Whiskey Offroad XC – 45th Place
• Napa Valley Dirt Classic – 15th Place
• Trans-Sylvania Mountain Bike Epic, 7-day stage race – 15th Place
• Ashland Spring Thaw Pro Downhill – 4th Place
• Ashland Spring Thaw Cat 1 XC – 1st Place
• Downieville Classic Pro Downhill – 5th Place
• Downieville Classic Pro XC – 17th Place

Photo courtesy of Urge Cabo Verde.
Team WTB/Fox Racing Shox/Cannondale/Shimano

Described as a well-rounded rider who specializes in suffering, Mark Weir, 38, has remained a successful and dominant force in downhill and endurance racing throughout his career. In short, the Novato, California native believes in hard work and fair play without compromise—values he will undoubtedly pass along to the newest addition to the Weir household, son, Gustin ‘Gus’ Bradley Weir. In terms of mountain biking, having these values means developing the skills, fitness, and technologies necessary to compete against the world’s best mountain bikers under any condition or circumstance.

Weir’s comprehensive training program is a prime example. It involves a healthy diet of organic foods, refueling and repairing muscles with EAS sports nutrition products, a dose of strong coffee, an occasional frosty beverage or two, along with a brutal riding regimen and what some might consider an abusive amount of core strength training. Weir uses everything from the living room floor to his pump track and slack-line to improve his balance and body control. He also added RC off-road racing as a tool to increase mental focus, picking up new sponsor Traxxas RC Company along the way. He explained that when the body is worked, you can always train the mind. Add a little luck to his amassed skill, and Weir significantly limits his time on the ground and any resulting injuries.

Combining training and riding with friends between races means that most of Weir’s friends also get the benefit of his program. They can often be found assaulting the trails of Marin County, some of which he built into a pump track-style downhill course on a nearby privately owned ranch. With an average lap of 13 minutes, the course combines a 600-foot climb with 50 mile-an-hour descents down cow-laden trails lined with oak trees and hairpin turns along the rockiest, roughest terrain any seasoned mountain biker could hope for. The course also provides Weir with the perfect testing ground for all things WTB, as well as Shimano, Fox, MRP, and now Cannondale.

Weir’s role in WTB’s research and development began years ago with his namesake tire line, the WeirWolf, launched in the 1990s. Nearly a decade later, the tire design and tread pattern was updated and re-launched with the added feature of WTB’s new TCS (Tubeless Compatible System) technology that Weir also worked to advance with product developers. He devoted endless test ride hours specifically to rim/tire bead retention, resulting in a high-performance system with phenomenal flat resistance—something he’s been working towards since he stopped using tubes eight years ago.

In addition to his demanding schedule of product testing, training, and competing locally as well as abroad, Weir actively supports the next generation of mountain bikers, who often find themselves displaced by the lack of multi-use trails on open space land. In years past, the kids made their way to the Weir’s backyard pump track, where Mark gave hands-on instruction and skills training. As a result, Weir found himself in the center of a local community discussion and grassroots campaign to build a privately funded, public pump track where kids can hone their riding skills in a safe and controlled environment. With his support and the support of others, plans for the Stafford Lake Bike Park are moving forward.

If it sounds like Weir’s softening his competitive edge or aggressive behavior, think again. Weir dominated in the 2010 downhill events, taking first place in the Ashland Spring Thaw, Ashland Mountain Challenge (12-Mile Super D), and the Downieville Classic. He also traveled to France to compete in the French Enduro Race Series in Valloire and Vars.

Kicking off 2011, Weir traveled to the Cabo Verde Islands off the coast of Africa to join 13 of the world’s elite mountain bikers in an ultra endurance downhill race that also raises money and awareness for the islands’ local charities. The 2011 Urge Cabo Verde event was more than a race to its participants. As Weir puts it, it was a chance “to become a better person and friend to everyone.” Some of the experiences were definitely more pleasing than others. Weir recounted tales of loose volcanic terrain, exhaustingly steep “hike-a-bikes” cresting the volcano, and harrowing, endless, leg-cramping descents. Riders were forced to put their nerves, fitness and skills to the test (not to mention their bikes!) as each day brought new challenges to overcome.

Despite the challenges and suffer fests, Weir continues to be inspired by the people he meets and competes against as well as the amazing places mountain biking takes him.

After a great deal of consideration and some heavy soul searching, Mark Weir made the call to change Team WTB’s bicycle frame sponsor from Santa Cruz to Cannondale. “It was a long process and involved more than just changing frame sponsors, Weir said. “It is a move to be a better ambassador to the sport, which we as a team find most important.”

Knowing that you can’t race bikes forever, Weir understands that the clock is always ticking and wants to use what the Team has learned through the years to bring more people to the sport. And, after almost a decade with the same brand, it was becoming increasingly difficult to make that happen even after a year of producing some of his most impressive results. Then, when securing contracts beyond a year became an uncertainty that Weir and the Team couldn’t afford, they felt that looking for new support would be the best solution.

Weir further explained that both sides were ready for a change. “We have done a lot together but it had come to the point that, as riders and racers, the Team needed more of a commitment to continue to grow the sport we love,” Weir said, adding that moving forward with Cannondale is important for that progression. Those included in the move were long-time riding buddy and WTB co-worker, Jason Moeschler, as well as local Novato protégé, Ben Cruz. Bobby McMullen, for reasons of his own, has decided to stay on with Santa Cruz—a decision that Weir and the Team fully supports.

Team WTB is thankful for all the years of support from Santa Cruz Bikes, especially the progress the partnership has facilitated in the all-mountain category. Together, WTB and Santa Cruz were founding sponsors of the Downieville Classic and the Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship. WTB has also been a long-standing sponsor of the Santa Cruz Syndicate and looks forward to continuing that commitment.

Additional incentives for the Team to make some changes surfaced with the growth of local efforts to make more legal places to ride, like the proposed Novato Bike Park in Marin County, CA, with kids’ programs to follow. Soon, it became clear that the benefits of a new partnership would out weigh the doubts when together with one of Cannondale’s best dealers, Mike’s Bikes, a powerful team could be made to start change in their own back yard.

“Having a son of my own, it’s important to me that he have access to the opportunities in life that I didn’t,” Weir explained. “Growing up in Marin, I didn’t have many options to ride in the dirt without getting chased by law enforcement or other people who felt mountain bikers were somehow a threat to the community.”

As for the bike, Cannondale has always been an innovative company when it comes to frame design and the new Over Mountain line of bikes is no exception. Having known very little about how the system works, the Team wanted to move forward without sacrificing performance for principle. Cannondale had shipped a frame (Jekyll) so Weir could properly put it to the test. Weir now joins Mega Avalanche specialist Jerome Clementz, also with Cannondale. Weir stated, “After my first ride I knew their progressive thinking and long R&D process with Fox Racing Shox made a super capable all-mountain machine.” He added that having the ability to change travel on the fly on a bike that can be built well under 30 lbs. (even with heavy wheels and tires) makes it work really well in all aspects of trail riding.

“It’s bittersweet,” Weir explains about all the changes. “On one hand, we value the time and support we’ve had over the years with Santa Cruz, and on the other we have all the energy and opportunity that comes with a new partnership, and that’s hard not to be excited about.” He added, “The bike brings balance to our lives and moving forward with Cannondale was a choice to not only keep that dream alive for us, but for whoever we can touch along the way.”

From the Sierra Nevadas to the French Alps and a few mountains in between, Team WTB rides again…

Just two days off the podium in Downieville, Mark Weir and Jason Moeschler packed up their bikes for a three-week, three-country tour that would eventually lead them to some of the most aggressive riding around, otherwise known as the French Enduro racing series. Checkout the footage from Tribe Sports Group to see what we’re talking about.

2010 French Enduro Racing with Weir and Moeschler from Tribe Sports Group.

Our story begins in London, where Moeschler and Weir found themselves in the good hands of our WTB Europe team as well as our UK distributor (Hotlines). They were promptly let loose in the muddy hills of south Whales (Monmouth), where they rode in the muddy, wet conditions of the trail center followed by the rugged terrain of the English countryside near Todmorden.

Traveling light was imperative, and with little-to-no time to pack, the guys landed with only one set of wheels each, and for Weir it was the same 1,460-gram, tubeless ready “gently loved” Stryker wheel set he won the Ashland Super D and the Downieville DH on.

Using his hotel room and the lobby as a makeshift workshop, Moeschler built his Nomad up with the Laser TCS All Mountain wheel set with WeirWolf 2.1 TCS tires. Weir put Wolverine 2.2 All Mountain TCS tires on his Nomad and called it good. A few epic rides later, the guys got the bikes “properly” muddied but enjoyed the good spirit of the rides and people they rode with. Thanks to the good people at Singletrack, MBR, MBUK and Dirt for their hospitality and mean coffee…(especially you Chipps!)

Stay tuned for part deux tomorrow…

The crowd can barely catch a glimpse of Mark Weir as he blasts by to win the Downhill event at the 2010 Ashland Spring Thaw. Photo by Jeff Anderson.

It was another great year for Team WTB at the Ashland Spring Thaw. They ate deer, drank tasty Lithia water and soaked in icy creeks. Whatever they ate, drank or just plain wallowed in, paid off when it came time to punch in on race day!

Read more….

Our friends over at Pink Bike posted a great review of the new Weirwolf tires. It is by far the most thorough review to date. Check it out here.

Oh, and a little bird told me that the Weirwolf 2.1 TCS just won the Spring Thaw DH race under the pedals of Mr. Mark Weir.

Did I say Weirwolf 2.1 TCS? Yes, I did.

Fast.

Real fast.

Course record-setting fast.

We had big plans for this saddle—It was to announce the return of the Yeti team to WTB saddles. This Devo is particularly special, it’s decorated with the world championship stripes to celebrate Jared Graves’ four-cross victory in Canberra, Australia. We were so excited to get this saddle to Graves that we paid the extra shipping fee to have it overnighted to Southern California, just so that he could race with his hard-earned rainbow stripes at the Fontana City National. Unfortunately the saddle went missing somewhere between Mill Valley and Rancho Cucamonga, California.

Some might call it the curse of the world champion’s stripes, others say that things get lost all the time. I have my own suspicions. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that this was a planned and deliberate interception of the high-profile Devo saddle. I’m no detective, but the first suspect to come to mind is Brian Lopes. Mapquest tells us that Lopes lives only 52.91 miles away from Rancho Cucamonga. Lopes is also a WTB-sponsored athlete, with frequent communication to WTB headquarters (his pal Mark Weir may have leaked inside information about the delivery). Also consider that Lopes has won the world championships four times, yet his custom saddle—the Silverado SL55—features no such stripes. This could be a case of jealousy or an elaborate prank. For now we’ll have to settle for this snapshot and hope the saddle turns up somewhere in Rancho Cucamonga.