Teammates Chris Sheppard and Seamus McGrath took the win on stage one of the BC Bike Race yesterday. The duo finished over a minute ahead of Kona team riders Barry Wicks and Kris Sneddon. “We rolled off the front 20 minutes in,” Shep said. “Frickin’ gnarly singletrack. Shamoe [Seamus] guided me down a trail that was rooty death.” The BC Bike Race travels from Vancouver, British Columbia, to Whistler, BC, in seven arduous stages.

Sheppard is racing aboard a Santa Cruz Blur Carbon, outfitted with WTB ExiWolf tires and Silverado saddle. McGrath utilized a lightweight, prototype Jamis hardtail and Silverado saddle. The Kona duo of Wicks and Sneddon are also riding WTB Silverado saddles. Sheppard and McGrath will have to battle for six more days to retain the leaders jerseys.

Follow the race at bcbikerace.com.

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

Jason Moeschler, WTB’s OEM sales manager, is on a tear. Last weekend he narrowly missed a big win at the Ashland Super D (he came in two seconds behind National Champ Adam Craig). Then this past Sunday he battled the world’s top road racers at the Nevada City Classic.

Moeschler’s primary focus (aside from his day job) is elite mountain bike racing, but Nevada City, California is his hometown. He decided that the opportunity to race alongside Lance Armstrong and Levi Leipheimer in front of his friends, family and 30,000 other spectators was too good to pass up.

The fans were treated to quite an exciting race. Moeschler spent some time on the front with an unsuccessful attack early on, then Lance, Levi and Ben Jaques-Maynes drilled it. The three riders went on to lap the field. Twice. Then Lance took off for a solo victory. Although a large portion of the 120-rider field was pulled from the race for being off-pace, Moeschler managed a top-20 finish.

He is clearly on form. Look out for the WTB rider at the upcoming Downieville Classic, a race that really rewards riders with such a versatile set of skills. Moeschler has won Downieville’s All Mountain race twice. Last year he took second to Ross Schnell, this year he’ll be more prepared than ever.

You can read about the race in Nevada City’s local paper here.

WTB sponsored rider Max Plaxton is currently leading the USA Cycling Pro XC Tour. Plax will be defending his lead this weekend at the fourth stop on the national PXCT circuit in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The Canadian racer has been consistently finishing in the top three all season aboard WTB Nano Raptor, Vulpine and Wolverine tires. Plaxton’s saddle of choice is the Silverado. Keep it up Plax!

Marin County, California is well known for being the birthplace of the mountain bike (as well as the birthplace of Wilderness Trail Bikes). Unfortunately this historic, picturesque landscape isn’t synonymous with bike racing. That could all change with the Friends of Tamarancho Invitational Mountain Bike Race on June 7. This XC race will feature an action-packed course consisting of half ripping singletrack and half fireroad. Although this race has been happening for several years, the event is now under new management. And the new organizers promise that this one will be better than ever! There will be tons of prizes–including a WTB wheelset, tires and saddles–Gestalt House is giving the fastest racer $500 cash and each racer gets a free lunch.

The only catch is that the event will fill up fast. If you’re interested in racing, we recommend that you pre-register soon. For more information, please visit fairfaxfattirefestival.com.

Santa Cruz Syndicate rider Steve Peat made history last Sunday, winning the second round of the World Cup series in La Bresse, France. The victory marks Peat’s 16th World Cup win, tying him with legendary Frenchman Nicolas Vouilloz. The charismatic rider from Sheffield, England is one of the most recognizable and popular personalities in downhill racing. Peat is known for his consistency and has been performing at the elite level for more than 15 years. Peaty’s saddle of choice is the WTB Rocket V SLT in white and red.

Olympic gold medalist Jonny Moseley joins WTB employee/team rider Mark Weir in an entertaining pump track adventure. Great video. Thanks for making it happen Bikeskills! To see the second video in the series, click here.

WTB-sponsored rider Max Plaxton stormed to a solid third-place finish in the Sea Otter Classic XC race. Plaxton finished just behind world champion Christoph Sauser and teammate Sid Taberlay. Plaxton planned on racing WTB Vulpine tires until he saw the deep sandpits on the dry and dusty course. He switched to WTB NanoRaptors and commented, “that the Nanos were the perfect choice for the conditions.”

In the talent-stacked downhill race WTB-sponsored riders Greg Minnaar and Brian Lopes finished second and fourth with Mick Hannah taking the top spot.

WTB invites you to drop by our booth at the Sea Otter Classic (booth #410) and meet team rider Bobby McMullen. McMullen will be signing autographs at the booth at 2pm on Saturday and Sunday. We’ll also be selling the award-wining documentary The Way Bobby Sees It for $20 throughout the weekend and all proceeds from the DVD sales will go to the fight against Parkinson’s Disease. McMullen is an exceptionally inspirational athlete: He juggles an active bike-racing career (he is racing both XC and DH at Sea Otter), a motivational speaking job and he just happens to be blind. McMullen enjoys nothing more than telling his story to other riders, so please come by and say hello to this mountain bike legend.

Santa Cruz Syndicate racer Greg Minnaar won the first round of the UCI world cup series yesterday. Minnaar was riding his favorite saddle, a white WTB Deva SLT, when he schooled the field of international pro downhillers in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. The 2008 world cup downhill champ was racing in his hometown and won with his entire family spectating. What a sweet way to start the world cup season. Nice work Greg.