Cyclocross star Ryan Trebon switches form long-term sponsor Kona to Felt for 2011/2012. © Cyclocross Magazine
Update: Ryan Trebon has confirmed he will be riding a Felt mountain bike and cyclocross bike for the season, but his team will not be Felt Bicycles but rather is “his own program.”
Hot off the presses, Felt Bicycles just announced a partnership with cyclocross superstar Ryan Trebon. The speculation about where the lanky talent would end up after ending his long stint with Kona has finally been partially put to rest, but not before our own Rumors & Rumblings column picked the wrong “F” partner (Fuji). Such is the nature of rumors…
The news of Trebon’s team new bike comes hot on the heels of the announcement that Jeremy Powers would be leaving the Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld.com juggernaut to assume leadership duties of the Rapha-Focus squad. As the top athletes continue to get better support to concentrate on cyclocross, the outlook for the level of Elite American cyclocross has never been brighter.
Trebon was quick to follow up the announcement on Twitter, saying, “Excited to be racing with @feltbicycles this year. My new CX bike is gonna be oh so good. But first we got some MTB races to win.”
Felt has also been in the rumor mill for the images of a new carbon ’cross bike that the company has allowed to leak, building hype. The release below confirms those rumors, with April as the projected unveiling.
Cyclocross star Ryan Trebon will look to get back to his winning ways with a new team. File photo by Joe Sales
Here’s the word, straight from Felt moments ago:
Felt Bicycles is pleased to announce that it will sponsor cyclocross and mountain bike star Ryan Trebon for the 2011 season. Felt will supply the four-time American National champion for both his cyclocross and mountain bike campaigns beginning with Sea Otter next month.
“I am thrilled to be with Felt this year, and can’t wait for the race season to begin,” said Trebon. “Felt was the perfect choice for me because of its technological approach to bike design and racing pedigree. I am already working with Felt’s engineers to fine tune my bikes for 2011, and we are all excited about the results.”
Trebon is a multi-discipline national champion, winning the US title in cyclocross (2006 and 2008), cross country (2006) and short track (2007). He has dominated the US Gran Prix of Cyclocross Series, winning the overall title four times, and will seek his fifth title in 2011.
“Ryan is a great fit for our company and our cyclocross and mountain bike racing efforts,” said Doug Martin, Director of Marketing for Felt Bicycles. “Ryan is one of the most recognizable figure in American fat tire racing and a legend in the sport. We are ecstatic to have him as one of our athletes.”
For 2011, Trebon’s schedule will again feature both cyclocross and mountain bike events. For cyclocross events, Trebon will race aboard Felt’s all-new carbon cyclocross bike which will be unveiled at the Sea Otter Classic in April. For mountain bike events, Trebon will compete on Felt’s industry leading Nine mountain bikes.
Trebon joins Felt’s family of fat tire athletes that already features Felt Oetztal X-Bionic, Team Kenda/Felt, and Mafia Racing.
