2017 race team news: who’s going where?

Benjamin Haworth

All the ins and outs

A rundown of all the essential team moves, retirements and rumours for the 2017 downhill and enduro race season.

Whilst you’ve been busy scoffing turkey and mince pies the mountain bike world has been scurrying round swapping riders and sealing deals. We’ll update this page when we here more news but for now, here’s what we know so far…

This much we know

Manon Carpenter has left Madison Saracen and joined the new Radon Factory DH Team.

manon

Also on the Radon team: Joost Wichman, Faustin Figaret, Johannes Fischbach and Raphaela Richter.

Yoann Barelli has left Giant Factory Racing and joined the Commencal Vallnord Enduro Team.

Also leaving Giant Factory Racing: Guillaume Cauvin, Alex Marin and Seamus Powell. Joining Giant Factory Racing: Jacob Dickson and Eliot Jackson.

Kenta Gallagher has left the privateer ranks and joined the Polygon UR Team.

Currently without a team

Harry Heath and Fraser McGlone have left Norco Factory racing. Heath has actually retired from racing so he’ll not be joining another team. McGlone has yet to announce where he’s off to.

Remy Metailler has left the Commencal Vallnord DH Team but hasn’t revealed what he’s doing next.

Gaetan Vige has also left the Commencal Vallnord DH Team and is yet to say where’s going.

Joe Smith has left Team CRC Paypal. We don’t know anything else yet.

Ruaridh Cunningham and Reece Wilson have both left the Unior Tools Team. Both of them are staying tight-lipped about the future.

Ludo May has left the Canyon Factory Enduro Team.

Troy Brosnan has left Specialized.

Loris Vergier has also left Specialized.

Luca Shaw has left SRAM/TLD team.

Andrew Neethling is leaving Polygon UR Team. Announced via his Instagram, in the true 2017 way.

Rumours and gossip

Canyon have teased a new Downhill race team (rumoured to be managed by Fabien Barel) via Instagram…

It's coming!

A post shared by Canyon Bikes (@canyon_bikes) on

Luca Shaw and Loris Vergier to join the Santa Cruz Syndicate..?

Madison Saracen to field an enduro race team?

Neko Mullaly to join the YT Mob?

Richie Rude to return to Downhill racing aboard a new Yeti DH bike?

Halfords to field a Downhill race team?

Bye bye

Josh ‘Ratboy’ Bryceland has announced his retirement (temporary or permanent?) from World Cup DH racing.

Adam Craig has Inst-announced his retirement from seemingly all forms of bike racing…

A humble part of me was hoping to shrug off life as a professional bike racer, but @deckerator wasn't about to let that happen… Fourteen years ago we started officially living the dream when we joined the @giantfactoryoffroadteam aka #adamandcarlsfungiantteam || Today is my first day of retirement from that dream of racing my bike around the globe, and first day of continuing to live the two-wheeled fantasy. @giantbicycles has kept me on as an "ambassador" so you're not rid of me yet. Let's ride, dig, adventure and share ideas! Happy New Year, folks, thanks for the enthusiasm so far and in the future. It's been so good. ||Carl has penned a blog about our time so far, it's worth a read. "Tonight you Rub my Feet" Ha. Link up there.

A post shared by Adam Craig (@an_adamcraig) on

Got any scoops?

If you know of any team news – or strong rumours – please leave a comment below and we’ll check them out.