Mountain Bikers Ride Maxxis to World Championship Wins

MMA Maxxis sponsored downhill mountain bikers Gee and Rachel Atherton returned from the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Trentino, Italy, with Britain’s first ever gold medals, and also became the first siblings to take two mountain bike world titles in the same year.

Twenty year old Rachel is the new Women’s World Downhill Champion after mastering the hot, dry conditions and super technical track and seeing off the challenge of outgoing champion, France’s Sabine Jonnier. Fresh from victory in the Mountain Bike World Cup in Andorra, Rachel crossed the line an astonishing 11.99 seconds ahead of her main rival in one of the biggest ever winning margins in World Championships history, following up her 2006 Junior World Championship in style.

Rachel’s’ brother Gee, 23, proved himself the class of the men’s field to take the Men’s World Downhill Championship. Starting last Gee had established a two second lead at the split and managed to hold this margin, beating fellow Britons and Maxxis sponsored riders Steve Peat and Sam Hill – who finished second and third respectively – across the finish line.

There was further success for Maxxis at the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships when sponsored rider Josh Bryceland won the Men’s Junior Downhill Championship. Josh, 18, completed the course in 3:23:55, a time that would have placed him tenth in the elite men’s competition.

Rachel and Gee’s elder brother Dan, 26, was well-placed to lift the 4x World Championship before breaking his collar bone, while the family created history at the World Cup round in Andorra when Gee won the Men’s Downhill event, Rachel won the Women’s Downhill title and Dan took the 4x honours!

While Maxxis is looking forward to more great results during the remainder of the mountain biking season, it is also delighted that two members of the British BMX team competing at the Beijing Olympic Games are riding on Maxxis tyres. BMX is making its Olympic debut in China and the BMX specialists are part of a strong GB Cycling team, which is competing in all cycling disciplines.