With the addition of the the all-new Rabobank-Giant Off-Road Team, which will focus on World Cup cross-country and cyclo-cross racing, Giant is dramatically increasing its off-road racing presence in 2010.

Giant has assembled a diverse group of off-road athletes including Olympians, world champions and national champions to comprise the Rabobank-Giant Off-Road team. With four full-time XC racers, including U.S. Olympian Adam Craig, this will be a year-round global operation supporting XC riders during the mountain biking season and cyclo-cross riders in the fall and winter.

The riders will all play critical roles in Giant’s continued commitment to develop and test Maestro-equipped suspension bikes and TCX cyclo-cross bikes in the demanding conditions of professional competition.

“From an athlete’s standpoint, it’s the ideal setup,” Craig said. “There are certain similarities between cross-country mountain biking and cyclo-cross, and there’s always some athlete cross-over between the two disciplines. So structuring it under one team makes sense.”

For the 2010 mountain bike season, Craig will be joined by a trio of talented young XC racers: Emil Lindgren (Sweden), Fabian Giger (Switzerland) and Henk Jaap Moorlag (The Netherlands). All are all under 25 and rising through the ranks of World Cup XC competition.

“I’m thrilled Giant is stepping up its commitment through the new partnership with Rabobank on the off-road side of things,” Craig added. “Both brands have been committed to racing for a long time—it’s an honor for me to be a part of this new partnership.”