As the world of off-road racing continues to evolve and expand with new race formats and events, so too does the Giant Factory Off-Road Team. This year the team includes 15 riders competing in a variety of disciplines including downhill, enduro, XC, gravel and E-MTB racing.
The 2020 roster has three national champions and a strong mix of veterans and young talent. The team is divided into global riders and regional North American riders. The global squad is focused on major international events including UCI World Cup downhill and cross-country races as well as Enduro World Series events.
Three-time Irish downhill national champion Jacob Dickson leads the DH squad and is joined by young American Matthew Sterling and returning rider Eliot Jackson. Sterling is the 2019 U.S. DH national champion in the junior men’s category and finished fourth at the final round of the 2019 UCI World Cup series (junior men). Dickson, Sterling and Jackson all compete on their Glory Advanced race bikes.
The enduro team sees the return of Youn Deniaud, a top talent from France who finished sixth at the final round of the 2019 Enduro World Series and had three top-20 finishes overall. Some familiar faces are also back with the enduro squad, including 24-year-old Canadian Mckay Vezina, who won the 2019 North American Continental Enduro Series title. Also returning is 20-year-old American Tyler Weyman, and rounding out the enduro squad is Australian Josh Carlson, who is making the transition to E-bike competition. Deniaud, Vezina and Weyman will have their Reign Advanced Pro 29 bikes with FOX suspension setups, along with shorter travel Trance Advanced Pro 29 trail bikes for select events. Carlson is racing primarily on his Reign E+ Pro.
This year also sees an expansion of the team’s XC and endurance squad with a renewed commitment to World Cup racing. Two new riders—Reto Indergand of Switzerland and Antoine Philipp of France—represent the team in the elite men’s category, while Australian Cameron Wright returns to race in the Under-23 class. In addition to the three World Cup XC racers, U.S.-based riders Stephan Davoust and Cole Paton represent the squad at North American XC events. The XC athletes will compete primarily on their XtC Advanced SL 29 hardtails and Anthem Advanced Pro 29 full-suspension XC bikes.
This year’s gravel racing squad consists of Josh Berry, Tristan Uhl and Carl Decker. The three raced together in 2019, the team’s first season of targeting major gravel events as a team, and each found success at various races in the U.S. including Gravel Worlds (Nebraska), Grinduro and Rebecca’s Private Idaho.
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