Giant has a long history of supporting the world’s top off-road racers, dating back to 1995. This year the Giant Factory Off-Road Team includes 15 riders from six different nations competing in every discipline from downhill to enduro to cross-country and gravel.

The 2019 roster has three national champions and a strong mix of veterans and young talent. The team is divided into two tiers: six global riders and nine 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. 

Eight-time Colombian downhill national champion Marcelo Gutierrez leads the World Cup DH squad. Gutierrez is joined by another national champion, Jacob Dickson of Ireland. These two DH riders are focused on World Cups and other major events on their Glory Advanced race bikes. They are joined by American Eliot Jackson, who is focused on key North American events. 

The enduro squad gets a boost this year with the addition of Youn Deniaud, a top young talent from France who finished 10th overall in the 2018 Enduro World Series. Deniaud scored several top-10 EWS finishes racing as a privateer last year, earning the "Breakthrough of the Year" award in the world's premier enduro series. The enduro squad also sees the return of some familiar faces. Australian Josh Carlson joins Deniaud on the full EWS circuit, while Canadian Mckay Vezina is racing a mix of EWS and North American events.

The team’s XC and endurance squad is led by up-and-coming talents Cameron Wright from Australia and Cole Paton from the U.S. They are competing primarily on their XtC Advanced 29 hardtails and Anthem Advanced Pro 29 full-suspension XC bikes, while also helping develop next-generation XC race bikes and gear. 

In addition to the two global XC riders, this year’s team has an expanded crew of endurance athletes focused on the growing XC marathon and gravel racing scene in North America. Those riders include veteran Carl Decker, who last year captured the Lost Sierra Triple Crown series on the West Coast, Stephan Davoust, Ryan Steers, Tristan Uhl and Tyler Weyman. In addition, former U.S. road pro Josh Berry, who last year made the switch to gravel racing and scored podium finishes at major events including Dirty Kanza, Gravel Worlds and Grinduro while riding Giant bikes, joins the team for select races. Each of these riders has a collection of Giant bikes to suit their racing needs including the Revolt Advanced gravel racing bike. 

For more on the Giant Factory Off-Road Team, you can follow them on Facebook.