Recent content by Axel Hangleck

Hulst will be a Valkenburg 2018 redux......(You read it here first);) There don't seem to be any strong rumours about any possible teams interested about Amandine.....

https://www.pinkbike.com/news/nukeproof-is-now-the-bike-sponsor-of-the-kmcnukeproof-mtb-xco-team.html Not surprising news; it was hinted at a while ago - the owners stated that Ridley is really a Road brand, and Nukeproof would be a better fit for a new XC bike.

In my opinion, off-road racing shouldn't just be who has the most power........ I know the Pinkbike community (yes I know) often moan about superior fitness beating skills in XCO - even Jenny has commented about XCO courses not being technical enough.

https://www.bikeradar.com/features/first-look-friday/misspent-summers-ninety-hurly-burly-and-the-world-stage-2025 End of year MTB World Cup books, for XC, DH & Enduro.

My annual 'issue' with CX....power overcomes skills/ technique more often than not......too many courses favour power. (Saying that, Brand's skills have improved massively over the years).

I've said similar elsewhere, but about XCO racers moving to the road; road racing is not for everyone, it's not the promised land many people claim it is. The pressure to perform is on another level compared to off-road racing, where it's a little more relaxed (whilst still serious/ professional).

It's possible that the 'big Pro team' environment doesn't suit her; and maybe a more 'hands on' small team is where she would thrive. Signing for Visma made sense, I guess they really signed her for her road racing potential - the CX was just a bonus.

Some MTB racing news stories (as road biased websites don't bother) https://esmtb.com/decathlon-ford-asegura-a-samara-maxwell-hasta-2028/ https://esmtb.com/estas-son-las-cifras-de-audiencia-oficiales-de-la-whoop-uci-mtb-world-series-2025/...

Marvellous, another w/kg contest. There is more to cycling than climbing…….the best athletes beating the better cyclists…….boring.

To be honest was easy to not notice; they didn't do a very good job of promoting the 'Pirelli' part of the team name, when they were already a sponsor on the jerseys.

Last season they were Trek Factory Racing-Pirelli XC. Whilst it's good they've now got a proper title sponsor, I still think it's a shame the Lidl sponsorship didn't cover the whole of Trek racing - and not just the road teams. Nina Benz to Trek-Unbroken.......

I think Ackert mentioned at the end of the MTB season he'd give 'Cross a miss this season.......and he'll be changing teams as Trek Future Racing are finishing. I'm not surprised the Holmgrens are giving it a swerve either......combining MTB with Road is a big effort, and having to race another...

How to become a WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series team (and the changes for 2026) https://esmtb.com/como-se-consigue-ser-equipo-whoop-uci-mountain-bike-world-series-y-los-cambios-para-2026/

More Trek MTB team news: https://racing.trekbikes.com/stories/tfr-cross-country/trek-unbroken-xc-dh-team-name-launch

After another World Cup podium, Fouquenet is in excellent form - but no team from 1st Jan.........We all know if she was Bel/Ned she'd have done enough for a contract; but that's not how it works, and Helen Wyman on commentary mentioned the difficulties of 'foreigners' on Belgian CX teams......