iXS Announces 2014 Sponsored Athletes

iXS's list of athletes continues to grow, and for 2014 the Swiss company has added Cedric Gracia to their roster. Take a look at the impressive lineup of riders who will be outfitted in iXS protective gear for the 2014 season.


Cedric Gracia


Freeride/Big Mountain
In the freeride/Big mountain segment riders Darren Berrecloth, Geoff Gulevich, Matt Hunter and Chris Van Dine have been pushing the boundaries of what can be done again and again. Young Polish rider Szymon Godziek has also been causing quite a stir with mad tricks such as the bar spin cashroll, and he’s likely to compete for the top spots in many contests in 2014. The feedback of these riders are enormously valuable in order to improve existing products or to develop entirely new helmets, protective gear and clothing. For 2014, some additional riders are relying on protective gear from iXS: Czech Tomas Zejda is a dirt jump and slopestyle specialist and a regular starter at events of the FMB-World Tour. From Canada, both Garrett Robertson and Mark Matthews prefer extreme terrain and were invited to compete at the Red Bull Rampage in 2013 for the first time. Add to that three more talented Canadian dirt jumpers and freeriders Sam Dueck, Nick Clark and Alex Volokov and iXS has a talented group of freeriders in the stable


Downhill
When developing new protective gear and helmets, downhill racing is still considered as the true test in terms of optimized protection and freedom to move. This is why iXS has further expanded its commitment to this important category for 2014. Norco’s factory team with Jill Kintner and Bryn Atkinson will be riding both protective gear and clothing from iXS. We also continue to support the Evil World Cup Team with riders Morgane Charre, Luke Strobel, Florent Payet, Toni Ferreiro, Cyrille Kurtz and Filip Polc. We are also supporting the American KHS factory team with Logan Binggeli with iXS’ helmets, clothing and protective gear. Last but certainly not least two additional teams have decided to cooperate with iXS for 2014: Hutchinson United Ride’s Tracey Hannah, Fabien Cousinie and Guillaume Cauvin will be riding iXS helmets, and the RRP Ghost Team with Johannes Fischbach, David Trummer, Harry Molloy and Phil Atwill will get the full treatment with iXS providing the protective gear, clothing and helmets.


Enduro
The enduro format has been taking the mountain bike world by storm recently. No wonder, it’s simply a whole lot of fun to pedal up all the climbs without the stress of competing and then try to be as fast as possible on tricky trails that mostly lead down the hill. As far as the equipment such as protective gear is concerned, it has to be comfortable enough to be worn all day and still be up to its task when needed. Thanks to input from riders such as Rene Wildhaber, Francois Bailly-Maitre (winner of 2013’s Megavalanche Reunion race), Florian Golay, Kerstin Kögler and Aaron Bradford of the BMC Enduro Team, iXS has been gaining a lot of valuable experience for product development. With Cedric Gracia bringing his energy and enthusiasm to enduro he will surely boost the iXS brand awareness even further. Hutchinson United Ride Enduro Team riders Jamie Nicoll and Aurelien Giordanengo will be two more riders will be on helmets and protective gear from iXS.


Trail
Racing is an important part, but the true essence of mountain biking is unforgettable adventures in a breathtaking scenery. When it comes to that, it’s hard to beat world class riders Hans Rey and Richie Schley. These two riders have been showing their extraordinary skills in the most exotic places around the world. They both rely on iXS’ protective gear, and have contributed to the development of new products such as the lightweight Flow Series protectors or the Trail RS helmet. Another trail ambassador for iXS is Guido Tschugg. He still has the goods to compete in 4X races, is an active trail builder and needs versatile protective gear for those long adventurous trips.

On top of that, iXS is going to launch a women-specific protector collection that has been developed in cooperation with the Trek Gravity Girls.


BMX
Since being elevated to an Olympic sport, BMX has seen more professionalism and the rise of more spectacular courses. And for kids BMX is the best way to feel sure-footed on two wheels and work on their bike handling skills. Since this may involve a couple of crashes every now and then, the protective gear is all the more important. To further push the development, iXS has chosen to cooperate with two top athletes on both a national and an international level: David Graf is one of Switzerland’s fastest BMX racers and has proven to be a top contender in the 4cross format as well. Australian Caroline Buchanan may have had to settle for fifth at London’s Olympic games, but one year later she was back to win the world championship titles in both BMX and 4cross. Furthermore we are proud to have the European Champion, Toon Jacobs, on our Products. iXS is being represented in the top ranks of the BMX world as well.


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