The Atherton Family Pulls A Hat Trick in Andorra

e.thirteen racers Dan, Gee and Rachel Atherton have accomplished a feat that no other family in the mountain bike racing scene can claim: three World Cup gold medals at the second stop of the UCI World Cup series! The Atherton's led the charge in a weekend in which e.thirteen chain retention systems helped riders claim the gold in every contested gravity event.Dan Atherton led the Animal-Commencal team by picking up his first ever World Cup win in the 4X on Saturday. After Dan's finish, thoughts of an Atherton hat trick were already buzzing through the pits. Every English rider was commenting on the similarity of the Andorran World Cup track to the downhill trails in Wales, where the Atherton family trains regularly. With just enough rain to make the trails muddy, it was perfect weather for the UK siblings.


Rachel Atherton bested the women's downhill field by over eight seconds in the final, after an equally impressive qualifying time that was fourteen seconds faster than the second place qualifier and finisher, Maxxis's Sabrina Jonnier. Two Atherton wins were in the books by mid-afternoon on Sunday, and it was up to Gee to seal the deal.


Gee Atherton qualified first early in the morning qualifying session, then said in an interview, "No one wants to talk to me in the pits, they're all asking where my brother is! The pressure is on me to bring this one home." Obviously two Atherton wins would've been more than enough on the weekend, but the idea of sweeping every category they raced was enough to pull Gee across the line to take the win!

Having qualified first, Gee was the last rider to run, following World Cup points leader Sam Hill. Monster Energy/e.thirteen rider Sam Hill put in an amazing run, pedaling through corners and picking up speed in areas through which most other riders only coasted. He came through a full second ahead of the field, and turned to wait for Gee's run.

When Gee came across the finish line, the entire area erupted with cheers of absolute amazement. Gee had completed the Atherton-dominated weekend with a third gold medal! Racers and fans alike were rushing into the finish area to congratulate the Atherton family. History was made in Andorra.


Aside from the excitement of the Atherton wins, e.thirteen pilot Anneke Beerten picked up another win in women's 4X, followed by her MS-Intense teammate, Mio Suemasa. Norco's Fionn Griffiths came in third, rounding out the podium with e.thirteen riders. Floriane Pugin of the Iron Horse/Playbiker team also stepped onto the podium for a third place finish in the women's downhill.

Congratulations to all four e.thirteen athletes who struck gold in Andorra this weekend at the World Cup, and best of luck next weekend in Fort William!

Fans who watched the World Cup coverage on the e.thirteen website can check back soon to see more information about the new Staccato 8 pedals, as well as a World Cup Tech Session video with MS-Intense mechanic Jerry Schippers, as he walks us through the bike of Matti Lehikoinen. Next week's race from Fort William will also be available to watch live on the e.thirteen website.


About ethirteen components
e.thirteen components is a small, rider-owned and operated company that strongly supports dozens of grassroots races, series, contests and other riding events all over the world every year. Founded in 2001, e.thirteen’s innovative, functional, simple and lightweight chain retention systems have made them a world leader in this category, and the choice of top pro and amateur riders and mechanics alike. They support a worldwide distribution network and take great pride in offering devoted customer service.

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