Video: Across the Border: The Muc-Off and Atherton Pre-Season Film

Apr 12, 2013
by David Craft  
Views: 39,355    Faves: 227    Comments: 7


Back in February, we met up with the guys from GT Factory Racing at Atherton HQ in North Wales. It was a bit cold, but we had a few laughs, tested out some new products and learned a bit about off-season training. Cheers to Dan, Gee, Rachel Marc and Taylor for letting us come up and hang out!

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Muc-OffCrew avatar

Member since Dec 17, 2012
3 articles

106 Comments
  • 74 3
 If i had to live with my sister at the age of 25 I would go nuts! Its no wonder Gee is in the gym all the time lol
  • 32 4
 but what if she was a world cup racer?
  • 3 5
 someone call border patrol
  • 11 52
flag scott-townes (Apr 12, 2013 at 19:55) (Below Threshold)
 I think it'd suck worse knowing that some dude is banging your sister... as bad ass as that dude may be.
  • 3 0
 man....living the dream...
  • 64 0
 Yeah scott-townes, I'd really hate to think that my grown-up sister has a healthy sexual relationship like a normal human being. *shivers*
  • 1 8
flag wilkey (Apr 14, 2013 at 19:22) (Below Threshold)
 worst vid ever
  • 4 5
 I made recommendations last year for new material but apparently none of them were listen to. Still my favorite team.
  • 1 0
 She doesn't look like the typical sister, she seems more like the "lil-brother" sister, doing what her brothers do, thats cool!
  • 41 3
 All right we get it... Your sponsored by redbull
  • 35 0
 and muc-off?
  • 21 2
 and gt...
  • 20 1
 and I'm jealous!!
  • 46 0
 and my axe!
  • 8 6
 And one industries
  • 9 1
 Too far mate ..
  • 16 1
 ...and Animal and Commencal......Oh wait......No
  • 33 2
 Gad dam! Dont care what anyone says or thinks, i love every single film that the athertons put out, just simply amazing!!! go rachel , at fort william' you can do it!!!!!! Cant wait for worldcup to start aaaaaaaaaaah.
  • 2 0
 Me too, they keep it real and are totally committed. The best family in sports.
  • 16 2
 Nice vid, always interesting to see how different teams prepare for the race season, would like to have seen more of Taylor Vernon though!
  • 18 0
 And Dan.
  • 12 2
 Gee's lifting some massive shit there! Anyways, muc off whatever, everytime Rachael started a run last season I was blown away by but expecting the gap she put into the other women. She's in a class of her own with only Ragot to challenge. Hopefully Morgan Charre and Manon Carpenter will challenge this season. Not that I want Rachael to get beat but just that I love the women's racing and I'd love to see a great season from them. All the best gals Smile
  • 5 12
flag DragontalesDH (Apr 12, 2013 at 19:08) (Below Threshold)
 That's only 205 pounds. big? yes. massive? no.
  • 3 13
flag samblagy (Apr 12, 2013 at 19:23) (Below Threshold)
 I wouldnt even call it big..... Its the sort of thing youd expect to like atleast 10 reps with
  • 34 3
 Do you even lift bro?
  • 8 1
 Apparently he does not
  • 3 2
 It's hard to tell because you don't know what his training plan looks like, how many sets/reps he does and maybe it's even just a warm up set but 205 pounds for a dude who weights around 185 pounds is nowhere close to being impressive, especially for an athlete of that caliber... But I can tell you from personal experience that being extremely strong doesn't give you all that much of an edge when it comes to biking so the numbers don't really matter all that much.
  • 6 1
 no I can tell you from personal experience that it does, I'm alot stronger overall than last season and it's nice to fly down steep rough sections and being stronger helps quite a bit with holding onto the bike and when you can push the bike around more it's good, yes balls, line choice and being able to respond to stuff coming your way quickly helps a lot more but you still need alot of strength IMO
  • 2 0
 "more" is vague.

If someone goes from weak to "ok strong" it's going to make a good difference. Getting your squat from 200 to 300 will not yield as much improvement than getting it from 100 to 200 though. Last season I got about 125lbs on my squat and my deadlift and to be honest I didn't notice all that much of an improvement. My personal observations and training litterature seem to suggest that depending on the sport, there usually are big diminishing returns past a certain point and I do not feel that this point is very high for DH even if DH is probably the racing discipline that benefits the most from strength. Another thing that opened my eyes on that issue is while having squat/DL/Bench/C&J/row and whatever numbers much much much higher than the general population, I was often getting past by girls about my riding level when riding XC, girls who couldn't fight their way out of a wet paperbag.

Also, where I ride DH, fatigue is a much bigger problem for me. From what I understand, you can only tap into your strength for 0-30 seconds effort and then after your body switches to different energy patterns so I don't think strength is a big player for that reason too.

I'm in no way an expert on the topic but if I was wrong, the top guys on the WC circuit would probably all squat/DL 400+ lbs but they definitely don't look like they can lift anywhere close to that.
  • 1 0
 oh okay sorry I misunderstood your original point there, I thought you meant that strength didn't play a part at all
  • 2 0
 Yeah I could have worded it better. If he lifts 205 pounds, it's probably because his trainers (who I can probably safely assume know a LOT more than us) believe that 205 is good for him. I used "extremely strong not amounting to much" with "getting your squat/DL from 200 to 600 pounds" in mind as I don't think the time/energy invested would serve a dh rider well.
  • 13 1
 No I don't lift weights. I drink beer. Probably why I'm a very average rider!
  • 20 0
 Yayy lets all argue about how much Gee can lift...
  • 2 0
 Lets also realize that while that's not a 'massive' amount if weight he also doesn't look to be struggling with it to much. That looked like a pretty easy rep for him. He wasn't even using a spotter so I would assume this would be a lighter weight for him. I think it would be safe to assume he could do much more if he wanted.
  • 2 0
 Sound like you need to build bike fitness and not just gym specific strength. There's plenty of evidence that lifting causes muscle dilution so while you're good to lift 3/400+ lbs, you can't sustain any sort of reasonable pace for more than 30- 40secs. Those diminishing returns you're talking about are probably because beyond a certain point, your time is probably better spent training for fitness and not lifting heavy. Even DH is predominently aerobic, a 3minute race would be 60:40 aerobic:anaerobic so time to get out biking and stop training to fight your way out if a paper bag Wink
  • 3 0
 wether its a big or small, i would feel pretty comfortable betting his fitter than most people on here...
  • 2 1
 Alrighty guys, enough with the gym talk about if its heavy or not, some of you think your cutler or coleman. Like the comment above lets just say hes will leave all of us on a bike
  • 3 0
 Its good for overall healthWink
  • 1 0
 DH is more about reaction, technique, and hand eye coordination than it is pure strength. Most of the fastest racers haven't been very big, just fit.
  • 1 0
 I'm not sure why I got so many neg props. I'm not super strong or just super fit. But I've definitely seen a huge difference in myself and my friends from when we were 15 ish years old and almost fat trying to race DH, till now that we all got serious in the gym. We all have gotten a lot faster. A couple of my friends will be racing world cups this year and they are in way better shape than a lot of xc guys I know.

And protour? Your skill us only half the bill for racing. If you only ride for fun then fitness is irrelevant. But Racers MUST be at the top if their game physically to climb the big boy ranks. (I'm not there yet. I'm just speaking from watching my friends do it)
  • 1 0
 @protour: if it was about pure strength, riders would be shaped more like power lifters instead of soccer players and they'd have insane totals, which they don't.
  • 14 1
 That was sick!!
  • 5 3
 To bad I cant see it ADOBE ARR...
  • 8 0
 Rachel is mint, seems a proper nice girl. I doubt they'll squat too much in season as it takes a lot out of your legs. Squats and deadlifts are amazing for your body, with chinups probably all your body needs + sex coz everyone needs a squirt from time to time.
  • 11 0
 I NEED SOME MUC-OFF NOW!!!!!!!
  • 2 0
 I put some Muc Off in a really old Aluminium tin and it managed to dissolve a hole through the bottom all over my floor. Wasn't best pleased. Still a good cleaning agent though.
  • 2 2
 That's why you need to dilute it, although I don't even use muc off. I get the exact same stuff made by comma for industrial use in a 20l container for £28
  • 4 1
 Hope sh1t shifter is far better than this crap.
  • 1 0
 compare.ebay.co.uk/like/300655312420?var=lv&ltyp=AllFixedPriceItemTypes&var=sbar&_lwgsi=y&cbt=y That's the stuff, if you know someone in the auto industry or involved with commercial vehicles it'd be possible to get cheaper and even better value. Most of these bike cleaners are probably sourced from comma or come from the same factory.
  • 9 2
 The Athertons have a pretty fun life down there, don't you think?
  • 1 0
 Like a misty paradise.
  • 4 0
 I think the entire team are set for good things this season, I think Vernon will raise a few eyebrows. Got to be the most exiting team on the circuit!
  • 3 0
 Wow that was a "serious" video, don't think I saw a smile or a laugh at all!
  • 1 0
 Rachel is mint, seems a proper nice girl. I doubt they'll squat too much in season as it takes a lot out of your legs. Squats and deadlifts are amazing for your body, with chinups probably all your body needs.
  • 1 0
 I got nothing then respect to the Athertons! Great riders and such a cool gang to follow in their webisodes! Hope there will be more of that!
  • 1 0
 Could it be the last year of the carbon fury in 26"?
Man those trails and surrounding village areas look so lovely!
Those plates on the barbell look to b double wides aye...
  • 1 0
 Why is Dan running a fork with no name or stickers on it? I know its probably his new 650B but he had fox written on the other one.
  • 1 0
 One can only hope it means he will ride another companies suspension that isnt released yet. Like CG did before he got his DVO stuff.
  • 1 0
 Well CG was already riding Emeralds, he was only taking stickers off his foxs because he wouldnt be allowed the fox name when theyre not his suspension sponsor, Dan doesnt have any publicly known suspension sponsors other than fox as far as I know
  • 2 0
 Muc-Off is good stuff. It looks cool, works great and if you accidentally drink some no big deal.
  • 1 0
 Looking forward to seeing more staff from Athertons. It's pure pleasure to watch them in action.
  • 1 0
 its nice to see how serious they take it and how professional they appear. a credit to their sponsors and mtbing...
  • 1 0
 Suck a sick video makes me wanna go ride right now!! And love the am-45s on the road bike!
  • 7 8
 damn walking billboards!!!! .. i mean .. go team and all that jazz but man these guys are really milking for all its worth .. is it me or do they seem quite boring in these films - too serious
  • 15 1
 I see why you would think they are too serious, especially considering the position you're in. I mean, you're not sponsored and therefore don't need the sponsorship money to fund your chosen sport. Therefore, you have no need to promote any products. You're also just riding for fun so you only see it as a hobby / pastime and never need to view it from the angle of sport, industry, work etc. In fact you're so far removed from the world the Athertons are involved in that I can only applaud you for being able to think of anything to say about it at all.
  • 9 1
 Couldn't agree more...Compare this to videos of peaty and ratboy getting ready for the season and it doesn't even look like they're having fun
  • 2 0
 @dhx42....Are you trying to tell me that that Peaty, or Josh don't have sponsorship commitments? As far as team edits go, different style of team, different style of edits. Don't get me wrong, I prefer the Santa Cruz style/ethos but I don't for one minute believe that off camera, they're not taking the 2013 season as seriously as GT/Athertons.
  • 3 0
 No not all. I'm sure the Syndicate takes their training/commitments seriously. I just think the Athertons and Co take themselves too seriously. There's a big difference between taking your training seriously and yourself. You can take your training seriously and have fun at the same time. Everyone gets that racing bikes are their jobs, but show some personality and act like you enjoy it.

Let's face it, watch this video and then watch the Santa Cruz Bronson video/add. Who would you rather go on a ride with?. Which companies bike/product would you rather buy?
  • 2 0
 Prob. hard for Gee to bring boys home with her around so much
  • 1 0
 She's dating Ben Reid....
  • 1 0
 I totally dig the Antherton team. Seems like a good family, mellow, killer riders and what an amazing place to live.
  • 1 0
 i dont know if any one saw it but gee was on his new gt bike. the colour and frame is so diff to old frame. hope it looks ok
  • 1 0
 The carbon fury looks very similar to the session 88 guys they should watch out
  • 2 5
 Gee Atherton, "you have to better bounce of trees, and better get back up". Regardless of your workout, if you hit a tree going down a mountain on a downhill bike race, you will certainly not be getting "back up" any time soon Smile
  • 2 0
 I believe one of the Atherton Project episodes does indeed show Gee hitting a tree, bouncing off said tree, and getting back up and riding off.
  • 1 0
 Can anyone please tell me the SONG NAME at 1.20????. Great video!
  • 7 10
 Would like to see some more Atherton vids like 'the Atherton project' which has stopped now because i am 14 and love biking and want to get into racing and to have worlds champs less than 20mins down the road and riding the same tracks they train on its great motivation
  • 6 0
 Punctuation is your friend.
  • 2 0
 I was exhausted after trying to read those three lines.
  • 1 0
 im curious what gee does as a workout for injury prevention
  • 10 0
 Its a well known fact that pull ups prevent bike crashes.
  • 1 0
 As someone who just broke three ribs and fractured two, I also would LOVE to know. Breathing hurts. Still went out for a ride today though.
  • 11 0
 Hey man that sucks, I remember doing a 40 foot gap and casing hard, the day before though (luckily enough) I did 4 press ups and 6 pull ups and ran to the shop and back for some milk and didnt even feel a thing. My helmet was split in 2 though.
  • 1 0
 I can't do any kind of workout without causing extreme pain to myself right now. I'm in a bad way. Lots of ice and peppermint oil has helped a ton so far. I basically body slammed some roots the size of my thigh on a bad run.
  • 1 0
 And me, I think it could be simular to a boxxers training when they want to increase strength but not gain weight. 3-5 min rest between sets apparently strengthens nervous system.
  • 1 1
 He's putting muscle on his upper body as it will hold him in place more when going through twisting motions or with his limbs being pulled about during a crash. Simple way to think of it is if he did a 200kg deadlift 1 rep max then each arm is carrying 100kg so it would take a greater force to pull his arm out of place than if he lifted 140kg which would be 70kg per arm.
  • 1 0
 Anyone action shot with Gee! New GT stuff are so secret, aren't it??
  • 1 0
 Id love if Gee smiled. Once, just once.
  • 1 0
 Live in North Wales and go road biking 4 of 5 times a week?????
  • 1 1
 Woah, slow mo bike cleaning so sick! Stuck up british American wannabies
  • 1 0
 Great vid!
  • 1 0
 Nice video
  • 4 4
 Oh no not another Atherton self promo clip zzzzz
  • 1 1
 uh...hello? it's all self-promotion
  • 4 22
flag zer0c00l44 (Apr 12, 2013 at 17:39) (Below Threshold)
 That bitch looks like an ugly man with small breasts.
  • 6 0
 ^ wow nasty. any need for that? or are you just a pissed off gog because the English bought a house in Wales?
  • 3 2
 You hit the nail on the head, how observant. The acquisition of property by the English in Wales really gripes my arse.
  • 3 0
 what's your alternative? tax the ass off the pobl Saesneg? seasonal cottage burning?
  • 2 5
 looked like a session....
  • 4 0
 really?
  • 1 4
 Not enough "Ya Know" in this one, Go Athertons!
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