Video: Introducing Gowaan Racing & Gowaan Collective with Bex Baraona, Chloe Taylor, Martha Gill & Jayden Fleming
We are buzzing to announce the beginnings of our 2 new teams, Gowaan Racing and Gowaan Collective, each team being led by yours truly at Gowaan, Bex Baraona and Martha Gill. It’s a jump into the unknown for us, we’re going to be learning on the job as we take our teams into their first seasons but luckily that’s what we are used to at Gowaan - giving it a go! Back in 2017, when Gowaan Gals started as a joint instagram page, where we would share clips of each other either crashing, sending or just being our usual weird silly selves, we never really thought we would get to this point.
 | Gowaan Racing will be focusing on World Cup racing, with myself and fiance, Chloe Taylor racing enduro and hopefully some downhill too! It’s a pretty unique team set up, teammates with your fiance, but we can’t wait to travel out to the races this year. It’s going to be a simple setup for us, campervan, bikes and dog. After winning a world cup last year, and a less than ideal start to my off season, there’s no chance I’d give up on my racing dreams that easily - and so Gowaan Racing was born! Chloe has been quietly climbing the EDR ladder the last few years with 2023 being her best season yet. After achieving multiple top 10 stage finishes, her first top 10 race result in Pietra Ligure, and a top 3 stage result, she’s more hungry than ever to get between the tape this season. With the current climate of the bike industry it has definitely been a struggle to secure sponsorship. Having not managed to secure a frame deal for myself or us as a team, Chloe will be continuing on Scott bikes as she goes into her 3rd year working with them. I have begun and will continue to try out different bikes, see what I like, see what I don’t like, and keep building my knowledge on what makes a good bike. At the heart of Gowaan Racing, we want to demonstrate to the next generation of racers that there are other ways to go racing at world cup level, not just a factory team scenario which is currently seen as the best package. We want to create a unique team environment that is supportive, inclusive, and encouraging - and can see the next generation thrive. |
Bex Baraona, a 2-time enduro World Cup/EWS winner, looking to secure some wins under Gowaan Racing.
Chloe Taylor, hungry as ever to be in that top 10 consistently in 2024.
| Gowaan Collective will be a team focussed on competing in the full Crankworx World Tour. Last season it became apparent to me that to be able to perform to my highest ability and achieve my goals over the coming years I need to have a good support team around me, so it seemed like a no-brainer to set up this team! On the team will be myself and fellow Marin Bikes rider, Jayden Fleming. Jayden hails from New Zealand so naturally has a chilled out attitude, but he has absolutely no chill when you watch him ride a bike, he can throw front flips and double backflips for breakfast! Jayden’s already had a taste of a Crankworx podium, placing 3rd in Whistler Pumptrack in 2022. I’m super excited to be able to help provide a bit of extra support and see where that can take him for this season and beyond. Melissa Newell will also be joining the team as support staff, taking on many roles from cooking us dinner, to giving massages, to helping us stay hydrated all day - she’ll be there to help us manage a week of hectic Crankworx racing. Whilst I have my own personal racing goals I am also really passionate in helping other riders to achieve theirs, and creating this team is the perfect opportunity to do so. I want to create an environment that promotes relaxed vibes and fun times as well as hard work and successes on and off the bike! As the team grows I hope we can support some younger riders as well as branching into supporting freeride athletes. |
This year we will be using Gowaan Racing and Gowaan Collective to bring attention to our riders, what we are about and share the story of our first year racing under the Gowaan umbrella. We will be posting videos on our youtube channel throughout the season to show how the racing goes down, the real stories behind a race week - the good times, the less than good times, and mainly just us being “us”.
To keep up with our teams make sure you subscribe to our Youtube channel and follow us on Instagram, and if you would like to support the teams, 100% profits from our Original Gowaan Tee T-shirt will go back into them.
And lastly, on a side note, tickets for our 2024 women's MTB festival, GOWAAN FEST 20-22nd September, will be on sale soon!
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Looking neat and expensive is not how logos work
1. If you’ve got nothing nice to say then don’t say it at all
2. Everyone has their own opinions and seems like 99% of people don’t have the opinion of thinking it’s a bad logo, so try be more open minded
3. I think the team is rad and the logo looks absolutely spot on, In line with a bunch of other teams/brands in this space imo