Kenta Gallagher to Fill in for Injured Matt Simmonds on Cannondale Team
Kenta Gallagher was planning on running this full season as a privateer on a Commencal but this weekend he'll find himself in the Cannondale pits as part of "Test #6" while Matt Simmonds recovers from an injury.
 | So this weekend is going to be very different for me, due to Matt Simmonds being out for this race I’ve been called in as a back up rider for Cannondale test six... It’s super cool to get this opportunity! |
Matt Simmonds fractured his eye socket in finals at Les Gets, meaning he has to sit this one out. Rather than come to Val di Sole with no riders, Cannondale gave Kenta a ring during the week and asked him to fill in while Matt recovers. According to a WynTV interview, Kenta hasn't actually ridden this bike yet, bar a few car park bounces, so it will be a real trial by fire when he takes to the track today.
| Gutted to say I won’t be racing in Val di Sole this week. During finals in Les Gets I took a big slam that resulted in a fractured eye socket, hoping to be back soon enough though. Good luck to all on the black snake |
Filling in is a common practice in motocross but is very rare in downhill. It means Cannondale will be able to continue gathering data about their twin shock bike while Kenta gets a shot at proving himself on a factory set up. There's no word on when Matt will be back but we're assuming Kenta will continue to race for Cannondale in Lenzerheide next week too. We wish Matt all the best in recovery and look forward to seeing if Kenta can take full advantage of this golden opportunity.
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Anyways yeah send up some women privateers too!