Phil Atwill & Gaetan Vige Part Ways with Cube Global Squad

Dec 23, 2020
by James Smurthwaite  
Big day for Phil Atwill landing on the last step of the podium.

Cube has today announced it is parting ways with Phil Atwill and Gaetan Vige for 2021 and beyond.

Both Vige and Atwill joined Cube at the start of the 2019 season and have raced for two years with the German brand. Atwill picked up a handful of top 20 finishes for the brand and ended on a high with his second career podium earned at the final race of 2020 in Lousa. Vige's best result for the team came in 2020 too when he finished 26th in Maribor.

Phil freakin Atwill ladies and gents. Privateer mode engaged and straight onto the podium at the last opportunity.
Gaetan Vige is lovin it out here in Portugal even in privateer mode without team support.


bigquotesThank you for the ride Phil Atwill and Gaetan Vige! It has been a pleasant couple of years with the two of you! We wish you all the best for your professional and personal future!—Cube Bikes

There's no word on where either rider will be headed next but we'll update you with more news as we get it.

Posted In:
Racing and Events Racing Rumours Cube Gaetan Vige Phil Atwill


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77 Comments
  • 114 0
 « Pleasant ». What a word.
  • 7 0
 came here to say the exact same thing!
  • 21 1
 It's the perfect word to describe Atwill's riding style.
  • 49 1
 a bureaucratic german robot wrote the goodbies
  • 3 0
 peasant? or pheasant?
  • 1 0
 @dingus: I hope I gave you the props you deserve for that comment. Not 100% certain I haven't accidentally negged you. Hopefully not.

But you're totally right. Filthy Phil, one of the rowdiest humans on a bike. Pleasant. Ha!
  • 6 0
 Up until now everything had been satisfactory.

youtu.be/48aUMXifAn8
  • 55 1
 Santa Cruz for Phil? Might be one of the most stylish ambassadors tho
  • 7 0
 this would be the ultimate combo
  • 8 0
 Defenitley, they need a bit of crazyness now!
  • 22 1
 Pick up where Brycleand left off. Riding style is so similar!
  • 13 10
 I would love to see Hoffman as a full syndicate rider. She deserves it.
  • 1 0
 @drjonnywonderboy:
  • 9 0
 Phil, Peaty and The GOAT would make for some entertaining syndicate vids. Also, here's hoping we're getting a clue with the pic of phil and luca.
  • 5 0
 I bet Santa Cruz are looking for faster and more consistent riders (having said that, I love Phill’s style)
  • 3 1
 Well, Angel Suárez posted an Instagram story covering his next bike with the song "Santa is coming to town" so I guess we know who is the new Syndicate member...
  • 1 0
 Propain for Phil? Dear EX,
  • 2 1
 Can't imagine they would want such a low ranking rider, given the current 3s rankings.
  • 2 0
 @Ktron: they had my favourite segment in the british pie movie
  • 3 0
 @Edendino: Sadly, I think this is true. Whilst I'd love to see him on the syndicate he does not deliver consistently good enough results. I feel that he would make a good fit on commencal where he'd get the support and a fast bike.
  • 2 0
 @MountainRider51: Angel won't be in the Syndicate
  • 35 2
 Making room for Danny Hart!!! Hope Phil finds a good new team
  • 6 4
 Is it really making room if their contracts were just up?
  • 9 2
 Danny Hart is too good to be riding for Cube
  • 1 0
 @Edendino:
  • 22 1
 Anyway, Phil was to cool for cube...
  • 5 0
 They didn't have a clue what to do with him. When they signed him I thought canny move, he can turn their boring image round, get him doing loads of fun content with Tommy C etc...nah. must be the most fucking clueless marketing dept on the planet.
  • 1 0
 @alexhyland: it’s like dealing with robots.
  • 20 0
 Phil and Cathro for the win
  • 16 2
 Phil get back on Propain. You could make that bike do anything at will. This team change leading to an empty roster at Cube... I wonder if the DH rumours are true. I guess we will soon find out if it's that or DH to Nukeproof.
  • 5 2
 iirc, he didn't have the greatest relationship with Propain's team manager. So I guess he won't go back there
  • 9 2
 @bashhard: which is unfortunate, because as such a stylish, capable rider with a hilarious demeanour, did more for the brand than any other rider on their roster.
  • 2 0
 @bashhard: I thought he and Ben Reid were best buddys
  • 1 0
 "anything at will" - no pun intended? Smile
  • 9 0
 @Ktron: I agree. He put Propain on the map for me... I have no idea who has ridden Propain since he left a couple of seasons ago.
  • 3 0
 @dark-o: I believe I remember Reid said that if they wanted to remain friends, Phil needed to GTFO of the team before he killed him. Or something to that extent... Ha
  • 3 0
 @jaame: I completely agree. My introduction to Propainn was through Phil's riding and it really helped form my impression of the brand.
  • 15 0
 Yeah - Phil for the Syndicate, sign him up Kathy!!
  • 17 4
 That was expected after Cube's unprofessional behaviour during the World cup round 3 and 4.
  • 4 1
 What behaviour was this?
  • 32 0
 @haroman666: I believe it was something like not sending their racers or team out, so since Phil (and maybe Gaetan) wanted to race, they had to be basically be privateers and had no team backing them which is where Ben Cathro and the gang came to the rescue which led to Phil getting a podium.
  • 12 2
 @haroman666: Geatan and Phil wanted to race but someone in the support team was worried about rona so the team didn't go. leaving Phil and I think gaetan with no support which is pretty shit
  • 1 0
 @haroman666: www.pinkbike.com/news/cube-global-squad-withdraws-from-lousa-due-to-rising-covid-cases.html
  • 23 0
 @Ryan2949: maybe that's a sign of a defective team. Result of the year when the management wasn't present.
  • 24 4
 Just to play devil's advocate here, but is it really unprofessional behaviour to not want to attend an event due to potential health risks. You could argue that it was unprofessional to go ahead and attend the event even though the official stance was that they shouldn't be. Or both the team and the riders were happy to compromise over no liability on the teams part while not forcing the riders to miss the races
  • 2 8
flag jaame (Dec 23, 2020 at 9:25) (Below Threshold)
 @el-nombre: spot on. It was a professional decision by management.
  • 2 1
 Bit harsh IMO, with what been going on with Covid, all the extra hoops to jump thru etc!
You also got to bare in mind that support staff might not be all "full time" and prob self employed on a basic rate, plus prob not all in the same country, which will have different rules on travel and returning from traveling.

Like if a UK support staff was to leave the UK to go to the races, (prob leave a job earning money for a few days) to do a race, then have to isolate 10 to 14 days on return to the UK, unable to earn any money, (and team/cube not paying anything extra than race days) can that support rider afford to go? No not many would risk it.
  • 10 0
 Was pretty obviously incoming after they announced they wouldn’t be sending anyone to the last World Cup and Phil ended up doing it with his mate mechanicing for him! Took the team well over 24 hours to publicly congratulate on the result too. Not the best vibes for such a sound lad!
  • 10 0
 Phil the inaugural signing to Cathrow Racing?
  • 8 0
 Hey @cube, we need to talk about your use of exclamation points. Three in one Insta post? Really?
  • 8 0
 They! Really! Like them!
  • 9 0
 The word 'pleasant' in combination with an exclamation point looks really strange.
  • 3 0
 @cvoc: I don't like to criticise the writer's English as it's unlikely to be their native language, but I think the overuse of exclamations is fair game.
  • 1 0
 @chakaping: I can totally accept them as long as it's one per sentence. I would certainly contain if two or, heaven forbid - 3, all appeared side by side. One has to remember that using more that one exclamation point does not increase the magnitude of the exclamation. In this case there are simply three exclamations in a row. The excitement level is running high!
  • 1 0
 Top of the Muffin to you!!!
  • 3 0
 @jaame: You may like to read this and review your stance: cdn2.hubspot.net/hub/53/file-2378784241-jpg/Workflow2_b.jpg?t=1421937647652&t=1430915610079
  • 2 0
 @chakaping: I stand corrected. Apparently trying to generate excitement is a terrible reason to use one!
  • 3 0
 'Hey! I'm on fire.'
  • 2 0
 @jaame: Happy to help.
  • 8 0
 Farewell and good luck, artyfishial bullshit of PR manager.
  • 4 0
 Is it me or does it seem like there's more riders leaving or "losing" there rides than ever!? Everytime I look at Pinkbike which is everyday, there is some rider moving on from there team.
  • 3 0
 Hoping these two find good new teams! Both such incredible bike riders.
  • 5 2
 Phil off to the 50 to 1 crew fulltime
  • 13 0
 Nothing against them (and I realise you may not be fully serious) but I really want to see Phil on a fast DH bike following up his cracking form from this year.
  • 6 0
 @chakaping: my thought's exactly, seeing him on vital raw and the live coverage is always a highlight.
  • 4 1
 @irollones: he is a weapon and also a right funny c*nt.
  • 1 0
 @irollones: +1
  • 1 0
 Phil's slide across the wooden bridge at the last round of racing this year was some of the most stylish and balls to the wall racing I have seen in a while....
  • 3 0
 Brexit
  • 3 0
 Grexit
  • 1 0
 @Becciu: funny that. Not a lot of people remember the term admit has been eclipses by Brexit but in fact Brexit was a copy cat term!
  • 1 0
 @Becciu: no. just no Razz
  • 1 0
 Would be so cool to see him alongside the Shaw’s brothers
  • 1 0
 Phils just getting into his groove, such a great rider to watch....
  • 1 0
 Phil of to GT
  • 1 1
 Yoann, incoming!
Below threshold threads are hidden





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