Vero Sandler on Her Switch to Santa Cruz
Vero Sandler has been one of the most fun riders to watch over the years. She has made a name for herself with some stellar media appearances, especially in her own movie, Vision. She's also one of the six riders invited to create a segment for the first X Games Real Mountain Bike video contest alongside Cam Zink, Brandon Semenuk, Danny McAskill, Brage Vestavik, and DJ Brandt. At the beginning of this year, Vero announced that she will be representing Santa Cruz in 2021.
Congratulations on Santa Cruz!
Thank you very much. Yeah. I'm super stoked. It's kind of been a childhood dream, I guess since I started riding bikes. I've always been a massive fan of Santa Cruz and what they stand for and how much cool stuff they do for the bike community, so I couldn't be more stoked, really.
What has that partnership been like so far?
It's been awesome. Obviously, it's like early, early days but the couple of guys that I've been working with so far have been awesome. And we see eye to eye on a lot of things. So I'm really hyped to get some projects started for the year and see where we go, really.
That must be so exciting. How did you get sponsored by them?
Let me think. I think actually through my friend, Joe, who's a videographer. He does a lot of work with them, and he kind of linked me a couple of months before the end of last year. He just hit me up to say, "Oh, by the way, I've got these guys from Santa Cruz who are keen to chat to you." And I was like, "Oh my God." So he just put us in touch with them. Then I just jumped on a call with them and had a chat, and then it went from there.
What bikes will you be riding?
At the moment I've got V10, so the downhill bike. And a 5010, so the small trail bike. And I'm pretty dialed with those at the moment, but hopefully I'll have a jump bike in the near future. And then we'll see what else, really. At the moment those two bikes are doing me super well, and I'm absolutely loving them. So, yeah, I'm stoked to see what the other ones are like too.
Do you have a favorite out of those two?
Oh, it's hard to say. I absolutely love, the 5010 because it's so playful and also handles bigger stuff really well. So, for an all-around bike, I'm absolutely loving it, considering it's like a quite small travel trail bike. It goes pretty fast, but also it's really fun to throw around. But I don't know. That's a hard one. I do love them both.
What projects have you been working on?
For the last sort of four-and-a-half-ish months, I've been working on the X Games Real video segment, and that's been taking up all my time. So we've been working really hard on it, but we're handing it in in a couple of days’ time, so that's going to be finished pretty soon. And then I'm going to be kind of free to do some new projects that I've got lined up. So, pretty excited for it. But it's been such a cool experience being part of an X Games segment. Absolutely sick.
I bet. How does it feel to be one of the first riders in something so big?
I honestly don't even know how to put it into words. I'm just beyond stoked. I just feel super honored, really, to be a part of it. All the other riders in it are massive inspirations to me. So, to be kind of in there, in the mix with those guys, is something I never would have imagined. So I'm just ridiculously stoked.
Yeah, that must be incredible.
Yeah. I can't wait to see all of those guys' segments. They're going to be absolutely amazing.
What are your riding goals right now?
Well, in Wales where I live, we have been pretty locked down for the last, well, ever since the start of the virus. So, in terms of riding hills, it's all local stuff to me that I've been riding for the last almost year, and it looks like it will continue for quite a while. So, just working on some of the trails and features that I'm really familiar with, and kind of working my style and trying to get better at that is on the cards. And then also some of the video projects or just projects, in general, I've got coming up, I'm pretty excited about. So I'm just going to work as hard as I can on those.
Vero had an incredible run with Marin, and we are even more excited to see what she can accomplish in the future with Santa Cruz. Vero, thank you for taking the time to chat, and best of luck with your next endeavors!
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Tan-wall tyres... Cool or Fool?
The adage that sponsorship is just about how much money they get thrown takes away any hard work that goes into making these decisions. It's not like in professional life you change jobs just for the money. And if you do, you'll be short lived in the industry. You change for all the right reasons and a package deal. Bikes, money, other deals and perks, supports, eminence (vids / social influence etc) plus any number of other things. Pros / Cons and all that goes with it. To say its just about cash is a bit misleading.
Plus your response in it self is kind of guilty of the same point your trying to make. It's some real lnception type shit.
My guess is that SC have realized that there isn't really a need for two separate brands, but you don't just ditch a brand that you've built up over decades. There's loyal customers, distributor contracts, sponsor contracts, internal staff for Juliana... As long as they see even a little value, they won't just drop that investment.
Also, yes - SC brand is "unisex", but while it's confusing that they seem to cannibalize their Juliana brand, it really shouldn't upset anyone.
Happy for Vero and stoked she's riding SC!
Aside: SC should have fired their palette people a decade ago.