Aaron Gwin
shared on social media that he will continue to ride for Intense in the upcoming years, posting a photo of himself at Intense with founder Jeff Steber.
| Stoked for the next few years with this dude! We’ve got some unfinished business to handle. Thanks @intensecycles and crew for the continued support. This has been a great off-season for us already. Really happy with where we’re at and the progress we’re making. Excited for the future!—Aaron Gwin |
Intense Factory Racing shared an Instagram story of the same photo with the caption "2022 and beyond," so it seems that Gwin has committed to the team, which he owns, through at least 2023.
Gwin's ride with Intense has had some ups and downs, with a handful of top-10s in 2019 and 2020 but some disappointing results, too, and a back injury that kept him sidelined for the end of the 2021 season. Perhaps the continuation of Intense Factory Racing will give him what it takes to get back to where he wants to be.
He can do whatever he wants at this point, and if being a part owner of intense and messing around w development and business is what he wants to do, let him lol.
Don't worry BT, just because we love Gwin doesn't mean we love Hill any less.
Gwin helped bring a less common approach of intense (ha) and methodical focus and training to the sport which has since been adopted by pretty much everyone who's a real threat. He helped changed the game. Not singlehandedly but he was absolutely one of the pioneers of the shift.
@nvranka saying he made the sport what it is today, really discredits all the greats - mainly the real GOAT Minnaar, as well as Peaty, Hill, a ton more - all of these riders had success well before Gwin's first race...
So, no hate towards Gwin, but to me, his results over the past 3 years do not warrant a statement of he's made the sport what it is today...
How did he do at moto again?
I guess some people remember history with rose colored glasses.
He won some races sure. He had a dominant streak here and there.
It wasn’t meant as a pejorative towards the other influential people throughout the years. I just remember seeing a real shift in the way everyone trained/raced since the days Gwin was putting 5+ Seconds into them all.
I would say Gwinn has done more for DH on the marketing and business side of the sport than anyone else. Seems like his negotiation style is much better than most.
The French in general have always had a more serious and professional approach to the sport.
Gwin stepped up the game when he arrived on the scene but he's not the first to train hard and take a professional approach.
Right now, I would say Bruni and his mechanic have stepped the game up just as much with their approach to bike setup.
Race DH WC,
Become MTB lord,
Buy Race team,
Keen Racing,
Retire from racing and work in elite bicycle R&D for the foreseeable future.
Sounds like a dream.
Agree 100%
He was one of the greatest for sure, but is influence is far from being the most important to get where we are.
Instead i believe, and i m not alone, (also his result speech about this) that he was so dominant with the "old " style of geometry and bike handling.
He definitely didn't bring the sport anywhere else than his victories, and he cannot adjust and adapt to the changes in the sport ( that u claim he would have produced himself), so as far as influence on the sport is not even a shoe lace of people like GOAT or Sam hill.
The thing about moto focus is really hilariuos .
It’d be nice to be privy to sales numbers. I have no idea how Intense is doing. I see them on occasion on the trails. But they are behind the competition for sure. Outdated and with ugly color schemes. But I’d consider an Intense “Hightower” if there were one and if it wasn’t ugly and if priced inline with other d2c brands.
Tell me how you think the goat shaped the sport more than AG? Not disagreeing, but the shift I saw across the board during the Gwin years was pretty significant imo. Greg is a great dude and an enigma in the way he has remained at the top/focused etc, but was he too responsible for pushing the entire field to a new level? I don’t know, got into the sport in like ‘09 and didn’t always pay close attention. I didn’t see that, but maybe it was before or I’m blind.
As I said above, my original comment certainly wasn’t meant to be the top comment lol, it could have been worded better and makes it seem like he’s the only contributor, which isn’t true.
It’s not but it will be once they release a lower link-driven version. I know they’ve got a ‘mega tower’ coming soon. I never got along with the old vpp (intense’s current one) as there’s a lot of pedal kickback and it just doesn’t feel good in the rough.
He is definitely different than most of the other riders. He doesn't party, smoke bowls and screw around like most of the guys. He figured out quickly that this is a business and he has maximized his value over his career. He knows that this is a young mans game and that careers are short lived. Much like a running back in Football. Try to make as much as you can because your career at the top will be short lived. He did that and in his case he was smart. He signed high dollar 2-3 year contracts and leveraged his success into his next high dollar contract, and if that meant switching team then so be it. The second part of his "This is a business mentality" was to to create and get paid on signature items with the parts companies. He has mastered this like no other racer around.
People like this get hated on because they are different than the norm. He has 100% revolutionized the way riders get paid, maybe not the sport , but the way they leverage success to getting paid.
He is no in the point of his career that he can still be a top 10 racer if he stays healthy but he is also looking to the future where he can stay involved in the industry and continued to get paid.
Best of luck to him as he really is a good guy.
Does not have any ownership interest in Intense Bicycle Company.
With ownership of the team, it's just like Star Racing/Yamaha. They can push and develop products, sponsors (Intense, Kenda, TRP, E13) pay and provide product across the entire team. The team ownership can seek out paid sponsors and receive a percentage cut for securing the deals and ownerships motivation is to grow the Factory Team's presence, demand larger income & in return a larger cut of the sponsor dollars, especially if they can land corporate backing from outside vendors.
That last sentence is the key. Can the ownership land sponsors from outside the MTB industry? If they can, then the team will succeed. If it's solely industry sponsors, the team will fold because it's not sustainable and essentially double dipping into the industry's budget. Intel, Lenovo, Alcoa, Novant Health, GMC...they can make the team a business.
I don't know how you can claim that they were doing a similar level of training and focus if they were losing races by 8 seconds?
Nico "The Alien" Vouilloz could do things on a DH bike no one else could. I was there for several races. His ability, skill and bike handling were on another level compared to the rest of the field. His consistent run was equal to everyone else's absolutely panicked "pulled a rabbit out my ass" run and managed to finish fast. I watched Nico barely get nipped by Brian Lopes (fastest bike handler & sprinter of all time) at Deer Valley Dual Slalom with Nico on his DH bike in the the round of 8. He stomped a mud hole in hard tail pro BMX'ers on a 40lb big rig & Lopes barely got him at the line twice.
I was there to watch Palmer (on track in Semi-Pro during the same practices as Pro). His skillset was completely different to Nico and his abilities were not the same. But his fitness coming into DH was ELITE!!! The only thing he lacked was the sprint & cardiovascular endurance some of the insanely pedally courses in Europe had at the time.
Go back and watch Palmer in X Games BoarderCross or any old grainy DH race videos. His gift that could not be matched by any other rider was momentum. When he came by on a rocky, gnarly section...he was silent and flowed like liquid mercury over rough shit. He is unbelievable to watch in person because what slows down 99% of racers on a track down...he gained time on. His flow would blow minds in person.
Tomac was a former Tour de France level fit rider & still lost to Nico by 6 seconds in his prime on a SIX MINUTE DH track with boatloads of sprinting. They didn't call him The Alien b/c he didn't have a visor.
And yeah...Palmer was a World Class moto racer. To prove it, he went out and qualified for outdoor Nationals & 125 Supercross Finals. There are about 80 guys in a season who can say that. He did it. You didn't.
Athletes back then were stupid fit and they partied their butts off with several racing multiple disciplines in a weekend like Dual or Slalom or 4X...which is utterly exhausting to practice and race. Then they showed out on Sunday in DH too, got hammered that night and did it all over again the next week.
Just because there is more information on nutrition and recovery now than then doesn't disqualify them from being the elite of the elite in athletics.
I ride a Devinci. Not easily found anywhere in a store. I can tell you I have been asked what kind of bike it is and what it is like to ride. No one has ever asked where I bought it. I have never been asked, across any of my bikes owned, where I bought something.
www.redbull.com/int-en/videos/aaron-gwins-winning-run-at-mont-sainte-anne-uci-mountain-bike-world-cup-2017
Hell, even Chatanooga has miles and miles XC trails that can be rocky, rooty, and muddy and demand a lot of fitness and skill. Make a great place just to train in terms of fitness. Two hours down to ATL and your back on a plane in no time back to wherever you came from.
And Gwin was in his arse kicking prime before he started racing at Windrock.
As for why more Americans aren't up there? Great question. But my guess as to why the French kick so much taili is that it's more to do with culture than anything else. More support from the general public AND the biking community. Huge amounts of support actually.
Here, most people just don't care and would rather watch grown men in tight pants chase balls, spit, and slap each other on the a55. Then most of the bike shops i've been too treat DH (WITCH CAPITAL LETTERS B1TCH35!) as just something idiots do.XC and Road peeps can be really pretentious. And most people don't even know what a bike park is, but when you say it, they prolly envision someplace in a city or suburb where small kids with training wheels can go.
But we still don't know why Americans aren't competitive on the WC DH scene... Perhaps our attention IS spread too thin between other sports? Maybe it's similar to football (soccer) and Formula 1? Those are getting more popular here, but around the world they are MASSIVE. Maybe we're just not DH here?
Maybe he‘s not the best team manager and need external advice.
Example: In the late 80's and into the 00's 500cc road racing was dominated by American and Aussies. And the Americans did so in spite of the sport getting next to 0 air time or media coverage in the states. So obviously culture and media wasn't an issue.
So why? As it turns out, Americans and Aussies did a lot more flat tracking. This dovetailed perfectly with the bikes of the time frame, which were fire breathing dragons by comparison to the bikes that have emerged since the dawn of the MotoGP four stroke age.
In short, flat trackers were better suited to the 500cc road racing machines.
So how does that apply here? It does in that provides an example of perhaps were we need to look. Is there an American or Aussie style of riding that's different than English or French? Does it have more to do with training in muddy conditions than how a rider views and attacks a track? Is cross training on MX a good idea for a DH racer where carrying speed into and through a corner is more critical? Is this conversation concerning stiffness/compliance ratios or damper stiffness settings?
An in depth analysis would be awesome.
But a quick observation too me is that Minaar, Bruni, Vergier, Gwin, and even Bryceland when he was crushing it have a lot more in common than not in terms of energy and upper body management. Especially when compared to Phil Atwill and Sam Blenkinsop.
Honestly, I like Aaron, but I'm not a super fan. But going just on the facts, it's hard to say that he'll never win a race again. There are too many examples of dudes that slayed, faded a little, then came back and slayed or won some more.
Greg Minaar comes to mind, but even Sam Hill's last DH win before going to Enduro where he started slaying some more.
make all the money you can before your body can't do it anymore...
The sustained success of Greg Minnar might not be the fairest thing to compare someone against (but is certainly the right comparison for GOAT status). In almost all sports having that high level of success for such a long time is unheard of.
f*cking GO AARON!
Minnar has a much more likable and approachable personality. Other racing personalities that sit better than AG would be Steve Peat, Gee Atherton, Cedric Gracia and Eric Carter!
While I definitely don't agree with his personal beliefs I kinda give him a hall pass. He grew up in a part of SoCal that is pretty conservative/ religious Christian so it's not his fault he got brainwashed as a kid
I think he's a super good dude though. I've seen him show up at local DH races just to coach little kids etc.
I hope he can finally snag that WC trophy before hanging it up, and I hope Intense can crank out some updated bikes!
LA is my adopted home and I've lived in many places / countries. WhileI have major issues with organized religion for many reasons ,however, I also recognize that it also creates good people.
That was the gist of what I was trying to say. I honestly think he's a really good dude.
Watch the Gypsy Tale interview with Gwin, it's pretty interesting....
And the one with Sam
While he used to be a bit of a pantomime villain to a lot of us non-US racing fans, I'd love to see him get back to his best - competing for the win against Thibault, Loic, Loris, Amaury, Troy, Reece, Danny & Greg.
Not bothered about seeing him win another overall though.
no one thinks Americans are generally smug. the media has you convinced the world hates you. they don't. they generall love you(outside of france. but don't worry, eveyone generally hates them....). Just be who you are. People all around the world love the base American personality of outgoing, positive, a bit noisy, but good willed enthusiasm.
GM started racing World Cup DH in 1997. ........................Gwin started in 2008
GM won his first WC in Kaprun in 2001 (Year 4).............Gwin won his first World Cup DH in 2011 (Year 4)
GM won his 2nd WC in 2004, then 3 in 2005...................Gwin won 5 World Cup DHs in 2011
GM has raced 148 World Cup DHs.................................Gwin has raced 83 World Cup DHs
GM has won 22 World Cup DHs in 24 seasons..............Gwin has won 20 World Cups in 13 seasons
GM has won 15% of World Cup DHs he raced................Gwin has won 24% of World Cup DHs he raced
GM has won World Cup DHs on 3 brands.......................Gwin has won World CUp DHs on 3 brands
GM won his 10th WC DH in year 12 (2009)..................... Gwin won his 10th WC DH in year 6
GM won his 20th WC DH in year 20 (2017).....................Gwin won his 20th WC DH in year 10 (201
I like to think that Whitley understands money, sponsorship, marketing and rider monetary value & has helped riders he works with over the years in so many ways to tap into their financial value as elite athletes.
Yep freeride has been dead for years!!
The GOAT is the GOAT for a reason.
I just wanted to put their World Cup paths on paper head to head for the interest of others.
I've never the specific comparison I made was all.
The only thing I wish I could go back and edit in was their age at each milestone, but I don't know their ages.
They need to make rad alloy bikes again, seriously. Even better if they could makes not super expensive.
- they look fantastic though.
2020 DH Results: www.rootsandrain.com/rider2949/aaron-gwin/results/filters/years2020
2019 DH Results: www.rootsandrain.com/rider2949/aaron-gwin/results/filters/years2019
2018 DH Results: www.rootsandrain.com/rider2949/aaron-gwin/results/filters/years2018
2017 DH Results: www.rootsandrain.com/rider2949/aaron-gwin/results/filters/years2017
It's not an easy sport.
Marriage & Injuries & running your own team take a toll
I think he'll win again this year (assuming good health).
GM started racing World Cup DH in 1997. ........................Gwin started in 2008
GM won his first WC in Kaprun in 2001 (Year 4).............Gwin won his first World Cup DH in 2011 (Year 4)
GM won his 2nd WC in 2004, then 3 in 2005...................Gwin won 5 World Cup DHs in 2011
GM has raced 148 World Cup DHs.................................Gwin has raced 83 World Cup DHs
GM has won 22 World Cup DHs in 24 seasons..............Gwin has won 20 World Cups in 13 seasons
GM has won 15% of World Cup DHs he raced................Gwin has won 24% of World Cup DHs he raced
GM has won World Cup DHs on 3 brands.......................Gwin has won World CUp DHs on 3 brands
GM won his 10th WC DH in year 12 (2009)..................... Gwin won his 10th WC DH in year 6
GM won his 20th WC DH in year 20 (2017).....................Gwin won his 20th WC DH in year 10 (201
Brought punk to the mainstream by cleaning it up and making it palatable & fun for a new generation of angst filled teens...while rocking spiked hair.
2. Make it Gwin-sized
3. Pack him off to Europe for two months from March with the blessing of his wife and a strict 1x10 minute phone call a day rule
4. Give him time to get his head back in the game
5. Change his contract to no win/no pay
6. Sit back and watch him tear everyone a new arsehole
I hope he comes back next season, I really don’t get the hate.
Good points, mx. I think the hunger pains may have subsided a bit, but more notably the risk tolerance has reduced.
Younger riders I can think of that are podium threats and that have the balls out style of Gwin's yesteryear: Iles, Greenland, Pierron, Daprela, Vergier.
Bruni, Hart, and Brosnan seem to still have some of the balls out style of a hungry youth but with maturity and experience thrown in.
And Minnaar is in a whole other league. He makes fast look easy. The young guys make fast look terrifying (and exciting).
www.rootsandrain.com/rider2949/aaron-gwin/results
stay angry, midget.