Missy “Missile” Giove is the star turn rider for the newly formed Global racing team. Famed for her unrepentantly strong views, Missy now has a true cause to ride for after ditching corporate sponsors Cannondale two years ago.
The team – managed by ex-UCI mountain bike manager Martin Whitely – will run a strong eco theme throughout their campaign next year, using tents instead of a team truck and proclaiming that they will be marketing “mountain biking as a global sport” rather than any sponsorship products. Funding is apparently coming from an un-named Japanese businessman, previously involved with the Mt Arai downhill course in Japan. This leaves the team riders including Greg Minaar, Sean McCarroll and several Japanese riders free to ride whatever products they prefer (nice for them, but a potential nightmare for their mechanic) though there’s no news yet what they might be.
The team will race UCI world cup and NORBA events and Whitely confirmed their eco friendly stance; “We will have some messages in our advertising relating to global concerns that we as a team share. It may have to do with the environment, it may have to do with vanishing forests.”
Whether this means we’ll be seeing a new bamboo range from Intense or a renewable forest friendly pine laminate FOES frame is yet unclear as is the possibility of it ruling out Hope or any other manufacturer using DOT brake fluid rather than mineral oil. All will presumably be made clear when the team is debuted at next years appropriately named Sea Otter classic.
Point your free range mouse here for full team roster and Mr Whitely’s version of his team countdown conundrum in a more reverent and serious tone courtesy of those good clean living Velo News boys.