POOLE 12.05.2022, FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Muc-Off, the global leaders in bicycle and motorcycle care and performance, is proud to announce their headline sponsorship of Youth Downhill race programme the Muc-Off Young Guns for the 2022 season and beyond.
Muc-Off Young Guns, formerly known as the Green Snow Collective, currently features five of the UKs most gifted Downhill prospects. This exciting squad of young riders have taken the British mountain bike scene by storm in recent years, with talent that is matched only by their energy and enthusiasm for the sport.
The 2022 roster consists of Olivia Taylor (Liv Shreds), the 11-year-old sensation that many are tipping as a future World Champion; Luca Thurlow, who’s sights are set on some strong World Cup results this year and more podiums at the Nationals; Lucas Craik – younger brother of 2020 Junior World Champion and GT Factory Racer Ethan Craik – is targeting more national podiums and mixing it up in his World Cup in his first year racing World Cup’s as a junior; blink-and-you’ll-miss-him Jake Cartlidge; and newbie to the team Max Lewis who has already podiumed twice in the Juvenile category at British Cycling DH National Series this season.
The foundations of the Muc-Off Young Guns can be traced back to the early 90s, where the team founder Paul Bolwell as a teenager, was supported by MTB legend Rich Vickery during local and national races, alongside a team of other young riders. Years later, whilst riding with life-long friend and Muc-Off founder, Alex Trimnell, the two were struck by how their best riding memories all came from their early teens. From this conversation, the Green Snow Collective, and now the Muc-Off Young Guns was born – A team of talented young riders, supported by the best brands in the industry who provide everything they need to enjoy riding and racing in a non-pressurised environment.
“Our aim for the Muc-Off Young Guns, is to build more than a youth team. Our ambition is to develop a programme that not only helps develop future talent, but also helps them to ride and learn at their own pace, without pressure! We’re super-excited about engaging with the thousands of passionate fans the team bring with them, as we hope to inspire the next generation of shredders, helping them grow in confidence both on and off the bike. Downhill was a huge part of my teenage years, so to be able to offer these young future stars everything they need to keep their rigs running at their best, is very special to me and the whole Muc-Off team.” Alex Trimnell, CEO at Muc-Off.
As part of the headline sponsorship, Muc-Off will be supplying the team with everything they need to keep their bikes cleaned, protected, and lubed. Muc-Off will also provide products from their tubeless and ‘lifestyle apparel’ ranges, so the riders and bikes will be looking and performing at the top of their game race after race. Other team sponsors include Mondraker Bikes, Leatt Protection, Michelin Tyres, Stance Socks, and Green Snow Ltd.
As one of the founders of Wiggle, and Investor in Play Sports Network (owner of the GMBN & GCN channels) Paul knows first-hand the the power of the younger generation and the long-term influence they have on brands and the sport we all love. The Young Guns project will ensure that there is a real focus from a leading global brand to support the young rider demographic.
“It’s awesome that Muc-Off have come onboard in such a big way - we now the opportunity to create something very unique. We’ve lots planned - we’ll be adding to our rider programme over the coming seasons, organising great grassroots events for the younger generation and bringing on young ambassadors who are full of energy and light up Bikeparks everywhere. This season we haven’t tasked our riders with a list of specific race goals - a hit list of win-at-all-costs events. We have a group of young riders who we know, whenever they hit the dirt, will do their very best to be friendly, welcoming and inspire every other rider that they come into contact with - be that on the bike or off it. What we will always chase down is the feeling of knowing that we did our best, for ourselves and our fellow riders.” Paul Bolwell - Team Manager
2021 saw a fantastic set of results, with the team bagging 24 x podiums, three of them at National races, along with 33 top tens; but Muc-Off Young Guns is about a lot more than race results. The team will be encouraged to learn from, and enjoy their experiences and nurture and grow the community that already exist around the team. Longer term, the plan is to build a truly unique and holistic programme around the team, the main focus being building confidence on and off the bike with young people from all different types of backgrounds, and not just those who are privileged enough to be able to easily access the sport.
Read more about the team at Muc-Off.com, and follow their progress throughout the season on the @mucoff and @mucoff_youngguns Instagram channels – It’s going to be a wild ride!
Press Contact
Steve Fearn, Global Bicycle PR & Communications Manager
T +44779 547 3002 E sf@muc-off.com
About Muc-Off:
Back in 1991 Rex and Marilyn Trimnell got things started with X-Lite UK. After designing and manufacturing the world’s first twin crown bicycle fork, Rex created a perfectly pink spray to clean his kit. To make a long story short, Rex’s cleaner was the best thing since sliced bread, and it wasn’t long before word got out and Muc-Off was born. Fast-forward to now and Muc-Off is now the go-to brand for top riders. And, in case you haven’t noticed, they do a bit more than our original pink cleaner these days.
