Trek Factory Racing shows off its training gear with the team intro text below. These are the kits used in practice and qualifying, with race day kits being released closer to the start of the season.
Photos by @maddogboris
TFR Downhill and Enduro remain the best looking teams in the World Cup
New year, new kit. Trek Factory Racing’s Gravity riders – Loris Vergier, Reece Wilson, Bodhi Kuhn and Sacha Earnest in the Downhill team and Hattie Harnden in the Enduro team – will once again start the season with a brand new look, thanks to their friends at 100%.
Keen observers may have noticed the new training gear out in the wild when it took to the podium in New Zealand and Portugal. The black and white design will eventually become the riders’ adornment for training and qualifying runs, with official race day kit only to be revealed at a tantalizingly later date.
The design matches the riders’ “Argent Drizzle” color scheme, which returns after its introduction at the World Championships last season. You’ll see it all year round, including during the races leading up to the start of the World Cup race on May 3rd in Fort William for downhill racing and May 10th in Finale for enduro racing.
Big racing is just around the corner. While you wait, feel free to browse the new threads to your heart’s content and read on to find out what the drivers have been up to since the end of the 2023 season.
Loris Vergier, Reece Wilson and Bodhi Kuhn all return, although injuries prevented Wilson from doing much with the team in ’23. If you follow him on Instagram, you know he’s back on trend in his session. He has his sights set on a return to the World Cup podiums, but whatever happens he will enjoy getting back up to speed. Wilson’s time away from cycling gave him a new perspective on what it means to race for a living.
“After battling injuries for two years, I’m extremely excited to be racing in 2024,” said Wilson. “For me the goal has never been so simple: take part in the races and build on what I have. In a situation like mine, expectations can be the biggest killer of joy, so I’m here to just have fun racing with the team on my bike again. The rest will come with time.”
Vergier and Kuhn, meanwhile, will look to continue their podium finishes. Vergier was the most consistent rider in downhill racing last season, finishing in the top 10 in 19 of his 21 World Cup races. A win eluded him, but if he keeps up his form he may not be far away. Kuhn, meanwhile, is moving up to the elite class after winning in Val di Sole last season and finishing second at the World Championships as a junior. The transition to higher-level racing is never easy, but Kuhn has the focus and physicality to handle the pressure.
Earnest officially joins the squad after moving to a session and leaving the TFR box midway through the 2023 season. She mastered the change confidently, taking third place at the World Championships, completing an all-Kiwi podium and recording her second World Cup victory ever in Loudenvielle. The 17-year-old will compete in the juniors for another year and is excited about the opportunity to develop further with first-class support.
“Coming to Trek was a great opportunity, much bigger than I ever imagined,” said Earnest. “I was actually aiming for a small team (last year) because that’s really all I thought I was going to get. But being on Trek is crazy. Like one of my biggest dreams.”
Hattie Harnden needs little introduction. Since joining TFR in 2020, she has been one of the dominant forces in enduro racing. In the last two seasons she finished third in the Enduro World Series/World Cup standings and took two race wins. As always, the multi-disciplinary star is always aiming higher and is likely looking to add downhill racing to her extensive repertoire whenever possible. In 2023, Harnden won the British national downhill title and finished fifth in Mont-Sainte-Anne.
“I’m looking forward to racing again,” said Harnden. “I feel like it’s been a while. And I’m looking forward to visiting some new venues in Poland and Switzerland. It’s going to be a compact, short season, so I’m excited to just get going and give it everything I’ve got all year.”
