Team Atherton Debut GT Fury 27.5" DH Bike

Its funny the perceptions people draw about elite athletes..... Recently I was reading a forum thread on a well know feminine coloured website where people were offering opinions of how 'grumpy' the Atherton family seem to be on camera.

Having been lucky enough many years ago to ride with the brothers I had found out that, granted, there is a steely racer in Gee but that very quickly the boys simply shared their love for riding with anyone who was interested and showed a genuine interest in anyone's progression. I was very touched by the joy Dan had for the somewhat limited progress I had made as he tried to teach me how to manual. A month later in the middle of the freeride comp in front of the Tate, Gee stopped for a chat again. Lovely guys end of....

Tonight was the launch of the 2014 GT team at Red Bull in London. A new format for team Atherton with a Q&A session in front of journalists. All the team were there from Gee, Dan and Rach to Martin Maes, Mark Beaumont and Taylor Vernon. In between their interviews were some really engaging talks with the team mechanics, physio, trainer and psychologist.

What you were struck by was the sense of seriousness but really well balanced by a family feel and professional respect across the board. Interestingly (and as I had found before) they all were very down to earth people, very approachable and interested in other people. Rachel (and there was a bit of swooning on my behalf) was a pleasure to speak to and Dan again was just unbelievably down to earth. Pete the mechanic was happy to offer some tuning tips for my forks and everyone was on hand to show their gratitude to those who in even a small way had helped them to the top of their game.

Along the way I learn that Martin Maes father had won the national MTB champs in Belgium over 35 times (so genetics are in play), that Dan is loving his new retreat in the hills, that Rachel only likes downhill (good girl) and hates XC riding and that Taylor is growing a mature head on young shoulders as he returns from his broken back. We also learnt of the dedication of the family to build a legacy and put as much back into the sport as possible. Rachel talked about her desire to encourage more women into sport (and what a great role model) while Dan talked with enthusiasm of how his plans for a legacy have offered new focus to his riding.

On display was the new riding kit along with this seasons bikes in their glory. A few inside tracks were gleaned in that the team are running different internals to the stock air 40s and Dan's bike will be sporting new endure specific tyres from Continental.

Downhill remains a highly accessible sport in terms of meeting ones heroes and there is none of the primadonna, self-interest that we see in our nations 'popular' sports. What I was reminded of again tonight was of how 'normal' the Athertons are. It is often said that you are the sum of the five people you surround yourself with and the Athertons and the GT team seems to have the mix right for them, keeping them grounded and focussed. There was already more than a little smell of success in the air before the season had started and to be frank, you couldn't meet a bunch of people who deserve the wins more. Rarely do I experience an atmosphere that makes me want to get on my bike even more than I do on an average day.

Keep up to date with the team at www.athertonracing.co.uk