Press Release

The Latest from Twenty Nine Inches.com

Posted: 14 Mar 2007 08:04 PM CDT

Press Release:

Back in 2001 Gary Fisher had a crazy notion. He and a couple other non-traditionalists were messing with 29” wheeled mountain bikes. It was a fringe concept at the time. Gary’s crazy notion was to start mass producing and offering “29ers” to the masses. Fast forward six years and 29ers are the hottest thing going in the mountain bike world. With Fisher’s legacy in 29ers, it makes perfect sense that Gary Fisher Bikes will be sponsoring a crew of 29er riders from across the nation as they race exclusively on Gary Fisher 29ers.

For several years Gary Fisher has been supporting regional riders. It just so happened, that a lot of these riders were already 29er believers. When we stepped back, we saw a nice stable of riders racing and winning on Fisher 29ers. Given Fisher’s commitment to 29ers, it made sense to bring these riders together under the banner of a sponsored Gary Fisher 29er Team. The inaugural 29er Crew is a mix of half a dozen XC racers, single-speeders, and endurance junkies.

Your 2007 Gary Fisher 29er Crew is:

Jesse LaLonde
Jesse and brother Mark have been testing, abusing, and winning on their single speed Fishers for several years. Jesse won the Single Speed World Championships Race in 2005 (in Pennsylvania that year) only to lose the overall title in a go-kart showdown. When not championing theBare Knuckle Brigade, Jesse keeps up his blog creepyfriendly and enjoys a healthy dose of graphic design.

Mark LaLonde
Younger brother Mark (or Marko or the Darkness) can be found at XC races, regional cyclocross events, and on the trails helping test and refine the latest 29er Fisher and Bontrager gear. His resume includes a NORBA 24 Hour Nationals win as part of a fourman team with brother Jesse. Mark will be rolling a new Ferrous 29 this season starting with the Wisconsin Off Road Series opener. Also part of the Bare Knuckle Brigade, Mark keeps things topical on his blog Bike Kill.

Tim Faia
Breckenridge native, Tim Faia, has been racing on the XC and cyclocross scenes in Colorado for the past 12 years. Well known on the local scene, Tim will be rolling his pink and blue Ferrous 29 all over the Colorado area this season. You can check in on Tim on his blog On Your Left.

Dan Cain
“Desert Dan” is an endurance specialist that rides a Fisher hardtail with a rigid Bontrager Switchblade. The 49-year old Borrego Springs, CA, resident has been a constant presence on the podium at SoCal endurance races, both in solo and team relay categories since 2003. He began ultra endurance running competitions in 1982 and racing mountain bikes in 1984, but migrated exclusively to endurance mountain bike racing in 2003. He has won the 12 Hours of Temecula and 8 Hours of Idyllwild multiple times. In between rides, Dan stays as busy as the owner of Carrizo Bikes, in Borrego Springs.

Travis Saeler
“Stork” will be riding for the Fisher 29er crew and the Trek Store of Pittsburgh. Always the multi-discipline rider, the first time we met Stork he was the only guy in lycra at the dirt jump haven, Ray’s Indoor Mtn Bike Park. While Stork’s 2007 schedule doesn’t include any dirt jump events, he’ll be participating in the popular Mid-Atlantic Super Series, Ohio’s OMBC Series, and a few endurance events. Keep track of Stork on his blog, Storktorq.

TJ Platt
TJ is an endurance race specialist running in the same circles as Stork. He’s also riding for the Fisher Crew and the Trek Store of Pittsburgh. TJ will be competing in a couple of 100-mile races and series such as the Michaux Monster Series and West Virginia’s
WVMBA to fill in any free weekends.

In addition to their Gary Fisher 29er bikes, the team will take advantage of all the 29er wheels and components from Bontrager. The team will all be on the new Bontrager Race X Lite 29 wheel, one of the first production tubeless 29er wheelsets.

With the start of the Fisher 29er Crew and big plans for 2008 29ers bikes, Gary Fisher plans to keep leading the charge for 29ers. Look out for any one of these guys at your area race. You’ll be able to recognize them by the Fisher 29er jersey. (Fun fact about the jersey: the design is based on the first ever Fisher team jersey.)

Check back frequently on FisherBikes.com for updates on the 29er Crew’s season and for a whole lineup of Gary Fisher 29er bikes.