RACE DEBUT WITH BOYD CYCLING WILL BE ON GRAVEL
24 August, 2020 – Greenville, SC - Mountain Bike legend Tinker Juarez has joined forces with premium wheel builder, Boyd Cycling. Juarez, who has made a career out of bike racing for more than forty years will make his debut racing with on Boyd wheels at Utah's Salty Lizard & Stupid Pony in October – a two-day gravel adventure with up to 330 miles on the offering.
"Tinker was one of those racers that transcended mountain bike racing; even all the roadies followed him," said Boyd Johnson, whose racing roots are on the road. "I've been a fan of his for decades. Having grown our company and innovated our wheels to a level where we have an athlete with Tinker's pedigree who trusts their performance is a huge sense of accomplishment for us."
With a pro racing career extending back to his 1978 BMX days, Juarez is still going strong 42 years later, typically logging 400 miles a week with 20,000 feet of climbing. "I still enjoy it and am really grateful that I can do it," Juarez said. "Event promotors – many I've known for years - want to see me do well. That pressure and of course, respect for my sponsors, motivates me to stay fit. In turn, I expect the best from my bike and its components."
To that end Juarez will be riding the recently released ultra-light Trailblazer carbon wheelset. The wheels, built foremost as a lightweight carbon XC wheelset, are capable of pulling off double duty as a 700c or 650b gravel wheel and are likely to be set up as 700c gravel wheels when Juarez makes his October debut with Boyd Cycling. "I'm excited to be training and racing on Boyd's wheels as I've known about the brand for a while now. This feels like a really good fit. They are a small family-run company invested in innovating and genuinely interested in my experience and my feedback."
Boyd Johnson echoed similar sentiment. "Tinker's feedback will be invaluable. Anyone that has ever worked with him knows he has a high standard for quality product that must perform under pressure. This is 50% of how and why he's been able to do what he's done for so long. There's a lot of brand loyalty there too, which both Nicole and I admire and respect. The other 50% is, as he has said, the pressure he puts on himself to stay fit."
Still a full-time racer, much of Juarez' planned fall schedule has been cancelled due to Covid-19, including races in Australia, Portugal and Spain. Juarez though is relentless in his drive and training. "Once it's in your blood and it's taken you this far, for this long, it's hard to quit."
"I'm looking forward to more time on the gravel bike and the Salty Lizard," Juarez said. "Gravel is a big focus for Boyd and for me and this event provides an entirely new race location. Racing never gets old when you ride in new places."
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Boyd Cycling wheels are available in the U.S. through Independent Bicycle Dealer channels and are assembled in Greenville, SC. For more information about Boyd Cycling visit the website at www.boydcycling.com.
