High profile Rotorua Mountainbiker Mark “Cabin” Leishman has inked a deal to ride Avanti bikes for the next two years. The winner of the Short track at this year’s Oceania Championships will pilot the brand new Avanti Team Competitor 29er, along with Avanti Road and TT bikes.
Cabin to ride Avanti for 2011
(Photo: Cabin Racing; click to enlarge) |
The signing allows Cabin to join forces with his partner Nic Leary to form a powerful combination as "CabiNic Racing" that will look to dominate the off-road scene in New Zealand. As arguably NZ's most prominent and successful of 29er technology, Cabin was a natural choice for Avanti and is excited by the challenges ahead.
"This deal has actually been in the works for quite a while. To ride for a New Zealand company with such an exciting vision for the future is quite special. Obviously the stumbling block prior was the absence of a 29er in the Avanti range. But the new Team Competitor 29er is a stunning bike and I'm really quite excited about showcasing its ability in events this season," said Leishman.
"I've got some pretty unique needs as an athlete I guess with MTB, XTERRA, Triathlon, and Multisport on the agenda. I'm pretty picky with my equipment and Avanti is one of the few companies that could possibly meet those needs."
And it seems Avanti is just as excited, as spokesman Tony Rogers adds.
"Avanti is excited to welcome the hugely passionate cyclist and cycling advocate Mark "Cabin" Leishman to our family. Cabin has proved he's one of New Zealand's most versatile athletes with his ability to dominate the local MTB scene and secure podium finishes at XTERRA, triathlons and other multisport events. Avanti is looking forward to working with Mark on specific bike development projects in future."
We're convinced Cabin will more than do justice to his new rides – Avanti Competitor Team 29er, Avanti Quantum and Avanti Chrono. He's super-active in the biking community at a number of levels - multi disciplined race schedule, coaching clinics and involvement in numerous bike media. Our new partnership will inject a new amount of energy into the cycling community."
The public won't have to wait long to see the new bikes in action. Cabin will be lining up at the Huka XL MTB event at Novembers Taupo Cycle Challenge, quickly followed by Christchurch's Festival of Cycling.
He then kicks into a busy season on both sides of the Tasman that includes Half Ironman's, National MTB and XTERRA Championships, the 3D Multisport Championship; before an international campaign culminating in the XTERRA World Championship.
After a great start to the season (where he recently won the Whaka 100 Marathon, and placed 4th at the Singlespeed Championships), it would be a brave man who would bet against seeing the Avanti 29er on a podium near you very soon.
