Speculation is rife concerning the team setups for the 2009 season among the MTB downhill set. News has reached us that former World Champion Sam Hill has jumped ship from Iron Horse.  Following his worst season on the circuit, which saw Hill loose the rainbow jersey to Gee Atherton and World Cup series to Greg Minaar, Hill has been linked with a move to Specialized.  He is known for having amazing attention to detail when it comes to setup so doubtless the deal includes a large element of rider input into the bike.

Sam Hill

Similarly the Atherton trio, including men’s World Champion Gee and woman’s World Champion Rachel are also set to move squad.  Press reports from mid summer had mentioned a possible move for Rachel to Trek for ‘09 and it seems that her brothers are set to join her in a move to one of the Worlds top manufacturers.  Apparently one of the reasons is that the price tag for the family had moved beyond the scope of Animal/Commencal.

Dan, Gee and Rachel Atherton

What is really intersting about this news is that neither Specialized nor Trek are known for their downhill bikes.  Both are better known for their cross country and mid travel designs so it will be interesting to see what comes from these new partnerships as all concerned can bring an aweful lot to the deal.  The Athertons were closely involved in the development of the current Commencal downhill bike for example.

Jill Kintner

In a surprising move two time World 4 cross champion Jill Kintner has been dropped by GT for 2009.  Kintner switched back to BMX this season to train for the Olympic Games and came home with the Bronze medal but GT have decided to drop her from the line up claiming in a statement that - “Due to a change in the sports marketing direction, GT Bicycles is not re-signing Jill for the 2009 season. We wish Jill all the best in her future endeavors.”  Last year Brian Lopes was mysteriously dropped by GT also and eventually found a home with Ibis bikes.  Doubtless Kintner can do the same.