As the season draws to a close, we can proudly and with great satisfaction summarize the achievements of the teams with whom we collaborated to develop some of our products.
The Santa Cruz Rockshox team celebrated key accomplishments, highlighted by two athletes representing Italy at the Paris Olympics: Martina Berta and Luca Braidot. Braidot delivered an impressive performance, narrowly missing the podium with a remarkable comeback to take fourth place despite a challenging race. Both athletes boast impressive résumés, each claiming the Italian cross-country Olympic championship title, and Martina took third at the World Championships in September. These two top Italian athletes bring a wealth of experience and fierce determination to the sport.
Valentina Corvi also delivered excellent performances as an Under 23 athlete, achieving multiple podiums in the World Cup throughout 2024, finishing fourth at the Andorra World Championships, and winning the Italian national title.
The KTM Protek Elettrosystem team also achieved remarkable success, collecting leader jerseys in Italy’s two most prestigious competitions: the Italia Bike Cup and the Internazionali d’Italia Series. Giorgia Marchet and Gioele Bertolini captured the leader jerseys in the Open women’s and men’s categories, respectively, thanks to numerous placements and victories throughout the 2024 season. In the Italia Bike Cup, Giorgia and Gioele repeated this success, with Andreas Vittone finishing second behind his teammate in the Open men’s category. In the men’s Under 23, Fabio Bassignana also claimed the leadership jersey. It was a notable season, with the entire team competing in both the World Cup and national events.
Feedback from top mountain bike athletes, especially those competing at the highest levels in events like the World Cup and Olympics, is crucial in developing increasingly effective, reliable, and targeted maintenance products. These athletes constantly put their bikes through extreme conditions—technical, rocky trails, and fast, muddy descents—providing manufacturers with valuable insights into real-world needs and areas for improvement.
The intense demands of these races allow engineers and development teams to gather direct data and observations on the performance of various components such as braking systems, suspensions, lubricants, and other maintenance products. Athletes not only identify areas of wear or potential failure but also offer practical suggestions to enhance usability and product durability under race conditions. This level of feedback is a vital resource for continuous innovation and the introduction of high-quality solutions designed for competitive athletes and a broader user base alike.
Ultimately, the input from professional athletes ensures that each new product undergoes rigorous testing before market release, providing consumers with solutions built to withstand the toughest conditions and meet the expectations of those who ride for competition or passion.
