Oliver Beckingsale (Great Britain).(Image credit: Tour of Japan)
Cross country and marathon racer Oli Beckingsale works on his bike.(Image credit: Jake Orness)
British cross country star Oli Beckingsale has left long-term sponsor Giant to ride for Endura in 2011. The Scottish cycle clothing company already backs the Endura Racing road squad.
"After putting so much investment into the road team we were keen to ensure that the Endura and Equipe [the company's premium road range] brand reach also extended into other cycling disciplines, so we were keen to back some athletes in mountain biking and track cycling," said the company's Jim McFarlane. Endura also signed track racer Chris Pritchard.
Beckingsale has been at the top of UK mountain biking for many years, winning numerous national cross country and marathon titles, competing in three Olympic Games and winning silver at the 2006 Commonwealth Games. In 2011 he'll use the same equipment as Endura's road squad - Look bikes, SRAM components and Continental tyres.
"I'm really happy to be riding for Endura for the next two years," he said. "It's a strong British company with a long history with mountain biking and will give me the product, support and flexibility to work towards my long-term goal of not just competing in the London Olympics but producing a result that I can be proud of."
McFarlane said the company had known Beckingsale for a long time. "Oli isn't just fast, he's a very switched-on rider and the ideal guy for us to be working with on a separate focused range of performance cross country kit that's the mountain bike equivalent of our Equipe range," he said.
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