"I'm writing this public note to hopefully shed a little light on what's actually going on with my move to Specialized," wrote Gwin. News broke of Gwin's transfer on Tuesday, and his former Trek World Racing team, run by 23 Degrees, immediately responded, stating that he had violated a letter of intent and promised to pursue all options, including legal action.
"Reports that I broke my contract with 23 Degrees/Trek World Racing are false. My contract expired. The one-page letter of intent I signed said there would be a 'full length contract' with 'precise terms' coming in the future. The 16-page contract that showed up in late November was not signed by me because it was not the deal we had made. I have moved on to a team that gave me the contract I wanted, and these are the facts."
Gwin called press reports "inaccurate, unfair, and one-sided." He said, "Because 23 Degrees has hired lawyers and threatened to sue me, my lawyers have told me not to say anything for now."
The American noted that while racing for Trek World Racing, he had lived up to his contract, giving 100 percent effort and a full commitment. "I hope everyone understands that I cannot talk any further about this at this time, but I felt like I needed to clear the air a bit, without getting too much into the legal stuff."
"I intend on doing the same for Specialized," he said before assuring fans that his off-season training was going well and thanking them for their ongoing support.
"I love my new bikes and I'm more excited to race this year than I ever have been. Big thanks to the Specialized family for such an amazing opportunity and support."
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On Wednesday night, Trek World Racing posted a video on YouTube about Gwin and the team, but the video was removed by morning.
Sue George is an editor at Cyclingnews. She coordinates all of the site's mountain bike race coverage and assists with the road, 'cross and track coverage.
