Events

Max Knox to race Rocky Mountain in 2017

· By Press Office · 61 comments

South Africa’s leading marathon mountain bike racer, Max Knox, will race on Rocky Mountain bikes in 2017. The 29-year-old Knox won both the South African marathon championship and the Ashburton Investment National Marathon Series in 2016 and has set his sights on an expanded racing programme in 2017.

ccs-62657-0-82808300-1480402465.jpgSouth African champion, Max Knox, gets familiar with the 2016 Rocky Mountain Element 990RSL in Johannesburg last week. Photo credit: Dino Lloyd

Rocky Mountain is a Canadian-based international bicycle brand, which has been producing premium performance mountain bikes since 1981. It has achieved international success in various forms of mountain bike racing over the past 35 years, including overall victory in the inaugural Absa Cape Epic in 2004.

Knox will be racing on the Rocky Mountain Element 999RSL, the brand’s flagship marathon/XC model, which has recently been refined with more stable (and adjustable) geometry, more efficient suspension and the accommodation of two bottles inside the main frame, making it what Rocky Mountain believes is the ideal marathon or stage race bike.

“Max has shown this year that he’s really matured into a classy, consistent marathon racer. He’s reaching an age where he is likely to develop even further as an endurance athlete and we are pleased to have him competing on a Rocky Mountain Element,” said Hylton English, Rocky Mountain brand manager.

“I’ve been racing full time for over a decade and have confirmed in the past two years that marathons and stage races are indeed my greatest strength. After one of my most successful years, I am looking forward to expanding on that into 2017. I’ve done a few weeks of riding on the 2016 Rocky Mountain Element 990RSL already and am thrilled with the bike,” said Knox.

“I’m looking forward to the arrival of the new Element 999RSL in January and am excited to be racing on one of the world’s premier mountain bike brands. My 2017 season will be slightly different to 2016, but will still be focussed around marathons and stage races, mostly in South Africa,” added Knox.

Knox will also be supported by Helly Hansen casual wear, Northwave performance clothing, shoes, helmets and gloves, adidas eyewear and This Way Out, an outdoor sport retail store chain. His title sponsor will be New Holland Agriculture.

For more information on Rocky Mountain bikes, visit www.hullabaloo.co.za.

Comments

GLuvsMtb

Nov 29, 2016, 7:22 AM

I assume that this is an individual signing and not a team signing, meaning that Knox will have to source capable partners for the stage races he is planning. This makes it slightly more challenging to compete against settled teams who are used to racing and training with each other.

Good luck Max. Its not easy being a pro racer in SA these days.

VeloRacer

Nov 29, 2016, 8:08 AM

The article is a bit vague. Is Knox racing Rocky Mountain bikes? Are they just supplying him with bikes as brand ambassador? Or is he on the pay roll now as a pro.

Jewbacca

Nov 29, 2016, 8:12 AM

I hope they have a decent drug free escape clause........

 

What? who said that?.....

Odinson

Nov 29, 2016, 8:20 AM

I hope they have a decent drug free escape clause........

 

What? who said that?.....

 

He he he.

stringbean

Nov 29, 2016, 8:22 AM

Yawn

Mtb racing is becoming like those wife swop parties of old, where you threw your car keys in the plate at the start of the evening.Same old faces( male and female) just constantly stopping partners for different races.

Boring

Odinson

Nov 29, 2016, 8:27 AM

This guy has had a whiff about him that he can't seem to shake.

Skinnyone

Nov 29, 2016, 9:00 AM

ho-hum....

Sharkie 2

Nov 29, 2016, 9:13 AM

Running out of sponsors to back him me thinks

Patchelicious

Nov 29, 2016, 9:53 AM

This guy has had a whiff about him that he can't seem to shake.

Wasnt he teamies with, KevinE, BrandonS, DavidG.....?

DCR PARTS

Nov 29, 2016, 10:16 AM

Thanks to guys like you it makes it imposssoble for pro riders to get sponsors with all the negative publicity

Patchelicious

Nov 29, 2016, 10:17 AM

Thanks to guys like you DOPERS it makes it imposssoble for pro riders to get sponsors with all the negative publicity

There you go.

awesme

Nov 29, 2016, 10:24 AM

Agree...

 

G

 

Thanks to guys like you it makes it imposssoble for pro riders to get sponsors with all the negative publicity

the nerd

Nov 29, 2016, 10:26 AM

Thanks to guys like you it makes it impossible for pro riders to get sponsors with all the negative publicity

 

 

Agree...

 

G

 

 

Rubbish.

the nerd

Nov 29, 2016, 10:27 AM

Dopers make non dopers lives difficult to get sponsors.

 

Not the public, not this forum, their team-mates and fellow athletes. 

 

If other riders took a harder stance on dopers it would be a different story. 

Formallyknownas

Nov 29, 2016, 10:43 AM

Thanks to guys like you it makes it imposssoble for pro riders to get sponsors with all the negative publicity

post-101762-0-29395400-1480416172.jpg
awesme

Nov 29, 2016, 10:46 AM

From man himself: Rocky Mountain Bike Sponsor, Equipment sponsor.

 

 

G

 

The article is a bit vague. Is Knox racing Rocky Mountain bikes? Are they just supplying him with bikes as brand ambassador? Or is he on the pay roll now as a pro.

Shebeen

Nov 29, 2016, 3:21 PM

So title sponsor is a tractor company, that's sort of cool, if not a total race snake vibe. Who was he racing for this year?

ChunkyMonkey

Nov 29, 2016, 3:52 PM

I hope they have a decent drug free escape clause........

 

What? who said that?.....

Exacaterri....

ChunkyMonkey

Nov 29, 2016, 3:55 PM

Quite the slippery one... ☺️

Let see how this one plays out...(3dit 3dit...)

Mmmmm...(edit...edit...edit....)&&&&&&...!!!

Let's start a poll...??

awesme

Nov 29, 2016, 3:59 PM

I would say all of this is uncalled for, Max has been tasted just as many times as his team mates, and has always returned a clean result...

 

No one have any grounds to accuse or for that matter call him names/insult him.

 

G

 

Quite the slippery bastad this one.....
Let see how this one plays out...
Will this be a 6 month sponsor... Or 3?
Let's start a poll...

Bizkit031

Nov 29, 2016, 4:21 PM

He really has been with a lot of different sponsors in a short amount of time,but anyway good luck and give it horns.

Odinson

Nov 29, 2016, 4:22 PM

I would say all of this is uncalled for, Max has been tasted just as many times as his team mates, and has always returned a clean result...

 

No one have any grounds to accuse or for that matter call him names/insult him.

 

G

 

What were the results?

 

"A definite taste of Chicken, with a strong lingering PED aftertaste." 

PhilipV

Nov 29, 2016, 5:35 PM

I really hope that they dope test the crap out of Max this year and that he doesn't test positive.

The company he has kept has left him with the same doping stench that enveloped and burnt them. Hopefully he can rise above it.

MuddyMike

Nov 30, 2016, 5:32 AM

I wonder how many of the keyboard warriors criticizing / accusing Max have spoken to him or even know him? Geez, your assumptions are a bit over the top. Yes, he has been let down by partners before and I am pretty sure he is really pissed about it. Have you ever thought that could be a reason why he races for himself and teams up with various different riders so he can take part in selected multiday races.

 

Max is most probably one of the most tested MTB riders in SA considering his dominance of the Ashburton National series and winning the SA champs. 

 

As far as I know Max has never returned an adverse result. I know Max has always stated he rides clean and is 100% committed to racing and winning clean.

 

Until otherwise proven, Max has my support as the best Marathon rider in SA and I am hoping 2017 will be even bigger than 2016.

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