Would he be a good fit?

Riding for the Syndicate is one of the most prestigious jobs on the World Cup circuit and on pace alone he should have no trouble slotting in. He currently sits 11th in the overall standings (higher than both Bryceland and Peaty) and, at just 20 years old, he has a lot of potential to be one of the very fastest in the world – especially with a legend like Minnaar offering him some guidance. Shaw is also American (and Californian born) which would no doubt be a plus for Santa Cruz.

What has santa cruz said?

At the moment they’re tight lipped about the whole thing but it seems Peat may not be replaced at all.

Will Ockelton, global marketing director, said: “[Luca]’s a sound bloke who rides a Santa Cruz… that’s why he’s been hanging out with all of us recently.  (We’d probably have been a lot more discrete about our media output surrounding him if some sort of announcement was imminent!)

“To be fair, Luca does play a mean game of crocodile at Le Cottage in Morzine though.  And Minnaar seems to have made that game a rite of passage for anyone wanting proximity to the team. But don’t read too much into that either.  “Phil the Plumber”, who was on holiday there last week, also plays a good game, and I can’t see him being on the Syndicate in 2017.

“With Peaty retiring this year, the question of “what next?” for the Syndicate is something that’s come up here at Santa Cruz, for sure.  But the team’s never been about a set number of spots that need to be filled.  It’s always been about Rob building his dream team of personalities, and right now he hasn’t licked or stamped any gold envelopes as far as I’m aware.”

Read into that what you will but bear in mind it would be the first time the Syndicate picked up a new rider since Bryceland and Minnaar in 2007. If Shaw is even half as successful as those two then he will definitely be one to watch over the next few years. It looks like we may have to wait until the cryptic Instagrams start flying before we really find out who (if anyone) will ascend to the golden saddle in the Syndicate.