Well the news came in earlier in the week that Jared Graves had left long term sponsor Yeti Cycles… and now you know the reason why. I guess there will be questions as to why the 33 year old made the move from Yeti to Specialized. We can only speculate: was the offer from Specialized so big that Graves couldn’t refuse or did Yeti feel that now they have Enduro World Champ Richie Rude Graves’ services were no longer needed? Who knows?

PRESS RELEASE
Specialized is extremely excited to announce that the 2014 Enduro World Series Champion, Jared Graves, has joined the Specialized Racing Factory Enduro team. Graves’ accomplishments on the bicycle are unrivaled, having garnered countless Enduro World Series, 4-Cross, Dual Slalom, and Downhill victories – he was even selected to represent Australia in BMX at the 2008 Olympics, where he went on to finish an impressive 6th. Needless to say, he’s one of the hardest working professional athletes in cycling.

“I am so stoked to join forces with Specialized. No other brand has the full complement of top-shelf bikes and gear and the level of commitment to success. The whole team is set up really well with the best support, the best mechanics, and the best teammates. Racing with my old buddy, Curtis Keene, is going to be unreal. We have been buds forever, and now to be teammates, I am confident we can help each other and both become better riders through the process.” – Jared Graves

Graves will be racing primarily aboard the Enduro 650b and relying on Roval wheels, Specialized 2FO shoes, Ambush and Dissident helmets, plus Specialized apparel, gloves, and tires.

“Jared is pure class – you won’t find another athlete that trains as hard or puts as much into his efforts as him. There’s a reason why Jared has always been up front and it’s no secret – he’s not afraid to put in the hard work in order to consistently get the results. Besides that, he’s a gentleman off the bike and can always be counted on to be the life of the party. We’re beyond excited to welcome him to the team and look forward to making some great memories together.” – Gavin Noble, Manager of the Specialized Racing Factory Mountain Bike program