Crikey, it’s been all about team news today. Here’s the latest news from Yeti. Suprisingly they don’t seem to be replacing Leov with anyone.

Here’s the word:

Golden, CO – The Yeti / Fox Racing Shox factory team released its 2009 roster today and, as expected, the team will continue to be home to some of the best young talent in the sport. Back for this season will be Jared Graves, Sam Blenkinsop, and US sensation, Aaron Gwin.

Jared Graves, who took much of last year off to pursue his Olympic dreams in BMX, will be back on the mountain bike race circuit full-time next year. One of the few World Cup riders who is competitive in both mountain cross and downhill, Graves is looking forward to a dominating season in mountain cross and a strong downhill season. For the past two years, Graves has been one of the most dominant mountain cross racers in the world and he hopes this year to capture the elusive World Cup Overall title as well as win the World Chamionships – both will take place in his native country of Australia.

While Graves is just 25 years old, he is the veteran on the team. Sam Blenkinsop, who won the final downhill World Cup of the season this year, is just 19 years old and already has notched a World Cup win and finished 5th overall in the World Cup standings. Blenkinsop is quiet off the bike, but downright rowdy on course. His riding style favors rough, technical courses and he will be a podium threat throughout the season.

One of the most unexpected riders this year was rising star Aaron Gwin from California. He began the season on a borrowed bike, having never raced downhill before, then was picked up by the Yeti / Fox Regional Team in the early season. After the first few races, including a top 10 finish at Sea Otter against the best talent in the world, he was moved up to the Yeti / Fox National team. As he started racking up impressive finishes on the national circuit, he was moved to Yeti / Fox World Cup team and finished 10th in his first World Cup and followed that up two weeks later with an 8th place at Schladmig World Cup. Gwin will be a consistent top 10 threat in downhill for the 2009 season.

Yeti Cycles has a long racing legacy and has been home to some of the best riders in the sport. While its World Cup program is most visible, the Yeti / Fox Racing Shox program includes regional and national teams that are breeding grounds for young talent. This system has been in place for the last two years and is already yielding world caliber talent.

Yeti DH team news