For the 2017 season, Propain is expanding its sponsorship program to include the Propain Gravity Kids, a team for the promotion of young talents aged 8 to 14. The focus is not on race participation and success - some of the riders are even too young to take part in the iXS Rookies Cup, for example - but on the sustainable development of the riders. Similar to the Academy principle from other sports, this gives them the opportunity to continuously develop over the years and, in the long term, move up to the Factory Team via the Propain Gravity Juniors, perhaps even into the World Cup at some point...

In order to optimally support the young talents in their development, Propain newcomer Marcus Klausmann will be involved as patron and coach. He will train the young riders in riding technique at several team events and provide them with advice and support throughout the season. As a father of several children himself, he was immediately enthusiastic about the project: "With the team, Propain is giving young talents the chance to develop at a high level in a cost- and time-intensive sport. Above all, the environment and the team spirit are crucial for success. It is almost impossible to achieve this on your own. This is exactly where I can give the kids and their parents great support with the experience of my long racing career and give something back to the sport. That motivates me immensely!" says the German downhill legend Klausmann.

The team's composition deliberately emphasizes diversity, which gives the team a very broad base. The ten team members come from three nations and have different roots in biking: some come from the BMX or XC sector, others have been riding in bike parks since the beginning. The team consists of the following riders for the 2017 season:

Jordie Hart, 11 years old, England
Emil Keller, 11 years old, Germany
Felix Hug, 9 years old, Germany
Felix Niedermeier, 9 years old, Germany
Johann Schumacher, 9 years old, Germany
Luke Kocherscheidt, 11 years old, Germany
Noah Kocherscheidt, 12 years old, Germany
Moritz Jungaberle, 9 years old, Germany
Anastasia Thiele, 13 years old, Germany
David Ludwig, 13 years old, Switzerland

The Propain Gravity Kids are supervised by David Mörs, who has already worked as team manager for the Propain Factory Teams. The young video team TrailTouch is on board for media production and Gravity Mountainbike Magazine has been won as an official media partner. Thanks to Propain's wide range of children's bikes, there is an optimal bike for every rider. The team will be riding mainly on the Propain bikes Frechdax, Yuma and Rage.

www.facebook.com/PropainGravityKids