The Simplon Trailblazers rider line-up promises an exciting mix of speed and talent. They include the figurehead of the German enduro racing scene, top World Cup rider and reigning German enduro champion Raphaela Richter, two-time Finnish downhill champion and best-placed privateer Enduro World Cup rider of the past season Tarmo Ryynänen, also known from the Pinkbike Academy, and the up-and-coming young rider Lars Büngen, who won both the German and Swiss championship races last year as a member of the Swiss national team and was thus able to establish himself as a top U21 talent in the DACH region.

A groundbreaking moment for the team is the partnership with Simplon as bike and title partner. The future Simplon Rapcon race bike is already known to industry insiders as one of the top enduro bikes. What's more, the Rapcon has already managed to cause a surprise or two in recent years with a number of prestigious awards and test wins. The Simplon Trailblazers are now looking forward to showing the full potential of this bike on the World Cup stage and trying to translate the performance of the race enduro bike into podium places, trophies and championships.

"With the Rapcon, we have a fantastic enduro bike. We are therefore delighted to have found the right brand ambassadors in the Simplon Trailblazers to position our Rapcon at the European top. And who ride and perform our bikes with just as much heart, passion and joy," emphasizes Jakob Luksch, CEO of Simplon.

The team will also get off to a flying start with a great combination of strong partners consisting of Abus, TRP, Schwalbe, Fox, Bike Yoke, Dainese, Sendhit, Newmen-Components, Nutriathletic, Tunap Sports and Fidlock. In addition, the team is working on a long-term project that will be in line with the team name and its underlying meaning. Further details on this exciting initiative will be announced in the near future.

The race program is focused on the full UCI Enduro World Cup and will be complemented by all national championships and a carefully selected local Enduro and E-Enduro races. Due to the strong downhill background of all three riders, the team will also compete in downhill races on a regular basis, including appearances at national championships.

The team is led by a management duo with a very special combination: One is Knut Büngen, a former professional handball player in the German Handball League (HBL) and 1991 German champion, who now works successfully as an architect with a focus on project management in Switzerland and was, for example, project manager of the Biathlon Arena Lenzerheide. The other is Bastian Stark, an experienced sports manager from Bamberg, Germany. Stark has been working behind the scenes for international athletes and professional teams for over twelve years. He has made a name for himself in the bike industry by working with athletes such as Guido Tschugg, Johannes Fischbach and Korbinian Engstler.

"After almost a year of hard work behind the scenes, we are delighted to officially start this exciting new chapter. We are very grateful for our exceptional driver combination and our strong team partner setup, who will accompany us on this exciting journey," say Büngen and Stark in unison. "Our overarching goal is to establish a professional and sustainable racing program that provides the optimal environment for our riders to reach their full potential and perform at their personal best. This requires the creation of a perfect comfort zone that encompasses both the athletic and performance organization, as well as the mental balance and well-being of each individual rider."

The Simplon Trailblazers are ready for the exciting journey and want to leave their mark both on and off the race course for a lasting impression in the sport of mountain biking. 

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