The game of musical chairs is in full swing at the women’s level of the International Downhill. With Tahnee Seagraveet Mille Johnset leaving for new horizons, it was a place of choice that was to be taken at Canyon. And it’s Marine Cabirou who takes it!
You’ve definitely been following him through the FullAttack Transfer Timeline… And if you haven’t, let me update you. A little before the holidays, Orbea began by formalizing the end of its enduro team, as we did not know until now. A few days later, they are Marine Cabirou, Mille Johnset and Tahnee Seagrave who announced the end of their collaborations with their partners at the time. The first leaving Scott, the other two, Canyon… Seen from this angle, you understand the game of musical chairs that was taking place during this transfer period. Since then, Tahnee Seagrave and FMD Racing have announced that they have found refuge with Orbea. But who to take the vacant place at Canyon, where a representative at the highest international level was temporarily missing, in Downhill? It is rumored that with her good results back on the forefront in 2024, the Millau driver had several tracks in the paddock, but it is now official: Marine Cabirou becomes the female leader of the Canyon CLLCTV Factory Team.
After 12 years of collaboration with Patrice Afflatet, a large part of which within the Scott Factory Racing Team, the Aveyron driver therefore continues to complete the stages. Here she is within one of the biggest structures in the paddock, with two choice arguments to embody a certain progression. The first, the fact of now collaborating with Fabien Barel in the staff. We know the meticulousness and motivation of the guy… and we also know that in this matter, Marine is not left out. So looking forward to seeing how this team can work and the results that can result from it. We know that the last few years have been punctuated by injuries and great returns to competition for the pilot from Millau. Let us hope that this new collaboration brings the little extras that allow us to to settle down more regularly from now on, at the forefront of the stage. After all, there is always a certain Vali Höll, and his growing regularity, to be found in 2025…
The other argument is the bike to which Marine now has access. After long seasons on Fox suspensions, these are des suspensions Rock Shox who await him on his new mount… But what a mount! On several occasions last year, both pilots and informed observers had the opportunity to highlight the good functioning of the Canyon Sender prototype with high pivot point which benefits the team. It is precisely this mount that Marine Cabirou tried, and on which she gets her bearings, always in the company of Florian Rochas, her mechanic who follows her on the adventure, with a view to the opening of the World Cup, planned in mid-May, in a few months therefore. Obviously, until then, we will not fail to scrutinize everything that could give indications on the speed at which Marine Cabirou is making her mark in her new team and on this promising bike which, like Marine in the past, has already won the World Cup final at Mont Sainte-Anne, and the legendary round of Val di Sole in particular…