Big moves from Gwen Gibson and Henrique Avancini kick transfer season into high-gear
U.S. World Cup winner and Brazilian seek new teams after long stays
U.S. World Cup winner Gwen Gibson and Brazil’s star XC racer Henrique Avancini are both on the move to new teams, kicking the end-of-year transfer season into high gear.
This year’s already seen Pauline Ferrand-Prevot decamp to join the powerhouse Ineos squad, alongside Tom Pidcock, and the collapse of Norco’s decades-long Factory Team project and the shuttering of Propain’s downhill and enduro project.
With the end of Norco’s racing project, Gwendalyn Gibson was left looking for a new home at the end of her breakthrough season. The U.S. cross country racer won her first World Cup and was on the podium at world championships in Les Gets. That put Gibson in an excellent position to look for a new squad, clearly. She’s signed with the powerhouse Trek Factory Racing squad going forward.
Gibson’s announcement is the first signing for the former Norco XC and downhill team riders to be made public. We’re still waiting to see where the long list of Canadians on that squad will land in 2023.
Avancini ends eight years with Cannondale Factory Racing
While Gibson announced a new start, Henrique Avancini made public the end of his time with Cannondale. The Brazilian XC racer won his first – and his home nation’s first – World Cup while with the Lefty-leaning squad. He also oversaw the first World Cup XCO in Brazil in decades, when Petropolis opened the 2022 season earlier this spring and won the XC Marathon world championships in 2018.
“It’s time to move on,” Avancini said to start his announcement. “I’m very glad of the history me and Cannondale built together. This was a very successful journey that allowed me to put the sport I love under the spotlight in my country and also build a solid career on the highest international level. To leave CFR wasn’t an easy call, but I’m leaving with a lot of lessons, friends, accomplishments and many memories that I can keep proudly in my heart. I feel I have given everything to this project and it’s time to find new goals and chase new challenges. But being sure, I won’t forget all the Cannondale and CFR provided to me.”
It’s not clear yet where the 33-year-old will end up, or who will step into his place on the Cannondale squad.
