Sam Hill says Nukeproof collapse won’t stop his comeback
But will we see the flat-pedal king at Fort William next week?
Photo by:
Clint Trahan / Crankworx
When Wiggle/ChainReaction Cycles collapsed over the new year, taking Nukeproof down with it, one of the biggest questions left unanswered was what would happen to Sam Hill. While the Continental Nukeproof team racers quickly found a home with GT. Sam Hill, though, was on his own program.
As far as timing goes, it couldn’t have been worse. Hill was in the midst of a delayed comeback to downhill. After winning a few Enduro World Series (now the Enduro World Cup) titles, the iconic Australian flat pedal-holdout was working towards returning to World Cup downhill in 2023. That was delayed by a broken foot. Just as Hill was getting back up to speed, the news came that Wiggle/CRC and, with that, Nukeproof, were done. While the group and its associated brands were eventually purchased, the new owner is not continuing any of the teams.
“I was basically made redundant effective immediately,” says Hill. For a rider who’d been with the same program for 11 years, it was hard news. “It was definitely not something I had seen coming and was a huge shock to wrap my head around as an athlete. I’ve never not had a bike deal or a direction my career was going in and to be honest I just wanted to give up all together.”
“The team was all apart of my success and for it to all be over, without a proper goodbye, one last whirl or any warning has been really, really hard,” Hill added, in a good reminder that, with all the hard times in the cycling industry lately, there are real people behind all these closures and layoffs.Â
While the abrupt transition wasn’t easy, Hill’s still focused on getting back to the World Cup and isn’t talking about retirement just yet.
“I’ll stop racing when I’m ready to stop racing and not be forced to stop racing,” Hill says, ending with “Seeya between the tape somewhere soon everyone.”
Will soon be next week at the first World Cup in Fort William? If so, what frame will we see Hill racing?
Full statement from Sam Hill:
“Where do I even start?
Obviously 2023 didn’t go to plan. I wanted to return to DH, challenge myself and relearn the speeds of the current top elite men. The sport has changed since I last fully committed to the World Cup circuit and I knew it was going to be a big adjustment for myself. I felt like I was building momentum & getting comfortable on the DH bike again but then unfortunately as you all know broke my foot. I flew home and had surgery straight away. Fast forward a couple months post surgery, I was in the talks of re-negotiating my contract with Nukeproof to go racing again in 2024 as I was feeling super motivated to make my comeback AGAIN. Things were looking positive until I got the news from my manager that Nukeproof and the parent companies who own them had gone into liquidation and I was basically made redundant effective immediately. It was definitely not something I had seen coming and was a huge shock to wrap my head around as an athlete. I’ve never not had a bike deal or a direction my career was going in and to be honest I just wanted to give up all together. In 2013 when I first signed with Nukeproof, I took a huge risk and left a big brand to go for a smaller, more family run company which thankfully took me down the path of winning 3 more world titles, created a line of my own products and being the face of their race team. Signing with brands has never been about money for me. I mean it’s nice to be lucky enough to be paid to race but I’ve always just wanted brands to support me and give me the space to ride, provide results for them and just be me, Sam. Nukeproof was all of that and they always supported me no matter what my goal was for racing. Everyone who created Nukeproof were family to me, my wife and kids. The team was all apart of my success and for it to all be over, without a proper goodbye, one last whirl or any warning has been really, really hard. I thought I would ride and be apart of the Nukeproof family forever and possibly have a manager roll myself when I retired racing.
I loved being with my team and have made friendships for a life time. Everyone has been asking what’s been going on, so I guess this is my goodbye to Nukeproof. I would like to thank everyone involved in the brand whom I have worked with over the last 11 years: Nigel, Michael, Rob, Dale, Steve, Lyn, Katie, Bdog. My team mates over the years: Matt, Joe, Majestic, Elliott, Kelan, Dan, Corey. My absolute lord of a mechanic Jacy. You took the leap with me in 2013 and have been by my side through every high and every low mate. I appreciate everything you have all done for me and the opportunities I have had. I hate that it’s ended the way that it has. I don’t like the R word and I’ve been close to it with all this going down… But it’s not the end for me. I will be back and going as fast as I can soon. I’ll stop racing when I’m ready to stop racing and not be forced to stop racing. Seeya between the tape somewhere soon everyone.”
