TAILFIN - Key Persons
Alex is a rider capable of excelling at any ultra-distance race he enters, regardless of the terrain. A consummate climber, the Austrian native thrives in the mountains and seems to excel when the tarmac or trail goes up. 2023 will see Alex look to improve on an already impressive podium finish at TPRN02 and hopefully gain redemption at the GBDURO. Alex's feedback so far has helped us shape some of our upcoming race oriented products.
Constantly travelling, Andy Cox truly does eat, sleep and breath cycling. Having covered over 100,000 kilometres in the last 5 years, Andy's in-depth knowledge of Europe's trails has led to the creation of the European Divide Trail. Andy's one of the inspirations behind the creation of the R&D Division, after all, there is no better tester for our kit than someone who lives on their bike.
Ben is one of the original Tailfin supported riders and has been key to testing out new designs over the years. He boasts an impressive list of achievements including TCR podium finisher. Ben prefers his riding long, self-supported and flat out. An infectious level of enthusiasm makes Ben a perfect addition to any ride or race.
Welsh powerhouse Bryn comes from a road racing background and it shows in the way he approaches his riding; fast and calculating. After a breakthrough performance in 2022's GBDuro he's been hooked on the more challenging races, and this year he's taking on the big ones. It's not all about racing for Bryn though and you're more likely to find him exploring his local mountains and testing kit on the wettest days of the year.
Job Titles:
- System Equipment for Versatile
Professional adventurer, acclaimed photographer and documentarian are just some of Chris' seemingly endless strings to his bow. No stranger to exploring in complete wilderness areas, Chris can often be seen putting his kit to the test in Iceland, his adoptive second home.
Chris can often be found attempting some of the most extreme types of endurance challenges ever seen. Whether riding 107km a day for 107 days or Trenching, Chris has the determination to succeed. He has a drive and ambition to succeed that aligns perfectly with Tailfin and a list of requirements that covers every type of riding, regardless of the terrain.
Chris Hall is a London-based cyclist. His love for huge (and, some might say, slightly unhinged) challenges for charity - such as 107 for 107 - brought him to the attention of the cycling community both in London and via social media. From there, Chris moved to long-distance cycling rides and races, including National 24, the Silk Road Mountain Race, and an epic trip across Australia. We caught up with him to talk to him about his cycling adventures and post-lockdown plans.
Dorien spends as much of her time on two wheels as possible, preferably exploring new areas and countries. Dorien is equally at home riding tarmac, gravel or mountain bike trails. She is one half of GRVLWMN, the Dutch based social media channel looking to inspire more women to ride.
2022 sees Finley make the transition from an elite road racer to full-time gravel racing and bikepacking. A talented filmmaker and photographer, Finley will be creating a raft of content based on what looks to be a packed schedule.
Francis has been a long time member of the Tailfin family and has used our kit on most of his worldwide trips. A move up North and transition to an off-road focus sees him testing our latest products in a different way. Many of you will be subscribers to his popular YouTube channel.
Fuelled by curiosity, relentless positivity and a love of being outside, Gail can often be found setting herself the sort of challenge most people would shy away from. Although cycling is her way of life; commuting, work and community, she is also proving herself to be an incredibly determined racer. She's got plans to push her limits off-road this year, exploring ways to perform whilst being self-sufficient and deep in nature.
Job Titles:
- Events / Rides / Challenges Planned for 2022
An eye for detail and a wealth of bikepacking experience that's hard to beat. James is one of the most determined riders on the circuit with a list of achievements any racer would be envious of. He knows what works for racers and how to make it happen.
Jason is the perfect tester for Tailfin. A consummate endurance athlete specialising in long-distance road events, he's often to be seen at the sharp end of any race he's entered. No stranger to extremes, Jason has also summited the world's highest mountains.
Josh rides a lot. He's also very good at riding, especially going fast over huge distances. He's won some of the biggest races in the calendar and this year sees him going back to being a full-time racer to achieve some pretty lofty goals. He's laser focussed on his training and a huge part is kit testing and preparation to ensure everything is perfect.
Lachlan needs no introduction. He has quickly become the face of the ‘alternative race calendar' and has helped introduce a whole new audience to endurance bikepacking. His wealth of epic solo endeavours, race wins and ability to inspire make him a perfect fit for the R&D Division.
Vlogger extraordinaire and ex-pro racer. Lawrence spends more time on his bike than most, and often at warp speed. Always up for a long-distance challenge he has a packed schedule of gravel races and bikepacking trip planned for 2022 that will be perfect for testing new kit.
Success has no age limit; a phrase that describes Marcia perfectly. The current women's LEJOGLE world record holder, Marcia is the epitome of a Tailfin rider. Whilst she enjoys all forms of riding, Marcia is planning on pushing herself out of her comfort zone and into new riding territories this year.
Martijn has been carefully documenting his cycling adventures through his media channels for the last few years and inspiring people along the way. Often to be found taking on new challenges on everything from road to mountain bike, he's recently been pushing his riding into longer unsupported races such as the Transiberica Badlands and loving it.
Martijn van Strien had never participated in a ‘proper' unsupported ultra-endurance race. One where the start and finish are dictated, along with the route and where the onus is on getting to the finish as fast as possible.
Matthew has risen to fame by doing things slightly differently. His decision to ride between each race in the global Enduro World Series created an adventure that helped put bikepacking with a mountain bike on the map, and he aims to recreate the feat for 2023. And that's just the start. His thirst for pushing the limits of what you can accomplish on a mountain bike makes him the perfect addition to the R&D Division and for helping develop the next range of MTB-specific bikepacking kit.
Travelling as far as she can by bike and experiencing the world is what pushes Mieke. She has already ticked off races such as the Race Around Rwanda and has some pretty big aspirations for 2022. Mieke is one half of GRVLWMN, the Dutch based social media channel looking to inspire more women to ride.
Gravel and road adventure riding is Mike's playground. He's less often seen in front of the lens than some other riders but that's because he's the one creating the ever lasting images. He pushes his kit hard and a recent step into ultra-endurance racing has added another list to his kit requirements.
Nathalie is a proven race winner regardless of discipline and terrain. Top step results in prestigious races such as Silk Road Mountain Race, Tour de Mont Blanc and B-Hard Ultra show how hard she works and how many hours she puts in on the bike. Being at the sharp end of any race has demands on your kit unlike any others and we are looking forward to Nathalie helping to shape future Tailfin products.
No stranger to the podium of ultra races, Niel excels at all aspects of cycling. He's an avid gear junky and already provides valuable feedback on Tailfin product development. When he's not out racing or riding he can be found imparting his wealth of experience as an endurance cycling coach.
Artist, photographer and cyclist. Quinda's passions lie in the natural world and ultra-cycling's all-encompassing and immersive experience of travelling through the landscape is her biggest motivation. She has taken on the world's hardest races and has a natural resilience making her well-suited to the testing experiences they can bring.
Scotti is in the enviable position to have raced on six continents throughout a racing career spanning from UCI World Tour level road racing competing in the highest profile road races in the world to ultra-distance off-road events specialising in races over the most difficult terrain. This experience not only makes Scotti a huge asset to the R&D Division but also to inspire her cycling community building efforts.