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Cedric
Gracia leaves Cannondale for Commençal |
The rumblings began around the time of Interbike and now it's official; Cedric Gracia will ride for Commençal for 2006. Cannondale has had to rebrand their top of the line DH bikes - the Cedric Gracia model has become the Judge. It was developed under Cedric and it's the same bike but it now has a new name. That has to be tough for Cannondale. Unfortunately for them the product development cycle didn't match up with Cedric's contract expiry and when it came time to re-negotiate it seems CG's mind was already made up.
The inside line suggests that Gracia's decision to move to a brand that's closer to home has more to do with his desire to win more races than with cash. Max Commençal has had experience putting bikes under Anne Caroline Chausson and Nico Vouilloz (under the Sunn banner) and it's tough to argue with that record. We'll see if this partnership is what CG needs to start winning the big races.
Below is the official release from Commençal.
