Sam Gaze and Specialized are parting ways for the 2020 MTB season. At the beginning of the week, Gaze thanked his sponsor for the successful partnership and officially said goodbye to his sponsor on Instagram.
"I would like to thank Specialized for the past five years. When I joined the team, I would never have dreamed in a million years that we could achieve so much. I'm extremely grateful for the memories and experiences we've been able to share. But it's time for a new beginning."
Under the US brand, Gaze has won numerous U23 World Cups as well as two U23 World Championship titles. He reached the pinnacle of his career with his first Elite World Cup victory in Stellenbosch in 2018. After that, various injuries pushed Gaze to the lower end of the world rankings. Last season, he was also unable to really get back on track after suffering a head injury during the Cape Epic in the spring. Gaze last tried his hand at road racing in autumn 2019 as a guest rider for the professional road racing team Deceuninck-Quick-Step. Now the first Dutch online reports announce the switch from Gaze to Corendon Circus - the team of Mathieu van der Poel and Ronja Eibl. He is already listed in the team's 2020 squad. However, an official announcement has yet to be made.
In the coming season, the 24-year-old New Zealander wants to attack again in the MTB World Cup and is also concentrating on the Olympic mountain bike race in Tokyo on 27 July 2020.
Max Fuchs
Editor
