The YT Mob

This series jumps into the lives of title winning titans, both riders and staff, to give you an understanding of the characters behind the scenes of a World Cup DH racing team. So, sit back, relax, and enjoy the success story that is The YT Mob’s Race to the Top. At the recently completed US National Championships in Snowshoe West Virginia, Neko Mulally walked away victorious claiming his 3rd national title. This year the conditions were bizarrely dry but that was of no concern to Neko, who completed a smooth and calculated run to take the title. The 25-year-old was a popular winner and there is little doubt that support from family and friends is the backbone to the American’s confidence on track; they’ve been there for him at every possible step of his journey in this sport. His brother Logan especially has stood shoulder to shoulder with Neko, and has watched him develop into who he is today: “I’d be at the BMX races hanging out and playing in the dirt with my friends and he would always just be sitting there at the gate on his bike thinking about what he needed to do, and he’s literally always been like that,” said Logan. In 2015, Neko had a hard time, unable to race due to injuries, but this guy isn’t one to sit around idly twiddling his thumbs, and so began the creation of Windrock Bike Park. In the past Neko, who now lives in Brevard, North Carolina, has shown maturity beyond his years by organizing downhill events such as The DH South East Series and a Pro GRT. This gave him the vision to see 72,000 acres of beautiful Tennessean landscape for what it was, a perfect opportunity to help cultivate something special for the local cycling community. Now Windrock is one of the most popular trail centers in the country, and thousands of eager bikers get themselves down and ready to better themselves on two wheels, and it’s all down to Neko’s vision. Neko brings so much to the world of mountain biking beyond his racing; “I used to want to be a World Champion or win the race, now I’m just finding a lot of pleasure in the process and just being better than I was the last time I raced. Downhill biking down a mountain is such a fine edge of as fast as you can go, and too fast and crash, and to win the race you have to be spot on,” said the man from The YT Mob.

This series jumps into the lives of title winning titans, both riders and staff, to give you an understanding of the characters behind the scenes of a World Cup DH racing team. So, sit back, relax, and enjoy the success story that is The YT Mob’s Race to the Top. The YT Mob’s most promising prospect is Angel Suarez; he epitomizes the very meaning of young and talented with his fearless approach to downhill racing. The speed daemon has been a master on two wheels since he was small, ripping up the Spanish motocross scene 8 years ago and even making it to the heights of National Champion. Sadly, he wasn’t able to continue on that path, however motocross’ loss was Downhill racing’s gain, as he switched to the pedal sport and found success with his unique style. Due his time sat just above an engine the 22-year-old has gained quite a few transferrable skills; he’s completely at home when it comes to sending it big and he cruises through loose dirt in a seemingly effortless motion, as well being utterly fearless when tackling tricky terrain. The Spaniard comes from Vigo, in the north-west of the country and loves spending time with his family and girlfriend, who are always there to offer him their loyal support. In his spare time he still loves to take his motocross bike out and about, but it will come as no surprise that his favorite past time is going out and shredding his YT it with his mates at a local uplift: “What I always say with my friends is ‘somos bici’ (we are bicycle), and that doesn’t mean it’s the most important thing in our lives, but it’s the thing we love to do, and we need to do to be good and happy,” said Suarez. Being involved in high speed, high risk sports has meant that Suarez has picked up injuries a little more severe than the occasional grazes. However, for someone who has probably broken more bones than Wile E. Coyote he takes it like a champ, and is always raring to get back in the saddle with a smile on his face: “I feel like I’m the same guy I was before my injuries so that’s the most important thing, I don’t think about it when I’m riding, so I’m just riding my bike and trying to enjoy it,” he stated. Besides securing a brilliant top 20 finish in Lenzerheide, Switzerland in 2015 the youngster didn’t have the best of luck in his first two professional seasons of racing due to crashes, and had a year off to go through surgery twice. Regardless of his trials and tribulations Suarez knows that such problems are just part of racing, and in April he showed true determination and class at the opening round of the UCI Downhill World Cup in Croatia. It was there that he proved that he has the pace, by qualifying 26th to go through to the final alongside both of his more experienced team mates. Suarez is always up for a laugh and a joke, but don’t be fooled by his calm exterior, underneath there is a driven and determined competitor with a great future in the sport he loves so much.

This series jumps into the lives of title winning titans, both riders and staff, to give you an understanding of the characters behind the scenes of a World Cup DH racing team. So, sit back, relax, and enjoy the success story that is The YT Mob’s Race to the Top. Paul Schlitz is the ultimate behind the scenes guy in his roles as both Soigneur and Road Manager for The YT Mob team. Being a Soigneur is one of the most serious support team jobs in the cycling world, and it’s something Schlitz takes seriously. To the point in fact, where he has never been late for any of the long list of tasks he has had to see to in his shining career. Schlitz’s vast array of duties can entail anything from making sure the riders are keeping up with their nutrition, to being that comforting voice that simmers down the adrenaline after a hard day in the saddle: “You’ve got to be able to seamlessly manage the egos of all the different people on the team,” he explained. Schlitz also must make sure no one gets lost along the way, this is where he comes in as the Road Manager. None of the team want to be left hanging around at airports, but his cast iron grip on the logistical side of things makes sure that never happens. His first introduction to sport was as a distance runner in the late 80’s, so he knows what his riders are putting their minds through to give themselves that competitive edge: “I get as nervous on race day as I used to get when I was towing the line in a running race,” stated Schlitz. It was back in 1998 that the Australian got his first glimpse into a future on the mountain biking scene. Due to his bilingual abilities, speaking both French and English, he was offered 12 days’ work at The Tour VTT in the South of France providing massages for the riders. From that point on he obviously impressed and by 1999 he had a permanent place on the World Cup circuit with the prestigious Volvo-Cannondale Team, who were a dominant force in mountain biking during the late 90’s and early noughties. In between then and working for The YT Mob the 52-year-old has had spells at other legendary teams such Team G Cross Honda and Trek World Racing. Originally from Beechworth in Australia, Schlitz now calls the rolling hills and beautiful vineyards of Provence home, where he lives with his wife: “If this all ended tomorrow I’d be very happily living in Provence, a very simple life, I would miss the circuit, but I’d be very happy and comfortable,” he explained. When he isn’t basking in the brilliant culture the South of France has to offer Schlitz likes to keep himself as fit as possible. His routine has him working on his upper body as well as spending time out on the pedals almost every day of the week, but he still likes to have one day off to rest to give himself that all important recovery time. Paul Schlitz really is the glue that holds The YT Mob together, and the thing is he, he is passionate about doing it too: “I love watching the world’s best riders do what they do, and I consider myself grateful to be part of it,” he said

This series jumps into the lives of title winning titans, both riders and staff, to give you an understanding of the characters behind the scenes of a World Cup DH racing team. So, sit back, relax, and enjoy the success story that is The YT Mob’s Race to the Top. John Hall is the meticulous mechanic ensuring Aaron Gwin’s bike is set up for yet another unstoppable season. The man from The Black Hills of South Dakota has been winning races alongside Gwin since Pietermaritzburg in 2014, so his ability to wrench for the best is carved into the rock. He spent four years in the United States Marine Corp as a Humvee mechanic with 3rd Battalion 5th Marines. He completed one combat tour to Fallujah, Iraq maintaining convoy vehicles and serving as a machine gunner on the same convoys in his down time. His next deployment sent him to numerous countries around the South Pacific training with foreign militaries. His experience in the military certainly prepared him to handle stressful situations with the calmness needed to get the job done efficiently and correctly. It was while he was stationed in California that he found his love for The Golden State and decided to take up roots in Temecula. It’s not easy to get to the top, and Hall is certainly a testament to that. Life after the military started off working a concrete job for minimum wage and then by grafting non-stop in a low-key repair shop and eventually a high end bike shop. His diligence and work ethic didn’t go unnoticed and eventually he was offered work at a few races, mostly for free or his own hotel room. However, he kept on doing his thing and eventually networked his way with grit and determination into the Aaron Gwin pit: “On one hand everything did work out for me and I did get lucky, but on the other hand I put myself in every position I possibly could for me to get lucky,” stated Hall.“Looking back, everything I did just lined me up perfectly.” Hall has now provided the sturdy framework for 11 of Gwin’s UCI Mountain Bike World Cup wins, so it's safe to say he and his compatriot have formed a close bond: “The longer I do it the more appreciative I become to wrench for a rider like Aaron,” he praised. The son of a rodeo professional, Hall knows what it means to follow a dream. Much like him his father would spend long spells of time away from home doing what he loved chasing the rodeo circuit. Excellence at a high level obviously runs in Hall’s veins and his dad was no amateur, making it to the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) twice in his career. When it comes down to it keeping his rider safe on a beautifully running YT TUES CF PRO RACE – MOB EDITION, Hall is in his element. The actual winning is up to Gwin, but we all know the talent that guy has on a bike. Being a World Cup mechanic is tough work for sure, but Hall has never struggled in that department, as he revealed: “There is no secret, I just try to outwork people. I work a bit harder, a little bit longer, pay more attention to detail, and that in the end eventually just hopefully looks like success.”