Press Release: FOX Athlete Nico Lau Crowned Trans-Provence Champion for the Second Straight Year

Nico Lau repeats as Trans-Provence champion with fellow FOX athletes Fabien Barel, Francois Bailly-Maitre, and Geoff Kabush taking third, fourth and fifth, respectively.

Scotts Valley, Calif. – FOX—the ride dynamics company—congratulates its recently-crowned 2013 Trans-Provence Champion, Nicolas Lau. In a relentless enduro race that covers six days, 24 timed stages, 181 miles, 27,411 feet of vertical ascent and 48,330 feet of vertical descent, it is amazing that the victory for the 2013 Trans-Provence came down to the final stage of the event. FOX’s Nicolas Lau demonstrated that a week’s worth of hard effort is what it takes to repeat as the overall Trans-Provence Champion.

After placing second on the first day, Nico won the next four days of racing but was ranked second in overall time going into the final day of racing. While Nico endured a difficult week of biblical weather, tough conditions and rugged terrain along with his fellow competitors, he felt if he continued to ride his best that he’d take the overall lead.

The final day of racing had a just a few racers eyeing the top spot while most of the field was happy to just finish the event. Nico stayed focused and had a solid day of racing, slashing through the rocky terrain of the final three stages to take the overall victory. The Trans-Provence is a true test of endurance for the riders and their bikes—both must conquer an intense variety of trails over the course of six days. Nico’s winning bike was equipped with a Factory Series 34 FLOAT 160 FIT CTD fork, FLOAT CTD shock, and D.O.S.S. seatpost.

Fellow FOX riders Fabien Barel, Francois Bailly-Maitre, and Geoff Kabush also had a great week of racing. Enduro World Series event winner, Fabien, kicked it up a notch on the final stages to win Day 6 and move into third place in the overall. Fabien raced on a Factory Series 36 FLOAT 160 RC2 fork and FLOAT X CTD shock. Francois and Geoff rode consistently all week to finish fourth and fifth, respectively, outpacing many credible riders. Francois rode with a Factory Series 34 FLOAT 160 CTD fork, FLOAT CTD and D.O.S.S. seatpost. Geoff, who has won cross-country, enduro, and cyclocross races in the last two months, was aboard a Factory Series 34 FLOAT 160 CTD fork, Nude shock and D.O.S.S. seatpost.

“The Trans-Provence is one of the most physical races of the season. We work closely with our athletes to make certain their suspension is tuned to conquer the terrain and reduce rider fatigue,” said Mark Fitzsimmons, FOX race program manager. “We’re very proud of Nico’s win and the performance of all our athletes.”