Two young Canadian enduro talents, Lief Rodgers and Evan Wall, have a new home. The pair will race together as the newly-formed Priority Race Team.
Priority, you say? Yes, the brand that’s based around Gates Belt Drive. The one that’s, until recently, mainly focused on more casual and commuter bikes. But also the Priority that recently released the Vanth, a high-pivot enduro bike four years in development and, yes, still belt-driven.
Wall and Rodgers will take the Vanth to global competition for the first time as Priorities first-ever sponsored athletes.
Actually, they already have. And already have a win and a podium. Rodgers won the opening round of the Canadian Enduro League in Kelowna aboard a Vanth. He then finished third in an absolutely stacked field at the Squamish Enduro over the weekend. Wall was close behind in eighth. If that doesn’t cure you of any doubts that Priority has made an enduro-worthy machine, here’s Rodger’s pioneering an absolutely mad slab-to-slab gap during practice.
Brining Gates Belt Drive to the Enduro World Cup
While Priority won’t be the first brand to bring a Gates Belt Drive to the enduro World Cup circuit (Hattie Harnden has won an EDR on one already), the team will be the minority in a field still dominated by traditional chain drivetrains.
“After four years developing the Vanth, building on our 12-year commitment to Gates Belt Drive innovation, this is about proving performance in real race conditions,” said Connor Swegle, Co-founder and CMO at Priority Bicycles. “Evan and Lief are fantastic riders who are ready to show off the Vanth enduro on the world stage. Inspired by competition for Gates’ DH Belted Purse, we built this bike to perform at the highest level, and now we’re putting it in the hands of enduro athletes to show how it can compete.”
Rodgers is finding enduro success, at home and overseas, after moving over from cross country racing during his younger years.
“From the first lap, [the Vanth] didn’t feel like anything I’d ever ridden before,” said Rodgers. “The suspension smooths everything out, and the silence is something everyone notices right away. There’s a lot of curiosity around the bike, and after featuring it on the podium to start the Canadian Enduro series, I’m excited to show what it can do in Europe.”
Wall, winner of the 2020 Pinkbike Academy and well established on the global enduro scene with top 10 results at the Enduro World Cup, moves over to Priority after racing with, among other teams, the Devinci enduro squad.
“I’m honoured to be chosen by Priority to help launch this team. They’re building a bike that’s incredibly planted and predictable when it matters most,” said Wall. “That consistency helps you save energy and push harder for longer, especially on rough, steep tracks where the bike takes a lot of the abuse.”
Priority Bicycles
Priority is rolling into its 12th year of developing bikes around the Gates Belt and gearbox-driven drivetrains. The independent New York-based brand is, outside of the Vanth, focused on making cycling simple and more affordable for recreational riders.