It's no coincidence that the original Whyte design team created the first ever full suspension bike to win the National XC series. Racing has always been in our blood, purely because blood full of lactic acid and adrenaline is the least forgiving of any performance or design compromises.

Take the fastest, most brutal line every lap whatever the consequences. Ride 100s of km on the Saturday, sleep for a few hours and then repeat it all again on the Sunday. You just can't inflict that sort of stress on a test bike without a finish line at the end and it makes our racers crucial in establishing our reputation for unsurpassed reliability.

It's no coincidence that while any fragile featherweight bike can take smooth groomed course glory, our riders and bikes win at the most gruelling 'real riders' events. This year it's been the storm lashed 7 day TransWales race, the Somme like attrition of Dusk till Dawn, Hit the North and Thetford NPS. The brutally technical Laggan XC course, the top two places (yet again) at the summer Polaris event and countless other personal victories on podiums and summits every weekend.

We can't think of a better way to prove - and improve - our durable, inspirational performance than continuing involvement with UK racing. We can't think of a better way to thank our athletes than to give them even more of an advantage in 2009.

Click here to view our Athletes Profiles.