Creating a family atmosphere and building long-term relationships is very important to CUBE, and putting the spotlight on young athletes further cements these values, says CUBE's founder and owner, Marcus Pürner.

"As part of our move to develop race-ready bikes for downhill and cross country, it was obvious to us that we also wanted to further broaden our sponsorship. With Jess on our downhill squad we have an athlete who can achieve regular podium results. Max and Simon, too, have already broken through into the ranks of the top riders in the world. Kira has shown she is a top contender with eight top-ten XC World Cup finishes under her belt already. And I am super happy with the positive progress of Finn and Knut. This sends the clear message that our product portfolio and our developments in downhill and cross country have made it to the very top, and that we offer our customers highest-quality bikes. We are passionate about our commitment to up-and-coming young athletes and developing our own talents long term."

The UCI Cross County World Cup kicks off with two stops in Brazil, while the Downhill World Cup calendar gets under way in Fort William, Scotland, in early May. All in all, the cross country team will take on eight races while the downhill squad have seven on the schedule. The big goal of the season is the World Championships in Andorra from 28 August to 1 September, before the closing races in the United States and Canada. The Next Generation riders will be targeting the podium at the European Championships in the U15 and U17 age categories.