D3O, the world’s leading impact protection brand, today announces Tahnée Seagrave has become an official brand ambassador.
Seagrave is recognised as one of downhill mountain bike’s most accomplished athletes accumulating World Cup and World Championship success since 2013 when she was aged just eighteen.
She missed three months of the 2019 season after suffering a serious shoulder injury in a crash that required surgery. However, Seagrave completed a stunning return to action by claiming silver at the UCI World Championships, despite completing just eight days’ downhill bike practice.
D3O® impact protection products worn by Seagrave are commercialized by Fox Racing, which integrates D3O® technologies into its mountain bike range including knee and elbow guards and gloves.
Tahnée Seagrave commented, “Working with D3O directly is a logical next step for me. My profession requires highly advanced protective gear, and my scars and audience are there to remind me that I need to keep pushing to help set the standard for protection.
“I get asked for advice on what protective to wear on a daily basis! D3O and Fox are working together constantly to refine my gear and adapt it for wider use. I love being a testbed as that means that I get to go out and race with confidence and inspire that same confidence in others.”
The agreement sees D3O become the official protective-wear partner of Seagrave and the partnership will see her feature as one of the key faces of D3O’s brand activity globally.
She will also work closely with the D3O innovation team as part of the company’s new product development program for the mountain bike market.
Each product is carefully crafted with input from Fox athletes including Seagrave to offer superior mountain bike-specific performance, with trusted protection, exceptional comfort and natural range of motion whatever the incline.
Mostyn Thomas, General Manager and CMO at D3O commented “We couldn’t be happier that Tahnée has joined the D3O team of ambassadors – she’s a natural fit for D3O. She sets the bar high when it comes to protection and is a role model for those who follow her.
“We are incredibly proud to work closely with Tahnée and she will be an integral part of our brand communications as we continue to grow both in North America and globally.
“She has already validated key insights on the importance of the type and placement of protective in her sport as we continue to innovate and ensure we remain the number one technology for impact protection.”
Chris Blum, Category Manager at Fox Racing said “Fox is proud to continue our long-term relationship with D3O. As the global leader in impact protection, D3O has been a critical part of our strategic plan to improve our apparel and protection offerings.
“Working together has allowed Fox to leverage the knowledge and experience of the D3O engineers to understand how to better incorporate their technologies into our products from the start, ensuring seamless integration and better performance all around.
“The addition of Tahnée Seagrave to the D3O program is exciting for us. Tahnée has been a Fox sponsored athlete for nearly 10 years and she brings a wealth of knowledge and experience from a lifetime lived on two wheels. She is a great representative for Fox, D3O and the sport of mountain biking and we couldn’t be happier for her!”
Seagrave joins a growing team of D3O Ambassadors that includes Seth Jones, ice hockey defenseman and alternate captain for the Columbus Blue Jackets in the NHL; Michael Dunlop, 19-time winner of the fastest and most challenging motorcycle road race in the world – the Isle of Man TT; and Enduro rider Rémy Absalon, who has 12 Mégavalanche victories, four French Enduro Series wins, four European Cup Downhill Marathon wins and a Mountain of Hell win under his belt.
As the 2019 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup Season opened in Maribor, Slovenia, the women’s field was at the center of attention. Seagrave was primed to take the lead after finishing second in the 2018 World Cup series and at World Championships in Switzerland.
As the race weekend unfolded, Seagrave came away victorious, claiming the leader’s jersey for the first time in her career.
Round two would see the series move on to Fort William, Scotland, where Seagrave looked to go two for two. It was not to be however, and Seagrave’s World Cup goals were stopped in their tracks, with a crash on her first practice run resulting in her being lifted off the mountain with a separated shoulder.
As the race season continued to play out in dramatic form, Seagrave was left to watch it from the sidelines.
“I remember wanting to think about my season and wanting to be upset about the fact I wouldn’t be racing because I knew that was the case, but the pain was so high that I couldn’t think about anything else but my shoulder” Seagrave reflected.
Seagrave’s attention shifted to her recovery and her focus was set on returning to race World Championships in Canada, just three months after her injury.
D3O is a fast-growth engineering, design and technology company based in the UK, with offices in the US and China. D3O produces protective materials and technologies that are used in the sport, motorcycle, electronics, defense and workwear industries.
A collective of engineers, chemists, product designers and industry experts, D3O partners with world-class brands including 3M, CCM and Fox Racing. Together they create pioneering protective products that enable people to take risks, challenge their limits and stay safe.
From body protection for professional athletes and motorcyclists, to precision safety equipment for industrial workers, to combat helmets for soldiers - D3O® protects.