Sam Osborne
Sam calls Rotorua, NZ home. When not away racing and training around the globe i’m usually found not too far the forest whether that be mountain biking running or helping out at the family bike shop making coffee and sharing the enjoyment of the trails.
I started off mountain biking through school before some enthusiastic teachers pushed me towards triathlon and 12 years of professional racing later still loving travelling the world competing.
I started off in the Olympic distance format as a junior & U23 before switching back to my roots and heading to Xterra – Off-road format Which has seen me well with 18 Xterra World Tour wins and 3 World Championship medals as well as a tonne of cool adventures and travelling that has taken me all around the world.
In 2022 after an invitation to compete in the Couples Championship with my girlfriend Samantha Kingsford I started to dabble in some half Ironman racing which has been a fun learning how to race a new bike fast.
2023 will see another Northern Hemisphere summer based out of Boulder, Colorado continuing to mix Half Ironman’s and Xterra Off- Road racing.
World Ranking:
- #4 World Cross Triathlon
- #9 Xterra World Ranking
- 19x Xterra World Tour Wins
- 5 x New Zealand Champion
- 3 x World Tour Champion – Asia Pacific and Pan America
- 4 x Top 5 Podiums at Xterra World Championships
- 2x USA Xterra Champion
- 3x top 5 finishes in 70.3 distance: 5th Ironman Taupo, 4th NZ 70.3 National Championships – Tauranga Half, 5th Challenge Wanaka
- 6th Clash Miami – 70.3
- 6th Ironman Melbourne
Guy Johnston
I am a Downhill and enduro mountain bike rider from the Hauraki plains, New Zealand.
I started off racing bikes on a BMX track when I was young and then moved into the downhill racing which then led to a bit of enduro racing that I have started to do more of now. I spend a lot of my time now in Whangamata working as a trail builder.
Last season was my first season where I focused on the enduro a bit more and found myself in the top 15 consistently at most of the EWS rounds throughout the season in the u21 category and finished with a top 10 in the overall standings. I also competed in some World Cup and Crankworx downhill events.
This season I am focusing more on the EWS and am aiming to be on the podium in u21 and finish top 5 in the overall. I will also continue to ride downhill and hope to make it to a World Cup this season as well!
Alex Cranswick
Hey there, I’m Alex, and I’m a pretty serious triathlete. You’ll find me posting way too much on social media, especially Instagram and Strava, but that’s just because I’m passionate about inspiring others to take up this awesome sport.
Last year, my big goal was to tackle Ironman 2023, and I’m stoked to say that I smashed it with a time of 10:04:55 and the second-fastest non-pro athlete bike time of the day. Now, I’ve got my sights set on a new challenge: the 70.3 World Championships in 2024. I’m training hard and can’t wait to see what I can achieve.
Hopefully, along the way, I’ll be able to encourage others to push their limits and chase their own dreams, whatever they may be.
Samantha Kingsford
Based in Rotorua for half the year training and then in the northern hemisphere for the rest of the year.
I grew up in Tirau on my parents’ dairy farm. Like most Kiwi kids, I was involved in most sports throughout my schooling years but it wasn’t until 2018 that I decided to see where I could go in off-road triathlon. I left my full time job as a P.E teacher to follow Sam (my boyfriend) around the Xterra circuit, and so far I haven’t looked back!
In 2022 we decided to mix things up and also race on the road in the 70.3 distance. This has kept training and racing interesting and I’m excited to see where I can go in this format of racing.
2023 we will head to America and base ourselves in Boulder, Colorado, where we will race both off-road and on road (70.3s) in and around America, Canada, South America, and maybe adventure to Europe for a race for two.
- World Ranking:
#4 for Cross Triathlon (ITU)
#6 for Xterra - 8x Xterra World Tour Wins
- 1x Xterra World Tour Champion – Pan America
- 2 x New Zealand Champion
- USA Xterra Champion
- 2x Top 5 podium in 70.3 distance
- 4th Clash Miami
- 4th Tauranga Half (NZ 70.3 Championships)
- Age Group World Champion – ITU
William MacDermid
My name is William MacDermid and I have been riding with the help of Squirt for 5 or so years. Besides those few years I’ve been on a bike for as long as I can remember and choose to compete in Downhill both nationally and internationally, which is pretty sick! To be able to travel the world for months at a time with my only concern being what trails to ride is one of the best things ever.
The first downhill race I did was the Skyline Rotorua race in 2014 that marked the opening of their bike park and since then have continental raced national championships and series and have recently been competing in the UCI World Cup series across Europe and North America.
To this end it is my goal to continue this and to build on my skills as a rider and a racer. As well as to show support to those who have supported me throughout my endeavors as a rider, like the wonderful team at Squirt. So I’ll keep racing and playing around on my bike and don’t see that changing anytime soon!
James MacDermid
My name is James MacDermid I am a downhill racer from Hamilton, New Zealand.
I’ve been racing downhill since I was 11 years old and am now 19 and competing in the elite category. My main focus is racing in the uci world mountain bike series and taking part in the dhi events. 2023 is going to be my 3rd season at the world cups.
2022 was my first year in the elite category which is a big step up from the juniors. Coming off of a 3rd in juniors and top 10 overall I went into not qualifying at the first few races.
I found my groove towards the end of the season qualifying at the last two rounds. I went into 25th at the final round however I didn’t stay on the bike in finals. My best result last year was 51st.
I had a 5th place at the crankworx taniwha dh in November last year as well. Going into 2023 I have the goal of becoming more consistent, I’m looking to try and consistently qualify and better last year’s results.
The ultimate goal is to be consistently in the top 30 and progress through semi finals as often as possible.
Proformance Racing Team
Proformance Racing was created to support young athletes striving to be their best in all disciplines of racing, like mountain biking, road racing, track racing, cyclocross, gravel racing, adventure racing, triathlons, duathlons, and whatever else may look like a great challenge.
We are new to the scene but have started strong with a great enthusiastic and positive team, looking to challenge themselves and be the best they can with a great list of sponsors behind us, including the amazing support from Squirt Cycling Products NZ, we are so excited to see what the future holds for the team so keep an eye out for us as we progress through the ranks.
Look forward to seeing you on the trails!