Thibaut Daprela Turns Privateer For 2024

Article doesn't seem to open when i click it... but i'm massively curious on this one.

You’re not missing out, the article tells you nothing extra. Left Commencal, left Canyon “by mutual consent”. Be interesting to see what comes out in the wash

I am shocked he's not on a factory ride. Surely he's not going privateer as first choice?

I'm guessing Commencal have filled their spots, it's gone sour at Canyon and Privateer is the only real option left to him.

Massive shame for him in many ways as he's one of if not my favourite rider to watch as he's just a missile when he's on it.... and a torpedo when he's not 😀

Are the 2 bikes very different? Maybe he "couldn't" ride the Canyon

Be interesting to see what bike he's on for race 1

Do his ears not hurt in that hat?

There’s rumours doing the rounds regarding off the bike behaviour, if true doubt he’ll ever get a factory ride

Very interesting that Pinkbike aren't reporting on this. I suspect it's because of how the comments section will go...

He's disabled commenting on his original Instagram post

One can only guess something has happened that is unacceptable to a Factory team.....and they've parted ways. So, a Privateer programme it is......

There’s rumours doing the rounds regarding off the bike behaviour, if true doubt he’ll ever get a factory ride

@captain_bastard , I think you could give him your handle, it'd be quite fitting.

Pinkbike will have to tread very lightly because of the incel population below the line

Very interesting that Pinkbike aren’t reporting on this. I suspect it’s because of how the comments section will go…

I suspect they are just looking for more understanding of what’s happened first

One can only guess something has happened that is unacceptable to a Factory team…..and they’ve parted ways. So, a Privateer programme it is……

I can’t see him on a privateer program, or allowed within the same time zone as any event

gonna be tough to insure the liability of someone who lays it all on the line!

Be interested to know what’s gone on here, was surprised there wasn’t much pre season talk about him. From my armchair commentator perspective, outside the top 3 of Bruni, Goldstone and Pierron there’s about 10 guys who could beat any of them on a good day, Deprela probably the wildest and undoubtedly quick, still young too.

Be interested to know what’s gone on here,

Something happened, when commencel got wind of the allegations he was gone. Canyon didn’t know, they found out and kicked him off.  Apparently Lots of chat around the French DH scene, it’s been known about since August.  What’s being talked about is very very serious

Vital MTB has a thread with quite a bit more detail. But it's not my place to be throwing words or accusations about

“What’s being talked about is very very serious”
 😕

I won't link from here, but last page of the Vital team rumours thread contains all the rumours you need to know, which unfortunately seem to add up

The allegations are very serious which makes me wonder why there is no mention of any criminal charges. Nothing at all outside of the MTB rumour mill.

Considering how long some people have known about it, it looks odd that Canyon signed him in the first place.

If it all turns out to be true it looks very bad for the brands who continue to support him. I can't see people lining up to get him on their frames.

Very interesting that Pinkbike aren’t reporting on this. I suspect it’s because of how the comments section will go…

I suspect they are just looking for more understanding of what’s happened first

A bit of both IMO. They like to at least try to do real journalism, and they know they have an issue with part of their readership.

It's unclear from the posts on Vital whether this alleged serious thing is in the hands of the authorities or not. If it is, then I believe French law allows him to be named. If not, that makes reporting more difficult.

Obviously we don't want to give the STW mods a hard time by saying anything more specific here.

It'll be interesting to see if he's now shunned by the rest of the World Cup scene anyway.

Very interesting that Pinkbike aren’t reporting on this. I suspect it’s because of how the comments section will go…

Probably not a massively long meeting to discuss it though. Either report it, and turn off the comments, and that pretty much confirms the rumours that everyone's heard by absence, or report it and leave comments on and moderate it for the rest of time...

Remember that every day is International Women's Day on STW. I'm surprised they're not standing up and saying what's happening here, given it involves alleged sexual offences.

https://www.vitalmtb.com/forums/hub/2024-team-rumors?page=140#comment-435411

Remember that every day is International Women’s Day on STW. I’m surprised they’re not standing up and saying what’s happening here, given it involves alleged sexual offences.

Because no one knows what's happening here? Or at least they're not saying, publicly.

No matter what rumours have been going round and no matter for how long, when you get down to it that's still just what they are: unsubstantiated rumours.

An article publicising this and either explicitly or tacitly accusing him of *something* would be a very bad idea at this point. Legally and morally.

They could have just not posted this non article. It's only a DH rider changing his arrangements at this point.

STW isn't exactly the DH news website.

It’ll be interesting to see if he’s now shunned by the rest of the World Cup scene anyway.

I'd be very surprised by that. The scene seems to have no problem with a team manager appearing to be in a relationship with a much younger rider on their team.

Ooooft now the claws are coming out !

They've also had no problem letting Pierron back into the fold after the racist instagram post he made a few years ago.

"He's apologised so he's not racist" seems to go a long way these days.

I think you could report it fairly as "Daprela leaves Canyon amidst allegations of sexual misconduct". None of that is untrue.

Remember that every day is International Women’s Day on STW. I’m surprised they’re not standing up and saying what’s happening here, given it involves alleged sexual offences.

At present it seems to be an accusation and rumour.
Until there is a legal charge or similar level of evidence from authorities, or a public statement from him or the accuser, then there is nothing to report publicly.

then there is nothing to report publicly.

Apart from getting kicked off two teams in quick succession.  To which the obvious question is 'Why?'

Maybe there's an explanation that isn't the one doing the rounds.  If that's the case I would be getting that explanation out there very quickly if I was either Daprela, Canyon, or the UCI because it's difficult not to assume the worst with all this silence.

It looks very very bad for the individual, the team, and the sport.

I’d be very surprised by that.

Let's see, eh?

BK might be contravening HR policy, if he wasn't the proprietor of his own team, but it's a world away from what's alleged about TD.

I think you could report it fairly as “Daprela leaves Canyon amidst allegations of sexual misconduct”. None of that is untrue.

You really can't report that if it's just internet hearsay. You'd need to at least have contact with the alleged victim on record, and preferably for an arrest and charges to have happened.

There needn't be any charge for his behaviour and abuse of position to create a toxic environment within a team.

There needn’t be any charge for his behaviour and abuse of position to create a toxic environment within a team.

If that's a reply to my post, I was talking about any reporting of the very serious allegations made in comments on Vital.

And I mean in the sense of what a media outlet is legally allowed to say, without being vulnerable to a libel claim.

If that’s a reply to my post, I was talking about any reporting of the very serious allegations made in comments on Vital.

And I mean in the sense of what a media outlet is legally allowed to say, without being vulnerable to a libel claim.

My brother in christ, this is STW, there is no room for measured & reasonable posts.

Wild conjecture and hearsay are the only currency, especially on subjects such as this. You know this to be the way, be better.

They’ve also had no problem letting Pierron back into the fold after the racist instagram post he made a few years ago.

“He’s apologised so he’s not racist” seems to go a long way these days.

Is he racist though? Or was it a couple of young French lads singing along to American rap songs in their second language?

As someone who grew up in a council estate listening to NWA I can relate.

I put that one down to a crime of stupidity rather than hatred.

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He's probably racist.

If that’s a reply to my post, I was talking about any reporting of the very serious allegations made in comments on Vital.

And I mean in the sense of what a media outlet is legally allowed to say, without being vulnerable to a libel claim.

@chakaping, no. It was a general comment about this thread and the allegations elsewhere within the biking community which have grown in proportion since the paddock gossip about his wrongdoings last season.

@Gribs

The scene seems to have no problem with a team manager appearing to be in a relationship with a much younger rider on their team.

Eh??

The Daprela case is interesting that that there are loads of rumours, but no comments from either Daprela, Commencal or Canyon other than leaving by "Mutual agreement....."

I think we all need to be careful with what gets written/reported on hear & other sites - which is probably why PB haven't run anything, lets face it you only have to spell something wrong and people are all over it lol

Anyway hope Pompon recovers quickly from her thumb surgery and makes it back for Fort Bill....

@chakaping, no. It was a general comment about this thread and the allegations elsewhere within the biking community which have grown in proportion since the paddock gossip about his wrongdoings last season.

Ah sorry, did you mean Bernard's "abuse of position"?

It's fine to talk about that as they're in a relationship and any thoughts about it being inappropriate are "honestly held opinion".

🙂

Some comments from Daprela:

https://www.vojomag.com/news/thibaut-daprela-sexprime-on-a-clairement-essaye-de-me-detruire/

Thanks for the link. I live in hope he's a good guy, as I say, I love seeing the bloke ride

One thing has nothing to do with the other.

Loving other men's talents has excused any number of violations over the years. Time to stop putting people on pedestals.

Slightly ironic that the 'mutual agreement' is done here, but - if the rumours are true - not done everywhere.

That article seems to suggest that whoever Daprela blames for starting the rumours did so because he'd moved teams from Commencal to Canyon? I've not put the text through a translator (they often miss the nuance),  and its simple enough, but this

Ces agissements m’ont fait beaucoup de mal mais également à mes proches et à ma famille ce qui démontre un comportement vil, déloyal et très loin des valeurs sportives. Jamais je n’aurais pu imaginer une telle campagne de dénigrement

This has caused me and my family a lot of pain, which shows vile and disloyal behaviour and is unsporting. I could never have imagined such a smear campaign. 

Which on the face of it, seems like a bit of joke, if that was the case,  you'd imagine that your new team would stand by you and not just throw you to the wolves just because some-one from the old team is just throwing a bit of shade. If I was Thibault's lawyer I'd be telling him to STFU and stop talking to the press.

@weeksy , I hope that he's learned from this experience, but he's seriously tarnished his reputation in the paddock over here.

There needn’t be any charge for his behaviour and abuse of position to create a toxic environment within a team

There needn't be any crime to make him non grata either.  Out of my deepest respect for the other person involved, I'm not going to expand on this.

I see he's on the start list for this weekend.

I don't suppose it all turned out to be a huge misunderstanding and everything is cool but I just didn't here about it?

I see he’s on the start list for this weekend.

I don’t suppose it all turned out to be a huge misunderstanding and everything is cool but I just didn’t here about it?

As he doesn't have a team listed I suspect not.