Canyon and Thibaut Dapréla split abruptly after just three short months

Thibaut Dapréla
Thibaut Dapréla posing with the Canyon Sender in January (Image credit: Canyon)

In a surprising move, Canyon and the flamboyant and supremely talented French downhill rider Thibaut Dapréla have announced a mutually agreed departure from the Canyon CLLCTV team. Dapréla joined the CLLCTV in January and despite barely having time to throw a leg over the Canyon Sender downhill bike or even settle into the team they have parted ways, with Dapréla saying he will race the UCI 2024 World Cup downhill season as a privateer.

It was just back in January that the Frenchman made the move to Canyon, and it was seen as a coup for Canyon CLLCTV, to sign Dapréla as he announced he had left the Commençal/Muc-Off team. It was slightly puzzling at the time to see him move on from a downhill team he had successfully ridden for since his junior days, alongside his fellow French teammates Amaury Pierron and former Women's Downhill World Champion Myriam Nicole. With this sudden and unexpected departure from Canyon CLLCTV, it now seems even more mysterious.

Thibaut Dapréla riding for Commencal/Muc-Off at Fort William

Thibaut Dapréla riding for Commencal/Muc-Off (Image credit: Lewis Thomson)

We asked Canyon for a statement and were pointed by the German brand to a prepared statement that said, "By mutual agreement, we wish to inform the downhill community that Canyon will no longer be the official cycling sponsor of Thibaut Dapréla. This decision was aligned and carefully considered between Thibaut and Canyon. We would like to take this opportunity to thank Thibaut for his service to the Canyon CLLCTV racing team and wish him a healthy and successful season."

In a statement to VojoMag.com, Dapréla also announced that he will still ride a Canyon Sender, but as a privateer for the approaching UCI Downhill World Cup season, which kicks off at the end of April with Round One in Fort William, Scotland. 

"My departure from the Canyon CLLCTV team was done by mutual agreement. I would like to point out that I will ride within a private structure and I am no longer part of the Canyon CLLCTV team, but I will ride on a Canyon Sender next season. I will also keep most of the components that I have been testing for several months to capitalize on all the work done this winter.

"There is no extra-sporting reason (for departure). However, given the way things are going, my family and I are now surrounded by advisors and lawyers in order, if necessary, to pursue anyone who still makes insulting or defamatory remarks about me. I don't like it but unfortunately, in today's society with the continued presence of social networks, we are forced to do this to protect ourselves."

Of course, there is a lot of rumor and speculation in what is still a breaking story. In fairness to Thibaut Dapréla and his family, we, therefore, refrain from passing further comment without the full facts and will update this breaking story should further confirmed facts arise.

Paul Brett
Staff writer

Paul Brett joined BikePerfect as a staff writer in 2022. He has been an avid cyclist for as long as he can remember, initially catching the mountain biking bug in the 1990s, and he raced mountain bikes for over a decade before injury cut short a glittering career. An award-winning photographer, when not riding a bike, he can be found at the side of a cyclocross track or a downhill mountain bike world championship shooting the action. Paul was the founder, editor and writer of Proper Cycling magazine, and he's traveled the world interviewing some of the biggest names in mountain biking and writing about some of the biggest cycling brands.

Current rides: Canyon Inflite, Specialized Diverge, Marin Alpine Trail 2

Read more
A rider wearing the best mountain bike goggles
Best mountain bike goggles 2025 – top-rated models that provide clarity and protection on the trails
100% Celium – one of the best MTB gloves
Best mountain bike gloves – top-rated full-finger gloves for every trail and situation
The best MTB grips are the ODI Reflex seen here fitted to a mountain bike handlebar
Best MTB grips 2025 – our testers' picks of the models that will improve your mountain bike's comfort and handling
Latest in Mountain Bike
Calibre Bossnut 2025 seen side on
Don't buy a budget hardtail! The full-sus Calibre Bossnut is the best-value MTB right now with a massive £500 price cut in this Black Friday MTB deal
Continental Race King XC tire side view
Continental’s Olympic and World Championship XC winning Race King Protection is the fastest rolling MTB tire I’ve ever ridden, but it’s not for the nervous
Schwalbe Rocket Ron
Schwalbe Rocket Ron XC tire review – our favorite all-condition race tire
Pinarello Dogma XC bike
Golden beginnings – How Pinarello’s Dogma XC HT rose to the top of cross-country mountain biking
GT Sensor ST Carbon Pro
Is GT's Sensor ST Carbon Pro full-suspension MTB cheap at half the price?
Calibre Bossnut 2025 seen side on
The all-new Calibre Bossnut is a fantastic comeback and only a shock tweak away from being a totally awesome budget full-sus MTB
Latest in Latest news
Calibre Bossnut 2025 seen side on
Don't buy a budget hardtail! The full-sus Calibre Bossnut is the best-value MTB right now with a massive £500 price cut in this Black Friday MTB deal
Ritchie Rude riding Fox Live Valve Neo listing
Fox launches Live Valve Neo, a wireless electronic suspension system that can be fitted to any full-suspension bike
e*thirteen's new Sidekick hub being ridden on a trail
e*thirteen launches Sidekick hub which eliminates pedal kickback using a new pawl system
Specialized Stumpjumper 15 Alloy
Specialized grants rider's wishes with the release of an alloy Stumpjumper 15 featuring its Genie shock tech and good old mechanical shifter routing
Steve Peat riding the Santa Cruz Hightower 4
Santa Cruz pitches its new Hightower 4 as the mythical MTB that can truly ride everything
Canyon Spectral:ONfly in a forest
The new Spectral:ONfly is Canyon's lightest e-MTB ever