Mazda and Trek’s partnership is official: Mazda is now the exclusive automotive partner of Trek’s off-road race teams, backing the Trek-Unbroken XC and DH mountain bike squads, the Trek Driftless gravel program, and Trek’s events across North America.
If you’ve spent any time around a trailhead parking lot, you already know why this pairing works. It’s the SUV-with-a-bike-rack energy, formalized into an actual multi-year deal.
Why Mazda and Trek Teamed Up
Here’s the thing about off-road racing that people who’ve never done it don’t get: the race is only half the job. Getting a team, their bikes, and a truckload of gear to a remote trailhead in one piece is its own event. Weather flips. Roads turn to mud. Cell service disappears right when you need it most.
That’s where Mazda comes in. As part of the deal, Mazda is supplying CX-50s to Trek athletes, staff, and operations at events all over the continent. Not a symbolic sponsor logo on a jersey. Actual vehicles doing actual work.
Trek’s Global Director of Sports Marketing, Tim Vanderjeugd, put it simply: partnering with a brand that’s genuinely into the outdoors, and dependable enough to show up when conditions get ugly, was an easy call for Trek’s race day operations.
What Fans Will Actually See
This isn’t a one-off appearance. Mazda’s presence spans Trek’s biggest moments in North America, including the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series stops in Soldier Hollow, Utah, and Lake Placid, New York. You’ll also see Mazda at Trek’s Supper Club Gravel Series and the Wisconsin Off Road Series (WORS).
Translation: if you’re racing or spectating at any of the marquee off-road cycling events this year, expect to see Mazda vehicles parked trailside, not just on a banner.
The Brand Logic Behind It
Mazda North American Operations’ CMO, Brad Audet, framed the deal around a shared idea: movement isn’t just about getting from point A to point B for either brand. It’s how people experience life. Trek builds that philosophy into bikes. Mazda builds it into cars. Put the two together at a trailhead and the pitch writes itself.
It’s not a stretch, either. Anyone who’s driven two hours on a Saturday morning just to ride a specific trail knows the vehicle is part of the adventure, not just the way you get there.
Why This Partnership Matters Beyond the Logo
Off-road cycling doesn’t get the mainstream spotlight that road racing does. But, it’s grown a serious, dedicated following. A major automaker putting real investment into that world signals something. Brands are starting to see off-road and gravel cycling as a legitimate audience worth building for, not a niche to dabble in.
For Trek’s athletes, that support translates into fewer logistical headaches and more resources focused on actually racing. For fans, it means a bigger, more visible presence for a sport that deserves it.
The Bottom Line
Mazda and Trek’s partnership pairs a bike brand and an automaker around a shared belief that movement, whether on two wheels or four, is worth investing in. Mazda gets a genuine connection to the outdoor and cycling community. Trek gets dependable support where it matters most: getting people and gear to remote race sites in one piece.
Watch for Mazda vehicles at Trek’s biggest North American events throughout the year.
