Hungry for more

Another successful race weekend in the ramp-up to the World Cups is in the books with Nino Schurter coming in 2nd and Lars Forster in great 5th place, while Kate Courtney lost the podium spot due to a flat tire at last weekend’s HC Haiming.

Haiming, Austria. Next race stop brought SCOTT-SRAM Racing Team to another “hors category” race in Haiming, Austria. The event in the Tirol mountains earns it’s status as one of the most spectacular tracks in the circuit. Lot’s of technical sections covered with roots make this race a demanding affair both up and downhill, challenging each athlete physically and psychically. Even though we didn’t walk away with the winning flowers, SCOTT-SRAM’s athletes impressively demonstrated that they are on track for the first World Cup coming up in less than 3 weeks time.

Nino chose a fast start strategy to put himself ahead of the field early in the race due to a course where passing was a difficult task. Lars Forster stepped up to the challenge in the opening lap, earning himself a top 5 position. After being in the lead for two laps, Nino got caught by Mathias Flückiger (SUI), Ondrej Cink (CEZ) and Sebastian Fini (DEN). Lars, only seconds behind, missed that train riding in 5th place by himself for almost the entire race.

A stomach bug forced Andri Frischknecht to pull out mid-way through the race, while the leading group in front stayed together right through until the finale. By the second last lap this group started falling apart, paying tribute to the consistently high pace and the demanding course. Lars Forster managed to overtake Sebastian Fini, who got dropped by the leading group, but eventually had to leave the 4th place to the Danish runner up.

As we saw in the previous week in Nalles, the Swiss duo Mathias Flückiger and Nino Schurter repeated their intense battle for victory. Nino looked strong and confident, playing his cards close to his chest until the very last climb. Going up the steep wall, Nino held the lead with a few meters advantage, until he unfortunately caught a pedal on a tree stump which forced him to get off the bike. This blow stole Nino’s chance for a well deserved first victory of the season. The younger of the Flückiger brothers once more demonstrated his terrific shape by taking home another win.

HC Haiming – Women’s Race

Similar to the prior race, Kate Courtney had to work her way through the field in the opening lap. Not lining up in the first 3 rows once more proved quite the handicap on this narrow track. Kate showed great persistence from the start, quickly moving up spot-by-spot in a hard-fought race. The leaders of the race were the dutch duo Anne Terpstra and Anne Tauber, as well as local hero Laura Stigger, who were out of Kate’s reach with a big gap. Despite her undesirable starting position, Kate managed to move up through the ranks to secure a strong 4th place.

With only half a lap to go, Kate’s luck took a dive when she sustained an untimely rear flat. This forced her to run all of the steep climbs remaining, which stripped her of the chance to hold on to her podium position, finally finishing in disappointing 6th.
Although disappointing, Kate’s finishing position does not reflect the great performance she demonstrated throughout the race. She can look optimistic towards the final preparation before the World Cup, which includes a training camp in Massa Vecchia, Tuscany, followed by a last racing test at the Swiss Bike Cup in Leukerbad.

SCOTT-SRAM joins Team Mips® to create safety awareness

We are proud to announce the partnership with Mips®. The Swedish brand is global leader in helmet-based safety technology. The SCOTT Centric Plus helmets, among many other models in SCOTT’s helmet range, are equipped with the Mips® system designed to provide added safety for helmets. The SCOTT-SRAM team and Team Mips® aim to educate riders about the dangers of brain injuries, how they happen and what you can think about to improve your safety as a rider.

One with personal experience of brain injury is Kate Courtney: “Brain injury is a very personal subject to me,” Courtney says. “I’ve had multiple concussions in the past and have experienced first hand how challenging these invisible injuries can be to diagnose and treat. Many people aren’t aware of how concussions happen and how dangerous they can be if not taken seriously. Mips® is leading the charge in scientific research that will help us better understand head injuries and make a real difference in how we talk about and approach brain protection for athletes in action sports. By joining forces with Team Mips® , I hope to help close that educational gap a bit and at the same time inspire more people to get out there and share my passion for riding.”

www.mipsprotection.com

The Bike – SCOTT Spark RC

Following his victory at the European Championships on home soil in Ticino back in October 2020, Nino is racing the 2021 season with something special, the SCOTT Spark RC World Cup in a special edition European Champion design:
RockShox Reverb AXS, latest state-of-the-art wireless shifting AXS technology, TwinLoc and the Syncros Silverton SL one-piece carbon wheel. Just some of the trick bits you’ll find on Nino Schurter’s SCOTT Spark RC.

Check out the European Champion’s rig including full spec lists here.