Stepping into the future with an updated team roster featuring new addition Filippo Colombo among Nino Schurter, Kate Courtney and Andri Frischknecht for the 2023 racing season. Furthermore, SCOTT Sports expands its partnership by becoming the team’s official apparel partner.
With a first get together of the full SCOTT-SRAM MTB Racing team in Stellenbosch, South Africa, we are celebrating the start of a new, exciting racing season. The team already set their tone for the year, taking the top spots at the local UCI Western Cape XCO Cup Series here in Stellenbosch. Kate took 1st place in the Women’s race, and the team swept the podium in the Men’s, with Nino in 1st, Filippo 2nd, and Andri in 3rd place.
In sports however, resting on success is not the way we work. It’s the changes, the new things in the life of an athlete that fuels our motivation. However, consistency has been an integral part of the team’s formula for 21 years. It’s a mix of proven and new that fuels the team’s hunger for success.
Apart from Filippo Colombo as our new top shot, we get an all-new kit for this season. SCOTT, as the team’s new apparel supplier, has built a completely new race and training line by relying on their technical experience and expertise as a head-to-toe sports brand.The result is a highly innovative and all-new cycling apparel line featuring the latest apparel technologies and fresh designs.
The Team
With the addition of Filippo Colombo, SCOTT-SRAM will have another hot iron in the fire for chasing major podiums. All athletes will be focusing on the World Cup Season as well as the 2023 World Championships as the seasonal highlights.
Filippo Colombo
Even though focusing on MTB, the 25 year old Colombo will kick-off the season on the road by joining the newly formed Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team. The chances are high that we will see him on the gravel roads of Tuscany racing the Strade Bianche, climbing the steep hills of the Flanders and battling the noble stones of Paris-Roubaix.
Filippo Colombo
2022 Vice-World Champion XCC
SCOTT-SRAM MTB Racing Team
Nino Schurter
The current World Champion has nothing left to prove. There are not many things left to chase as he crowned himself undoubtedly as the GOAT (Greatest of all Time). Be assured that his passion for racing will drive him to securing another World Cup win to make it a record of 34 in total. And he will again give it all to defend his rainbow stripes.
Andri Frischknecht
Andri Frischknecht is aiming high for the 2023 season. He wants to continue the progress he showed in the 2022 season to become a top ten contender in the World Cup. But first of all, his season kicks off with a great opportunity racing the Cape Epic with Nino Schurter. With 5 Cape Epics and a Swiss Epic win tucked under his belt, Andri brings quite some experience to the SCOTT-SRAM team competing at the so-called “Tour de France of mountain biking” in 2023.
Kate Courtney
Kate Courtney is heading into the 2023 season more motivated than ever. It’s not a secret she was struggling a bit after her tremendous 2019 season winning the overall World Cup. The learnings are made and the confidence is there to be back fighting for the podiums.
“Last year, my goal was to get back to consistency and set a strong foundation to build on. I saw a lot of hard work pay off not necessarily in immediate results, but in progress both physically and mentally that has given me a lot of motivation for this season. I can’t wait to get back to racing and continue my fight to be at the front.“
SCOTT Sports becomes official Apparel Partner
SCOTT Sports extends its partnership with the team by becoming official apparel supplier for 2023 and beyond.
With many years of experience in the sports apparel sector and working with athletes around the world, the choice for SCOTT-SRAM to partner with SCOTT Sports for their apparel was clear. SCOTT-SRAM shares the same spirit as SCOTT and the constant drive to take innovation, technology and design further. For SCOTT, becoming official apparel supplier is more than simple sponsorship. It’s a development partnership with the goal of creating high-performance apparel products that meet the needs and demands of world-class athletes.
The development of the new team kit for SCOTT-SRAM is the result of a partnership that started more than 20 years ago. Over the years, SCOTT has been developing bikes and equipment for the team, pushing the boundaries of innovation, and together creating the most successful stories in XCO Mountain Biking history. When the time came to develop apparel for the SCOTT-SRAM team, thanks to their close collaboration, SCOTT knew almost exactly what the team were looking for. After a year of development with the athletes, the team hit the jackpot and the final collection came to life. The result is a collection comprised of three kits, specifically designed for different racing and training conditions.
Thomas Frischknecht
Team Director
SCOTT-SRAM MTB Racing Team
Racing Concept – Buckle up, it’s time to race!
The new SCOTT-SRAM apparel collection was developed as part of SCOTT’s Racing Concept (“RC”) capsule. With the newly developed kits, the athletes have the choice between specific kits oriented to support them in their performance and training. Aerodynamic cuts are combined with the latest apparel technologies and fabric innovations to create specific products for different uses and climatic conditions. The results: an ultralight Race Kit with an open-mesh fabric for scorching races like the Cape Epic, an Aero Kit with a custom-made fabric for racing hard and fast, and a Training Kit designed for everyday use on longer training days.
First big highlight of the season – The Untamed Cape Epic
After a bumpy start to the last season at the Cape Epic, the team is back at the start line with big ambitions to kick-off the season with an absolute highlight.
Cape Town, South Africa. 8 days, over 700 kilometers, and 17,000 meters of climbing. The Cape Epic is considered the Tour de France of mountain bike racing. The race that measures all is marked red in the racing calendar of SCOTT-SRAM. It’s no secret that we are aiming high and trying to go for the win again.
But pay attention! We have learned from the excitement of recent years, that this race can quickly go from drama to glory and from glory to drama. The rough conditions are demanding for everyone involved. That’s what makes this unpredictable event a one-of-a-kind adventure.
Over the years this race has established itself as a highlight in the SCOTT-SRAM calendar as a race that demands everything from riders and equipment and writes stories that are only worthy of a Cape Epic. Last season was one such year where SCOTT-SRAM were put to the test and came out all the stronger for the 2022 season. The rest is history!
Nino Schurter, 2019 Cape Epic Champion, will try everything to repeat his 2019 success in this year’s race together with his team partner Andri Frischknecht, starting March 19th. With the luck they need on their side, they will try to control the race and attack when time allows. The SCOTT-SRAM team has proven in the past that great team spirit is a huge force in the battle.
Another big plus in aiming for the win is the weapon they are riding on. The new SCOTT Spark World Cup is perfectly made for the rugged terrain in South Africa. With 120mm of suspension, this bike offers comfort and control throughout the long stages.
Further back in the pack and not racing for the win is SCOTT-SRAM’s Team Director Thomas Frischknecht. Together with his best buddy and former soigneur, Urs Gerig, they have advanced to the “Grand Masters” category. How time flies!
