2023: Level Up — The SCOTT-SRAM Odyssey

The 2023 season was a special one for the SCOTT-SRAM MTB racing team, a rollercoaster of emotions and experiences that challenged the team as a whole to go to their maximum. Starting with a successful training camp and first race action in South Africa back in early February, before almost directly heading into the first big highlight of the season and toughest challenge in mountain biking, the Cape Epic.

A year of misfortune and serious injuries that disrupted the plans right from the start. But it was also a year of historic triumphs, a season that wrote history like in a modern MTB fairytale.

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(riders laughing) – Got it. – [Rider 1] Let’s go. – [All] Hey. (upbeat music) – Hey, guys. – Hey, guys. We just did two laps on the World Cup course, and this is (beep) next level. – [Thomas] Well, we’re not quite there yet with looking back, because the one very important race is still ahead of us tomorrow. But all in all, it’s been a super exciting season that I’m happy with. – I didn’t expect it that I can still battle for overall. But, yeah, now I’m still leader.

– Even have to say, you know, you’re never really satisfied 100% with four riders. But in general, I’m very happy with the outcome of this season. – [Speaker] Yeah. (object clattering) – Hey. – [Crew 1] Oh yes. – Oh yeah. – Oh yeah. – [Crew 1] Wow. – [Crew 2] In fairness, it’s so cool. – Wow, that’s not bad. – [Crew 3] Nothing like new bike day. – A new bike day. (person laughs) – Beautiful. – Not too bad, huh?

– [Thomas] So Nino’s season proved once more he just doesn’t slow down. You know, he’s amazing how he just keeps this results coming. And even at the age of 37 now, which he still has the edge of winning big races. – So since when you guys have this frame? – Two weeks. – Since a year or what? (Nino laughs) – No. – Yeah, even … he didn’t win the World Champion title this year, and the outcome of the World Cup overall is still open, even if he doesn’t win the overall this year being the whole season basically in the leading position,

He still is the number one of the scene. You know, there’s only one guy that was competing in the World Championship and the World Cup, competing for the win, and that’s Nino. – Now, we fire up this game. After all the success, it’s not nice to go slowly backwards.

But it’s not that I feel a huge pressure anymore, it’s like more for myself. I wanna still show myself I can be up there. I think I realized if I’m doing my best and I’m doing everything right, I can still be at the top. – Whoo! (claps) – Whoo!

I don’t think there’s, like, one moment where it’s like, “Now you’re turning 37, you’re too old for it.” It’s funny, sometimes I almost can feel I’m going to perform well. I had a phenomenal ride in Lenzerheide. – [Thomas] The 34th victory of Nino at the World Cup in Lenzerheide was like, in his whole palmares of an Olympic champion, not the most important win, but for me personally, it was one of the most emotional wins Being there after he was trying for years,

You know, to kind of reach Julien Absalon’s record that took a couple years to actually be even with Julien. And then it took another quite some time to actually finally win that 34th. – [Announcer 2] You just won – Knowing of how much he wanted it and that this actually then happened in front of his home crowd and on his home soil in Lenzerheide, yeah, these are the moments we work hard for and we’re living for, and it’s incredible emotions we all had that day.

– I would say one of my best rides I’ve ever had. It’s not just a season highlight, it’s a career highlight achieving this record. – [Announcer 3] The younger leaders of the ABSA Cape Epic 2023, at the end of Stage 1, Nino Schurter and Andri Frischknecht. – While looking at Andri’s performance for the whole season, I would say it’s a disappointment. Winning six races at the beginning of the season and was ranked number 14 in the world, which is the highest he’s ever been up. – This, like, block of racing for me

Was one of the best I’ve ever had because I was there, like, fighting for the win, let’s say. I was really, like, in my best shape ever. – Then, unfortunately, he got sick after Cape Epic, which is maybe a result of the Cape Epic and really never got going again.

– The self-confidence went down with each race after the Epic, where I didn’t perform how I wanted to. I’m already looking forward to next year because I know it’s gonna be a different approach. And I’m very confident that with the new try next year, things will go better again. – So the most unfortunate thing that happened to the team this year was certainly Filippo’s crash in Paris Roubaix, on the road. – It was just a super difficult, super difficult period. – [Thomas] Our performance of the whole team would look a whole lot better if this wouldn’t happen. When he crashed in Paris Roubaix, the whole thing was bad. – At first, maybe it helped me that I didn’t really realize how bad actually my injury was.

I could start training on the rollers quite soon after the injury. – And that helped me a lot, especially mentally, to have a goal and to also how to spend my day. When I reached one of my highest and biggest number that I ever had after the injury, I still knew that I was able to do this sport. Yeah, I think as an athlete, for sure I learned a lot from this experience. I know that I will not have such a big motivation for next year as I actually have already right now. – I did not expect him to be in the top 10 this season. The race in Snowshoe, to me, was victory, was more important than Nino’s second place, that’s for sure. In Kate’s season, we’ve seen great positive changes and also some setbacks. – After the race or before the race? It’s been frustrating at times not to kind of break that next level of results that I’ve been striving for. But I also think this season, we made some big changes and that’s been really exciting and given me a lot to build on. When you’ve done this for long enough, you can start to see a connection between those races where maybe you come up short, you make a mistake, something doesn’t click, and you learn from it. Whoo, that was a tough one. – Hey. Ooh. Yeah. (Kate exhales) That looked hard.

In racing, it takes the right attitude to, even when you’re down, not give up, and Kate test the ability like no one else to actually crash on the face, like in Snowshoe, get up and continue. (soft tense music) – Oh. – My god, can’t believe this. (heartbeat beating) – [Spectator 1] Get up! – I think for me, the most powerful moments in sport have been when you get your ass kicked so hard that you consider quitting. (chuckles) Because for me, those moments are when you say, “Okay, yeah, like, that’s an option.” You could totally walk away. I don’t have to do this.

I do this ’cause it’s my dream. I love it. I love racing my bike. I love riding my bike. I love connecting with people through the power of cycling. I think the positive takeaway from 2023 is that I’m really motivated to get it right,

And it’s gonna take some time to get it right and I don’t know when I’m gonna get it right, but I believe I’m capable of it and I think I have the right plan and the right people around me to do it. – The part of the results,

I feel that we were a great team out there. Each one tried our best, sometimes with more success, sometimes a little bit less. On top of that, I really hope we can finish the season with the high. You know, if Nino really wins this World Cup overall title for the ninth time, then we go off to vacation with the winner, and that would carry a lot of good momentum over the winter

Into the next season as well. So I really hope he can do it. This would be great for Nino and the whole team – [Announcer 5] Gentlemen, watch the lights. And (indistinct). (crowd cheering) – [Spectator 2] Go! – [Announcer 5] Nino Schurter was down with a mechanical problem. – [Spectator 3] Go, go, go! Let’s go, Nino! – (indistinct) Nino! – Whoo! – Nino! Nino! Nino! Nino!