M U LT I VA N M E R I D A B I K I N G T E A M
MILESTONES
Welcome to the photo book documenting the 13 year history of the MULTIVAN MERIDA BIKING TEAM. Contrary to going through this colourful journey year by year, we have decided to show you all the different facets of cross-country racing of one of the most successful teams in the history of the sport and the people who made it all possible. But we al so wanted to give you a deeper insight into what made this team tick, what made it all fall into place and what it did for MERIDA as a brand and its products. Saying all that, we could obviously not ignore the two most long-standing riders of the team, who not just stayed with MERIDA from the day the team was founded and remained the pillars of the team till the end, but al so celebrated two hugely successful careers in between. And finally, with a sheer endless array of photos, we have tried to give you a little bit of a view behind the scenes of this fast moving and fascinating sport.
Lean back, enjoy the ride and thank you for your interest and support over the last 13 years.
ANDREAS ROT TLER General Manager / Director of Sport Marketing
HOW DID IT ALL START
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Cross-country mountain biking is in essence the real description of what our off road bikes are made for and capable of. Racing them against our friends or against the clock was very much the nature of the sport – right back when it all begun in the hill s of Marin County. We at MERIDA have always been fans of the most dramatic and exciting form of racing, so it was just a
question of time and opportunity till we would bring our colours to the race track. Let‘s go back to 2004 when VOLKSWAGEN NUT ZFAHR ZEUGE joined MERIDA as a title sponsor of the team and opened the door to a very excting journey.
The broad roster of talent and characters who formed the MULTIVAN MERIDA BIK ING TE AM made their impression on the world stage of cross-country racing early on and – not to jump ahead – maintained this status right to the end of this exciting story.
But as we all know a successful team is not just a bunch of strong individual cyclists that live and breathe racing, it is also the endless list of sponsors and supporters and the dedicated team of helpers who allow the riders to perform at their very best when it counts.
VOLKSWAGEN NUT ZFAHR ZEUGE and all the other sponsors have been instrumental to running one of the most successful mountain bike teams of all times. Their
vision and their continuous support provided the riders and the team around them with the platform they needed to perform at the highest level.
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Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesjå at the 2005 World Cup round in Fort William, Scotland. She would later on take the win and maintain her World Cup lead. All on board MERIDA‘s superlight Carbon FL X bike.
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A picture that would repeat itself over and over again - the MULTIVAN MERIDA BIKING TEAM winning the team competition.
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Ralph Näf leaving his impressive mark on the 2005 Fort William World Cup in Scotland.
THE BIG ONES
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Cross-country racing has a long and demanding season with races taking place all over the world, but there are a few events that set the tone for a whole year and are the highlight for seasoned and aspiring racers alike. The national championships hold a lot or weight for the riders as racing in your country‘s colours for a year is a great honour and privilege. The MULTIVAN MERIDA BIK ING TEAM has achieved countless national championships over the years, but the team didn‘t stop there. It al so
managed to collect 15 European titles and all together 15 World Championship honours – in cross-country, in marathon and in the eliminator discipline.
Overshadowing all of these events is the event which only comes around every four years and can influence not just the weeks leading up to it but the whole season ahead of it. The Olympic Games are the real highlight in every athlete‘s life. For some taking part is the ultimate goal, for the racers of the MULTIVAN MERIDA BIKING TEAM it always has been to be at the front of the race action. And with a Gold and a Silver medal won by the team, they certainly managed to leave their mark on this event.
And let‘s not forget the more than 30 World Cups the team managed to win over their colouful racing history.
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The moment of total relief after crossing the finish line in silver position at the 2004 Olympics in Athens.
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JosĂŠ Antonio Hermida after giving it his all at the games in Athens.
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JosĂŠ on the podium in Athens - one of the 5 Olympic Games he competed in.
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Gunn-Rita Dahle FlesjĂĽ on the top of the podium at the 2004 Olympic s in Athens. One of the five Olympic Games she took part in.
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Marathon World Championship titles for Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesjå and Ralph Näf in 2006.
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Ralph Näf securing the 2006 marathon World Championships in Oisans, France.
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In the lead and completely focused on the task ahead - only possible with a strong support team on the side of the track.
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Crossing the finish line ahead of the competition at the 2006 World Championships in Rotorua, New Zealand.
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Marathon World Champion 2013 - Gunn-Rita Dahle FlesjĂĽ. One of her six XCM World Champion titles.
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The first race outing of the NINE T Y-SIX - 2nd place under Ralph Näf at the 2008 XC World Championships in Fort William, Scotland
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Ralph Näf at the 2008 XC World Championships in Fort William, Scotland
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Ralph Näf‘s impressive first outing on his beloved NINE T Y-SIX full suspension bike.
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A great team effort at the 2009 European Championships in Zoetermeer, Netherlands, with JosÊ Antonio Hermida securing a silver medal and Ralph Näf walking away with the European title.
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JosĂŠ Antonio Hermida on his way to victory in 2010.
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2010 World Championship title in Mont-Sainte-Anne, Canada.
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All that hard work finally pays off - the finish line at the 2010 World Championships in Mont-Sainte-Anne, Canada.
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JosĂŠ Antonio Hermida, the second he secures one of the biggest victories of his career the 2010 World Championship title in Mont-Sainte-Anne, Canada. Well done JosĂŠ.
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JosĂŠ Antonio Hermida celebrating his 3rd World Championship title.
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THE GRANDE DAME No one has been a dominating force in the sport of mountain biking as long as ‘the grand dame’ - Gunn-Rita Dahle
Flesjå - and no one has won as many World Cup rounds as the Nor wegian. With a professional mountain bike career that spans over more than 20 years, Gunn-Rita is one of the riders who has seen the dramatic changes the sport has gone through as well as the fantastic
innovations the bikes and the equipment have under-
gone over time.
To list her achievements would simply take up the entirety of this book , but just the headlines are simply mind boggling. In her career, she won ten World Championships and eight European Championships (in cross-country and marathon) and also managed to secure the gold medal at the 2004 Olympic s in Athens.
And to top it all off – Gunn-Rita is leading the all-time World Cup wins list with a total of 29 wins and secured the overall World Cup title four times. An incredible achievement and a real sign of her determination to develop with the sport.
A real multi-talent who is equally competitive in the short yet technical demanding bursts of today‘s cross-country World Cup as well as in the long distance world of marathon racing, Gunn-Rita has demonstrated over her long career that hard work, talent, immaculate preparation and a supportive environment are the key to success.
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European Championships 2011 - Dohnany, Slovakia. Just meters away from success.
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Totally focused on her way to the title.
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One of her eight European titles (six in the cross country and two in the marathon discipline) - celbrating with her son Bjørnar.
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Securing the overall World Cup win at the World Cup round in Schladming, Austria, 2006.
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Her 6th marathon World Championship title.
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Dominating the field at the 2015 marathon World Championships in Val Gardena, Italy.
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Gunn-Rita Dahle FlesjĂĽ in Pietermarit zburg, South Aftrica, 2012.
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All tanks empty at the 2016 World Cup round in Lenzerheide, Swit zerland.
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A strong team in action at the 2015 Lenzerheide World Cup.
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Victorious in Switerland - 2015.
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An unbeatable team - Gunn-Rita with her coach, training partner and husband, Kenneth.
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Celebrating the win at the Lenzerheide World Cup in Swit zerland.
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Determination, drive and discipline kept Gunn-Rita at the top of her game for an incredible amount of time...and it is not over yet.
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JOSÈ ANTONIO HERMIDA
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One of most loved and most entertaining characters in the
world of cross-country mountain bike racing, José Antonio Hermida has got not only an extensive fan base, but he is
also one of the most successful and most universally skilled mountain bikers in the world. José was one of the founding
members of the MULTIVAN MERIDA BIK ING TEAM and has
been at the top of his game throughout his long and illustrious career.
With a powerful riding style, a healthy dose of dare devil
attitude and with an unbreakable fighting spirit, José has
managed to secure not just 6 World Cup wins, 10 national cross-country and cyclo-cross titles but al so three World
Champion wins (Junior, U23 and Elite), gaining his Senior
titles at the 2010 World Championships in Mont-Sainte-Anne,
Canada. He is a five times Olympian (2nd in Athens, 4th in Sydney and London), three times European Champion and
managed to finish in the top 5 in the overall World Cup for ten years (for four years he finished in 2nd position overall).
Besides cross-country racing he is also a long-standing and very successful stage racer with former team colleagues Ralph Näf and Rudi van Houts. José demonstrated his strong team spirit and his ability to put a smile on the faces of his team mates and support crew even if the demands of week-long stage races started to show.
With a wealth of experience in his sport and a strong connection to MERIDA and its engineers, José has al so been heavily involved and responsible for some of the major developments in MERIDA‘s product line-up. One of his latest (and probably most important technical projects) has been his leading role in the development of the all new BIG.NINE – one of the most up to date, comfortable and lightweight race hardtails in the world. A bike which carries the passion and expertise of our Spanish champion well beyond the end of his World Cup racing career.
José is stepping away from the world of World Cup racing but will stay on two wheels in many other disciplines for years to come. We for sure can’t wait to hit the trails with him again.
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JosÊ Antonio Hermida and Ralph Näf - a strong combination on the race course and always up for a laugh.
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JosĂŠ Antonio Hermida on the top of the podium at the 2007 World Cup round in Houffalize, Belgium.
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A well deser ved win on the tough course in Houffalize.
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The finish line at the 2009 World Cup in Schladming, Austria - another World Cup win for JosĂŠ.
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Always up for a laugh and always dedicated to his long standing team and its supporters.
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Fighting the mascot at the European Championships in Dohnany, Slovakia.
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Reigning World Champion at the Nove Mesto World Cup round in 2011.
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Another podium position on one of his most loved World Cup courses - Mont-Sainte-Anne, Canada, 2012
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JosĂŠ at one of the five Olympic Games he took part in - London, United Kingdom, 2012.
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Spanish power!
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Always a smile, always a joke ready - meet one of the nicest men in mountain biking.
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The Mont-Sainte-Anne course is a course JosĂŠ often did well on - another podium at the 2013 round.
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Loved by the fans, wherever in the world he is racing - here at the 2014 round in Nove Mesto.
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It is a glamorous sport.
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JosĂŠ at his final World Cup in Andorra, 2016 - an emotional farewell to the fans and to his racing friends.
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BIKES OF THE TIME
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Over the years the sport of cross-country mountain biking
saw endless changes. The courses changed from long natural tracks and race times around the 3-hour mark to short man made tracks which attracted great crowds and kept the spectators as well as the T V cameras on the edge of their seats. But we also saw some massive changes in bike technology. What is a standard today once was a ‘never seen before’ innovation, ahead of its time and sometimes even unsuitable for purpose. We saw suspension forks become the norm, disc brakes to
become the standard, unusual wheel sizes being introduced, different materials being made available to the sport and even full suspension bikes having regular appearances on the podium.
For the MULTIVAN MERIDA BIKING TEAM, a few bikes
have found a special place in the hearts of the racers. The introduction of the feather light O.NINE carbon hardtail gave the team a super sophisticated race weapon which was not only ahead of its time in frame
and bike weight but al so added an unprecedented comfort factor to the bike.
Another milestone of technological development was the NINT Y-SIX , or as it was first known: PROJEC T BEIJING. This carbon full suspension bike introduced a real alternative to the carbon hardtail and managed a rather impressive introduction by reaching 2nd place under Ralph Näf at the 2007 XC World Championships in Fort William, Scotland. The NINT Y-SIX , ever after being ‘overtaken’ temporarily by the NINT Y-NINE, found its way back to the team with a super lightweight version in the last couple of years and even convinced hardened hardtail racers to use the full suspension alternative on some of the most demanding courses. But the hardtails, which still are the dominant choice today, saw an immense development over the years which climaxed with the brand new BIG.NINE – one of the lightest hardtails in the world and the perfect symbiosis between lightweight and comfort. The close working relationship between our engineers, the factory and the team has given us the ability to take our products to the next level, over and over again.
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Project Beijing, which turned into the NINE T Y-SIX , was the beginning of competitive full suspension bikes in World Cup racing.
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Ralph Näf finishing the 2007 Wolrld Championships in silver position on Project Beijing.
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Ralph Näf winning the Bundesliga round in Mßnsingen, Germany, on board his NINE T Y-SIX full suspension bike.
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Ralph Näf had a strong hand in the development of the NINE T Y-SIX and made it his ‘go to‘ bike.
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Gunn-Rita relying on her beloved O.NINE on the way to her win in the 2011 European Championships in Dohnany, Slovakia
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The superlight O.NINE set new standards in light weight and comfort.
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Prototype of the hugely successful NINE T Y-NINE 29er full suspension.
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The super light, super comfortable and super fast BIG.NINE 29er.
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The NINT Y-NINE at the Cape Epic - the perfect bike for long, demanding days out on the trail.
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The new NINT Y-SIX in camouflage (before it‘s official launch) at the 2015 World Cup round in Nove Mesto, Czech Republic.
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The new BIG.NINE in camouflage dress at the first ‘unofficial‘ race outing and ridden to victory at the Cyprus Sunshine Cup 2016.
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THE ODD ONES
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Twelve years of racing and hundreds of races and events will throw up some funny moments, some real highs and lows. With the unpredicted always around the corner and a group of people who often go to the limits, the opportunity to catch the unique moments of the world of professional mountain bike racing arose more than once in the history of the team. These are the moments that make the sport and this team so special.
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A well deser ved bath after the 2006 World Cup round in Curacao in the Caribbean.
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It‘s all about the team ‘carrying‘ each other.
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We would love to know too.
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That‘s what happens when you spend more than 6 months of the year on the road.
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100% focused on the job, not even ice cream can detract from the task ahead!
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Which one would you like, sir?
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Only very few people get the chance to ride their bike in the Volkswagen Nut zfahrzeuge factory in Hannover.
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MUDDY FACES
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Mountain biking is a very physical sport where every moment counts and even the smallest lapse of effort and concentration can turn a great race into something less successful. Even when you have been riding at your limit but an opportunity opens up ahead of you then you will try to dig that little bit deeper, to find that last bit of energy to conquer that last climb or to push ahead of the rider next to you.
It is also a sport which does not shy away from challenging weather and course conditions that can turn a perfectly groomed course into a slidy roller coaster.
The combination of the two creates some memorable moments and underlines the toughness of the sport and the determination of the riders.
Welcome to our muddy faces moments.
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It takes us back to our childhood when there was nothing better than playing with mud.
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Besides giving you a face full of mud freckles it also gives an already tough course an extra edge.
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Relieved, tired and rather dirty - Hannes Genze and Andi Kugler after a tough day in the saddle at the 2010 VAUDE Trans Schwarzwald.
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Ralph Näf after finishing the tough course of Saalhausen in 2012.
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More dust than mud, however still demonstrating the toughness of the Cape Epic stage race in 2011.
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Biting till the very end - and that after more than 100km of ‘full gas‘ racing against the best stage racers in the world. Cape Epic 2011.
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Rudi van Houts giving his all in the watery conditions of the 2012 Alpstadt World Cup, Germany.
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Sometimes riding is either not possible or simply slower. Mountain bikers are a tough crowd.
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Thomas Litscher digging deep in Lostorf, Swit zerland, 2014.
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Thomas Litscher at the supper muddy Swiss Bike Cup round in Gränichen, Swit zerland, 2016.
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The conditions make it hard for man and machine. However a smile makes everything easier.
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‘Brothers in arms‘ after the Nor wegian World Cup in Hafjell, 2013.
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Gunn-Rita Dahle FlesjĂĽ after giving it her all at the high altitude World Cup in Andorra in 2015.
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GREAT RIDING
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The list of attributes that make the sport of mountain biking so fascinating is endless. From being out in nature, getting into the physical side of the sport, to racing your friends, playing with the latest gadgets and simply letting your soul hang loose while getting into the trail ahead – all of this makes mountain biking one of the most involving, liberating and fun sports out there.
And all this is very much the same for the professional athletes of the MULTIVAN MERIDA BIK ING TE AM. Ultimately they all got into the sport as they looked for something new, for something fun and a new challenge. And looking at the trail s and locations our teams had the opportunity to race on/ in over the years, and the expressions on their faces while doing it, tell s you a very straightfor ward story – they love it.
From the breath-taking scenery and great landscapes of the Cape Epic, via the technical challenges of today’s mountain bike tracks, the deafening crowds along the World Cup tracks to just simply finding the perfect flow and being one with the bike.
If you haven’t tried it already, make sure you go out there and ride your bike on your local trails. We would be surprised if you are not going to understand why so many people love the sport of mountain biking…and while our team went out there, year after year, season after season to tackle that next track and if possible walk away with a win.
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The wilderness of Dalby Forest, United Kingdom.
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Roots, rocks, swoopy berms - picking your line and finding the perfect flow - the magic of mountain biking.
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Fast sections in the dark woods of Nove Mesto. Just one of the many features of this amazing location.
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JosĂŠ Antonio Hermida at the 2011 Absa Cape Epic in South Africa.
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The vineyards of South Africa in the early morning sun. Absa Cape Epic 2011.
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Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesjå using the force of gravity on her way to victory in Val-d‘Isère in 2012.
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It is often a fight all the way to the finish line - powered on by the massive crowds in Nove Mesto, Czech Republic.
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Thomas Litscher mastering one of the many technical sections of the Pietermarit zburg course in South Aftrica.
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Ondrej Cink and JosĂŠ Antonio Hermida neck and neck at the Val di Sole World Cup in 2013.
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Using the catapulting effect of the descent to get ahead of the competition.
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Celebrating after a good day in the office - and what an office it is. Andorra World Cup 2013
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There is always time to style it up.
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He (still) has got bar ends on his bike, but that doesn‘t stop José to enjoy the jumps in style.
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What can be more inspiring than racing the World Championships in your home country. Ondrej Cink finishing in 4th position in Nove Mesto in 2016.
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Thanks VOLKSWAGEN NUT ZFAHR ZEUGE and all the other sponsors for 13 years of great support
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© Images EGO-Promotion Daniel Geiger - Professional Action Imaging Martin Platter