SCOTT

Beth Parson reached the podium

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 16:09:25 -0600

SCOTT rider Beth Parson reached the podium at her first race since she turned pro at Psychosis in Golden, BC – “The most demanding downhill mountain bike race in the world.” . Here is a view of the race from Beth’s window…

... Beth: 3rd place

“It was a long overnight drive from Whistler and we arrived about 5 am and crashed with the boys from Cove Bikes at the hostel on the river.

Around 4 pm on Thursday, we finally got to the very top of Dead Dog, the first section of the trail that is pretty much a dusty chute that is steeper then anything I've ever seen, with some even scarier loose corners and roots that make you pick up more speed than you can handle.

...Beth in action

I was so scared and excited and kept looking over the edge. "This isn't even the steep part," said my friend Jeff, "but it won't be any less scary next time." So, I just went for it.

I'm glad I rode it then, because it was my only time down Dead Dog before my race lap. The next day rain and thunder came rolling in and made "Nutella" (or goose snot) out of the trail so it was impossible to ride. There was lots of talk of how the race wouldn't be run from the top in wet conditions. There were a few injuries, a life flight and a 12-man rescue carrying one guy with a leg injury up Dead Dog.

... hanging out with friends (middle)

I knew that on my race run, I'd have to focus on getting through Dead Dog in one piece, and past the dreaded hike-a-bike without suffering a heart attack. The rest of the trail was fast and really exciting.

My race lap was so much fun. Lucky for us the weather held out and we rode from the top. I crashed twice but loved every dusty minute of it. I also crashed once after the hike-a-bike because my arms were so tired I actually couldn't squeeze the brakes! I crashed into a tree and went over my bars.

I loved this race because it really pushed my skills and my enthusiasm. I've never had such gnarly crashes, ridden such steep terrain or ridden so hard for so long. I'm sad this was the last year for Psychosis.

I'm looking forward to competing at CrankWorx, thanks so much to the Evolution team for keeping my SCOTT bike so pimp and race-ready, and to GLC Restaurant for supporting my racing.

See you on the dirt!

SPONSORSHIP DECISION: SAUNIER DUVAL-SCOTT

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 10:04:45 -0600

Scott as bike and co-sponsor of the Saunier Duval-Scott team will remain sponsor of the team directed by Mauro Gianetti. Scott has evidence that the latest events which have hit the team during the Tour de France have been caused by individuals and that the team and its management have done the utmost to avoid this situation.

“It would be easy to just walk away and to forget about this team in order to search for new sponsorship opportunities. However, we believe in all the young riders in this team, and in the staff. They all would have to pay a heavy price for something which has been caused by individuals and not by the team. So, we are not walking away. We will support this team in order to continue the season and to continue racing. We see this as a chance to make new efforts to battle against doping and therefore we will demand even stricter controls carried out by outside institutes in the future. The fact that all remaining riders have committed to the “passeport biologique” is another step in the right direction. We will not let this team go, as we believe that all the people we have worked together with in the past years have done a great job and that the young riders in this team should get their chance.”

Pascal Ducrot
Vice President, Scott Sports SA

Gold medals for Vogel and Schurter

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 5:42:36 -0600

Swiss Olympic riders Florian Vogel (Elite Men) and Nino Schurter (U-23 men) stood up to their competitors and won the Swiss Championships this weekend.

The riders of the Swisspowerteam, including Florian Vogel, Thomas Frischnknecht, Jürg Graf and Till Marx, set the pace together with the Athleticum-Team from the beginning of the race. By the third lap, Florian Vogel was in the lead with Graf and Martin Gujan. Just before the halfway point, Vogel succeeded to distance himself from the rest of the field despite the heavy rain. He increased his lead and celebrated victory, his first championship in the Elite category.

“The race went according to the tactics, I am more than happy, and it has boosted my motivation for Beijing,” Vogel said after the race. Also, dethroned champion Jürg Graf was happy with his achievement and his third podium.

Flückiger, Vogel, Graf

Nino Schurter and Mathias Flückiger dueled for a long time in the U-23 race. In the middle of the race, Flückiger had a lead of 25 seconds. “I started with dry tires and when it started to rain I had to change to rain tires, which took me one lap to catch up Mathias,” said Schurter, who celebrated his fourth title in the U-23 category. The riders in the U-23 race started 5 minutes after the elite category but Nino Schurter caught up to most of the elite riders - only Florian Vogel was faster than Nino. Patrik Gallati had a flat tire in the first lap but thanks to a great final lap, he punched beyond his weight and earned the bronze medal.

Flückiger, Schurter, Gallati

Only Mathias Rupp couldn’t live up to the high expectations. He didn’t excel and settled for a disappointing sixth place.

Click here for more information about the Swisspowerteam.

Official Statement - SAUNIER-DUVAL SCOTT

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 3:59:40 -0600

Saunier-Duval SCOTT Professional Cycling Team

In professional cycling, we all live with the fact that at this point in time there is no guarantee that the sport is clean. Nevertheless, the recent news surrounding the Saunier Duval - SCOTT team and their decision to withdraw from the 2008 Tour de France came as a complete shock to all of us. Everyone at Scott, along with the contributing sponsors, feels deeply disappointed.

Scott does not tolerate this kind of behavior. Scott is asking the team for complete transparency in this case. Only a team structure that does the utmost to battle against drugs fits with our brand strategy. As soon as we have enough information, we will decide on future possible sponsorship of the team.

Competition is an important element of our brand, and the competitive environment helps us create the best products we can. We are proud to be able to develop the world’s best and lightest bikes and so it must also be our goal that those products compete on the World-Class level that professional cycling provides.

Sibylle Matter holt Schweizer Ironman-Krone

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 7:14:20 -0600

Die Eidgenössin Sibylle Matter beendete ihr bestes Karriere-Rennen mit dem ersten Sieg ihrer Laufbahn bei der 12. Auflage des Ironman Switzerland bei denkbar widrigen Wetterbedingungen mit strömendem Regen und bis zu 15° Celsius Lufttemperatur.

Sybille Matter

Die 35-Jährige aus Plaffeien im Kanton Fribourg war nach dem Schwimmen mit dem SCOTT Contessa Plasma den vergleichsweise kraulschwachen Konkurrentinnen in 51:57 weit enteilt - zumal die Vorjahressiegerin Rebecca Preston ausstieg hatte Matter freie Fahrt.

SCOTT Contessa Plasma

Die stark radelnde und später auf Rang zwei vorlaufende Kathrin Pätzold war nach dem Schwimmen in 1:04:55 einfach zu weit weg, um Matter richtig gefährlich werden zu können. Matter gewann in 9:30:12 Stunden mit knapp fünf Minuten Vorsprung auf Pätzold (9:35:05) und sicherte sich somit den einzigen Frauen-Profi-Platz für Hawaii.

Ergebnisse
Frauen
1. Sibylle Matter (SUI) 9:30:12
2. Kathrin Pätzold (GER) 9:35:05
3. Caroline Steffen (SUI) 9:37:24
4. Tara Norton (CAN) 9:43:46
5. Monika Lehmann (GER) 9:45:11
6. Andrea Noack-Burri (SUI) 9:46:03
7. Monika Zihlman (SUI) 9:54:26
8. Beatrix Blattmann (SUI) 10:00:10
9. Simone Benz (SUI) 10:04:08
10. Violeta Tatay Vivó (ESP) 10:06:00

Downieville Classic

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 8:41:07 -0600

Yes, we were there… the Downieville Classic is an All-Mountain event, which means when you go out there to race your bike, you have to pick and choose your equipment wisely to endure the varied elements that this race throws at you.

... Downieville's view for mountain bikers

The Downieville Classic takes place every year during the second weekend of July. Registration for this race opens on a Monday at 8 am and by about 8:07 am, all of the 1000 available spots for racers are sold out.

... quiet before the storm

When the demand is so high and many of our bikes are the perfect choice for this event, we decided to sponsor it and bring some of our athletes to the race. While we were there we also did some product testing to see which of our models would be good choices.

... the Single Speed Pro XC winner Conrad Snover (right)

Conclusion… The Spark took the overall title in the XC race won by Justin Thomas (Cyclepath / Wild Cherries). Conrad Snover (Cyclepath/Wild Cherries) won the Singlespeed XC Pro category on a Scale that was built up into a singlespeed. The Ransom lived up to expectations and proved itself on the XC and downhill courses and last but not least, the new Genius was an excellent all-rounder, with its 150mm of travel and weight of just 25 lbs… the conclusion was that all our models can live up to the task when put to challenge.

... a little TLC before the next epic ride

At the bike expo, we set up our Ransom All-Mountain demo fleet and sent people off to experience TracLoc, Equalizer and our carbon frame technologies. Also, the traditional SCOTT Hot Sauce was a hit and many of the guests did come back to look for more of this delicious item.

...the famous SCOTT Hot Sauce (only available at Downieville)

Next year we recommend that you wake up early to register for this great experience.
We’ll see you there…

SCOTT and Swisspower enter into a bright future together

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 23:18:10 -0600

Seven years ago, Andi Seeli and Thomas Frischknecht (Pro Sport Racing GmbH) founded the Swisspower Mountainbike Team together with the company Swisspower. Team leader Thomas Frischknecht's concept of advancing young riders turned out to be a huge success. Since the teams inception, Nino Schurter and Florian Vogel have grown into world class athletes and the team is known as one of the best on the international racing scene.

The two top Swisspower athletes at Worlds, on their way to the podium

Since the partnership has been a successful one, SCOTT and Swisspower will continue their partnership. In the upcoming year 2009, the team will be known by a new name, the SCOTT-SWISSPOWER MOUNTAINBIKE-TEAM. The future team will be lead by Andi Seeli, while Thomas Frischknecht will continue as the team manager. The two top riders, Nino Schurter and Florian Vogel, are already under contract.

Team Manager Thomas Frischknecht and Team Leader Andreas Seeli

This is a very positive and fortunate decision for all parties. In the future, the existing synergies will be used and improved, also allowing us to strengthen our current relationships with all the involved people. The results of the past efforts will be huge benefits for everyone involved.

The best example of this success was at the recent 2008 World Championships. Florian Vogel was second in the Elite category, while Nino Schurter won for the third time in the U-23 category. Both riders also secured European champion titles in their respective categories. Therefore, the direction is clear, and these two riders can be 100% focused on the upcoming Olympic Games in Beijing.

The near future will show which additional riders will join the team, and what sponsors and technical partners will help guide the boat securely on the right course.

Florian Vogel

Nino Schurter

News René Wildhaber

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 7:56:40 -0600

5. / 6. Juli 2008: Cross Country Challenge Flims
Am Wochenende des 5./6. Julis fand zum dritten Mal der Mountainbike-Event „Cross Country Challenge“ in Flims statt. Die Rennen vom Samstag lockten rund 100 Mountainbiker an, wobei auch einige bekannte Namen wie Nino Schurter oder Till Marx am Start waren.

Als Vorbereitung für sein Rennsaison-Hauptziel in Alpe d‘Huez bestritt auch René Wildhaber die XC-Challenge in Flims und gewann das Super D-Rennen auf der Freeridestrecke 247, ein rund 15-minütiges Rennen bei dem der Start höher liegt als das Ziel und somit eine gute Fahrtechnik gefragt war. Im anschliessenden Short-X Rennen um das Sportzentrum in Flims verhinderte eine verklemmte Kette eine gute Klassierung von Wildhaber, so dass sich Severin Disch den Sieg des zweiten Rennens holte. Die Resultate aus beiden Rennen ergaben die Gesamtwertung, welche Balz Weber nur knapp vor Nino Schurter gewann. Freeridespezialist René Wildhaber klassierte sich auf dem dritten Rang.

Rene Wildhaber in Action

12. Juli 2008: Avalanche Trophy Alpe d‘Huez
Aufgrund des strömenden Regens an der Avalanche Trophy in Alpe d’Huez musste die Strecke des Marathon-Downhill-Rennens gekürzt werden. Bereits beim Qualifikations-Lauf am Freitag konnte René Wildhaber eine saubere Leistung zeigen und gewann den Vorlauf. Somit konnte er das Rennen mit seinem SCOTT Ransom aus der ersten Reihe starten.

Im Hauptrennen hatte Wildhaber anfängliche Schwierigkeiten, liess sich aber nicht aus der Ruhe bringen und fuhr dennoch ein konzentriertes Rennen. Er schaffte es, sich gegen seine Konkurrenten Rémy Absalon, Jerome Clémentz und Alex Balaud durchzusetzen und beendet das Rennen als Erster. Somit war dies bereits

der sechste Sieg an der Avalanche Trophy für René Wildhaber.

Wildhaber gewinnt die Avalanche Trophy

Châtel Mountain Style

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 8:26:34 -0600

Last weekend, Châtel organized the second edition of the Châtel Mountain Style contest, a freeride event that takes place on the nearly-untouched face of a mountain. Only a couple manmade jumps or drops were added to make the course more "freestyle".

Photo by Viktor Strasse

Unfortunately, this year bad weather once again nearly ruined the party and allowed riders to compete only on Saturday - rain forced organizers to cancel the contest after qualifications.

Photo by Viktor Strasse

Timo Pritzel finished on top of the podium with a solid run - no mistakes and nice fluidity as always...

Winner Timo Pritzel

Darren Berrecloth ended up second - not bad for his first contest after a really bad snowmobile crash... The Saturday night dirtjump contest turned into a jam session for the enjoyment of the crowd and riders.

Photo by Viktor Strasse

Five mountain bike racers selected for Beijing

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 2:53:15 -0600

The Swiss Olympic committee has selected five top athletes for the upcoming Olympic Games in Beijing. Switzerland will be sending two women and three men to the mountain bike competition.

XC Mountain bike team:
Nino Schurter, 1986, Chur (GR)
Florian Vogel, 1982, Mönchaltorf (ZH)
Christoph Sauser, 1976, Sigriswil (BE)
Petra Henzi, 1969, Rombach (AG)
Nathalie Schneitter, 1986, Lommiswil (SO)

Nino Schurter

SCOTT bicycles has three riders who will represent Switzerland. With the U23-world champion title and the second podium place in the elite group, Nino Schurter and Florian Vogel gave amazing performances recently at the World Championships in preparation for Beijing.

Florian Vogel

Sven Riederer, the third SCOTT athlete, will compete in the Olympic triathlon.

Sven Riederer

Check out the story about Sven Riederer, “On the way to Beijing”, presented by Red Bull.

Sven Riederer - "On the way to Beijing"