SCOTT Sports

Maremma-Cup, Massa Marittima, Italy.  „This Tiramisu was just awesome“, the two guys at the table in front of me are still swarming, Nino Schurter and Florian Vogel. To the two athletes and the entire Scott-Swisspower MTB Racing Team Massa Marittima always is a beautiful destination with lots of comfort to start their racing season. Along the trainings camp the first race of the season, the Maremma-Cup is taking place here. Ernesto Hutmacher and Thomas Frischknecht also because of the technique and epic racing course got a field of riders together which is outstanding. Almost all top athletes throughout the whole world came by to compete here.

Guys, what’s the benefit of Massa Vecchia and the Maremma-Cup? The Maremma-Cup offers a very technique and epic course. In the past these days were dedicated for training needs only. In the mean while the two weeks here in Tuscany  we spend for training, racing and collaboration with media people. Actually a very good opportunity combining all these three issues together at the same time.

Honestly, you already showed an incredible pace at the race. Already in best shape? No not really, currently it would be ways too early being in best shape already. It’s even more important competing not at the limit yet. It still takes two months until the first Worldcup race starts. So that means in end of April we have to be fast, not before. The Maremma-Cup shows a first tendency about the personal performance shape.

What goals do you set for the upcoming season? Patrick Gallati: Finishing with constant results at the Worldcup races, further beeing part of the European and World Championships of course. Florian: Finishing the overall Worldcup in top three would just be awesome, and of course the Worldchampionships will be important to me. The Swiss Championships in my hometown will be truely a very nice event to me.

At the worlds you showed a perfect team work. Is this strategy a part of your success? It’s not like in the road racing that a team strategy already can be set before the race. As the past Worlds showed a strategy comes up during the race. Of course we always try to do good team work, but this we decide case by case after the race started.

But anyway there exists kind of rivalry in between of you, even you are good team mates? This for sure yes. If we lead the race together both of us try to finish the race as the winner! But if we lead the race together and one of us gets some seconds behind because of a small technical problem we don’t attack, we even more are slowing down the pace a bit. As soon the team mate comes back we push hard together that the following group won't catch us anymore.

Well, where do you go after Tuscany and what are the plans for the near future?
I guess we’ll do a short stop at Finale Ligure. Afterwards we’ll do the Cape Epic race. This for sure will be an adventure and something complete different to us. Finally, in end of April, the season starts definitely with the first Wolrd Cup in Dalby Forest, UK.

Further news and updates about the Scott-Swisspower MTB Racing Team you always can get on www.scott-sports.com or on the team website www.scott-swisspower.com.  Have fun!