The preparations for UCI Mountainbike World Cup in Lenzerheide are complete! The fifth chapter of the 2017 Downhill World Cup saga will be hosted in Lenzerheide on July 7-8 and is simultaneously the final “dress rehearsal” for the World Championships, which will take place in Lenzerheide in September 2018. The downhill track “STRAIGHTline” has already been modified for this year’s World Cup stop, so the athletes will get a taste of the World Championship track for 2018. We sat down with Myriam Nicole after her win in Andorra to get her take on the return to Lenzerheide. In case you didn’t know: You can watch all the action from the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup live on Red Bull TV.Myriam, first of all congratulations to a huge win in Andorra. How did it feel to be back at the very top of the podium?Thank you, it feels unreal. I couldn't believe what was going on! Haha!
It was a very intense race. What do you think was the key to your success?I just love the track there, because of the natural sections!
You already returned to the 27.5’ in Les Gets. Why did you make the decision and can you explain the difference between riding 29’ and 27.5’?I tried the 27.5 in Les Gets and found it more fun to ride. I might be a bit too small for 29ers... Men are taller so maybe they feel more comfortable with a bigger wheel, but it's not black or white. I wish I could have had the 29er on some sections (laughs).
Will you stick to 27.5’ in future? It seems you are feeling extremely comfortable after wins at Crankworx Les Gets and last weekend in Andorra.I will for the rest of the season for sure. I feel so good on my bike right now!
The World Cup standings are extremely close. Do you feel the pressure growing, now that it is a battle between Tracey Hannah, Tahnée Seagrave and yourself?I don’t at all. For me the overall is just the consequence of a good season. We will see how it turns out... I am really stoked there have been so many different winners so far. It makes the women races more fun to watch.
Have you changed your preparation routine changed this year??I trained a lot in the winter. Rachel pushed us so hard last year and I feel that we are all really fast now.
The World Cup heads to Lenzerheide now. Last year Commencal was the team of the day and you came third – a pretty successful weekend. Will you and your team top that this year?That would be cool! We will do our best to achieve this again (laughs)!
Looking back, what did you like about racing in Lenzerheide last year?I liked the atmosphere, the lake and the jumps were really good fun!
Some changes have been made to the track in Lenzerheide this year. The start will have a more direct line and a small rock garden, the wood section before the plunge is supposed to be more technical and also the finish after the cabin hit will include a chicane and a drop. What do you think about these technical modifications?Really, you said more technical? Hell yeah! I hope the last jump is not too big. I cannot wait!
Further information:
www.mtbworldcup-lenzerheide.ch Information about the region:
www.lenzerheide.com/bike
We say bonne chance