TR Triangle
Read all about Tom's latest adventures in these featured articles and Break-Away Blog
Women's Cycling
Access advice and information from women who can help you learn how to choose better fitting equipment, get comfortable on it, get into shape, and -- if you're so inclined -- race competitively.
Press
Media, reviews and articles...
News Archive
The time of the pre-world cup events was over and finally everyone had to put their cards on the table. There is always a huge amount of tension among the riders going into the first round of the world cup, but in this Olympic year with the qualification procedure, there is even more than usual. For the Swiss in particular, the pressure was on. Christoph Sauser, Ralph Näf, Florian Vogel and Nino Schurter are all potential winners for the Olympics in Beijing. But one has to stay home, because we can send three riders only. The world cups, European and World championships will show who is going to represent Switzerland. With great results already in their pockets, my Swisspower teammates Flo and Nino were optimistic. Though I could very well feel the burden on their shoulders.
It very much looked like a Swisspower day for the first one and a half (out of 5 ½) laps. Swisspower had with Flo and Nino two guys in the lead group and with Jürg Graf and me four riders in the top 12. The Swiss dominance was underlined with Martin Gujan and Ralph Näf also in the top ten, while Christoph Sauser was with me.
Then it changed dramatically when Florian broke his chain. I was shocked seeing him running with his bike. I have been in situations like this and know exactly how this feels. And especially for him, trying to make his Olympic dream come true, it was a hard one to swallow. I stopped to give him my chain. At first he refused my help. But I told him that nothing is lost as long as he still tries. It took quite some time to take my chain off and put it on his bike. We both were too nervous. After the fix he took off in around 60th place while I had a 3km run in front of me. Somehow I did not think it was going to be that far to the next tech zone. And I did not realize until this point, what kind of consequences this is going to have for me. I changed my whole season planning to be ready for the first few month of racing, unlike other years when I started out slowly. Now I'm in superb shape, but have to start way back, which makes it almost impossible to ride in the top ten. Anyway, Florian made it back into the top 20 and still has all opportunities to do well in the next races. I continued my battle from 95th place. Even though the morale was not that great, my legs felt better than at anytime last year. I managed to pass 50 riders(!) in the two laps remaining to finish in 45th place. This at least saved my slot in the first starting group next weekend.
Now the good news. With Nino we still had a Joker in the game. And he did awesome. He was the only one left to follow Olympic champion Julien Absalon, who still rides like he is from another planet. Nino not only climbed the podium for second place at the age of 21 years, he is also the first Swiss (besides Sauser who finished in third) to meet the Olympic qualification criteria.
Also a great ride had Swiss champion Jürg Graf in 16th place, Till Marx in 34th and Patrik Gallati, who finished in 43rd and was third Under 23 rider. Swisspower had two riders on the U23 podium.
Stay tuned
Frischi
Other than Tom Ritchey himself, the name that is associated most with Ritchey is Thomas Frischknecht. The working relationship between the two Toms began way back in 1990, and over the years it has developed into a strong friendship that has yielded an incredible string of results and memories. Frischi is one of the most successful mountain bike racers of all time, and it is hard to imagine many of his accomplishments ever being repeated. Since the first ever World MTB championships held in Durango, Colorado in 1990 where he placed 2nd to the present day where, having amassed 15 world championship medals in 18 years, Frischi remains a podium threat at every race he lines up for. He tells us that 2008 is to be his last year of full-time competition, but that won't be the last we see of him as he turns his focus more and more on developing the sport, working in a product development role with some of his sponsors, riding his bike all over the world and spreading his love for the sport.
Thomas likes to send race reports from time to time, and they always provide a fantastic insight into what goes through his mind in the heat of battle. Read on and enjoy.
Frischi Update: Houffalize UCI World Cup XC #1
April 28, 2008
Just one week before the classic Liege-Bastogne-Liege, the world's best mountain bikers battled it out in the Belgian Ardennes. 257 riders (the UCI has not learned from past mistakes) were sent up the same 18% ramp that Cunego, Boonen and Valverde will climb next Sunday.
The time of the pre-world cup events was over and finally everyone had to put their cards on the table. There is always a huge amount of tension among the riders going into the first round of the world cup, but in this Olympic year with the qualification procedure, there is even more than usual. For the Swiss in particular, the pressure was on. Christoph Sauser, Ralph Näf, Florian Vogel and Nino Schurter are all potential winners for the Olympics in Beijing. But one has to stay home, because we can send three riders only. The world cups, European and World championships will show who is going to represent Switzerland. With great results already in their pockets, my Swisspower teammates Flo and Nino were optimistic. Though I could very well feel the burden on their shoulders.
It very much looked like a Swisspower day for the first one and a half (out of 5 ½) laps. Swisspower had with Flo and Nino two guys in the lead group and with Jürg Graf and me four riders in the top 12. The Swiss dominance was underlined with Martin Gujan and Ralph Näf also in the top ten, while Christoph Sauser was with me.
Then it changed dramatically when Florian broke his chain. I was shocked seeing him running with his bike. I have been in situations like this and know exactly how this feels. And especially for him, trying to make his Olympic dream come true, it was a hard one to swallow. I stopped to give him my chain. At first he refused my help. But I told him that nothing is lost as long as he still tries. It took quite some time to take my chain off and put it on his bike. We both were too nervous. After the fix he took off in around 60th place while I had a 3km run in front of me. Somehow I did not think it was going to be that far to the next tech zone. And I did not realize until this point, what kind of consequences this is going to have for me. I changed my whole season planning to be ready for the first few month of racing, unlike other years when I started out slowly. Now I'm in superb shape, but have to start way back, which makes it almost impossible to ride in the top ten. Anyway, Florian made it back into the top 20 and still has all opportunities to do well in the next races. I continued my battle from 95th place. Even though the morale was not that great, my legs felt better than at anytime last year. I managed to pass 50 riders(!) in the two laps remaining to finish in 45th place. This at least saved my slot in the first starting group next weekend.
Now the good news. With Nino we still had a Joker in the game. And he did awesome. He was the only one left to follow Olympic champion Julien Absalon, who still rides like he is from another planet. Nino not only climbed the podium for second place at the age of 21 years, he is also the first Swiss (besides Sauser who finished in third) to meet the Olympic qualification criteria.
Also a great ride had Swiss champion Jürg Graf in 16th place, Till Marx in 34th and Patrik Gallati, who finished in 43rd and was third Under 23 rider. Swisspower had two riders on the U23 podium.
Stay tuned
Frischi
Other than Tom Ritchey himself, the name that is associated most with Ritchey is Thomas Frischknecht. The working relationship between the two Toms began way back in 1990, and over the years it has developed into a strong friendship that has yielded an incredible string of results and memories. Frischi is one of the most successful mountain bike racers of all time, and it is hard to imagine many of his accomplishments ever being repeated. Since the first ever World MTB championships held in Durango, Colorado in 1990 where he placed 2nd to the present day where, having amassed 15 world championship medals in 18 years, Frischi remains a podium threat at every race he lines up for. He tells us that 2008 is to be his last year of full-time competition, but that won't be the last we see of him as he turns his focus more and more on developing the sport, working in a product development role with some of his sponsors, riding his bike all over the world and spreading his love for the sport.
Thomas likes to send race reports from time to time, and they always provide a fantastic insight into what goes through his mind in the heat of battle. Read on and enjoy.
Racing, Teams & Sponsorships
Ritchey sponsored racers, teams and how to get sponsored
Ritchey Media
Ritchey media, ads, catalogs
Hardcore Mountain Bike Components - www.syncros.com