MTB News: New strength in the hunt for cross-country victories – with the KMC Ekoi Orbea team, a pairing with a great tradition is fighting for the top spots.
In the new season, Orbea and the legendary KMC Ekoi team race across the world's cross-country routes with combined strength: in the KMC Ekoi Orbea team, one of the most historic combinations in cross-country history.
Orbea brings more than 30 years of experience in the mountain bike circus to the new partnership and also some trophies. No wonder, with a quick look at MTB history. As early as the 1980s, they were right in the middle of it when the mountain bike virus spread rapidly around the world. You were there when the first Olympic mountain bike race was held in Atlanta in 1996. The double victory twelve years later at the Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008 is one of the great moments in Orbea's history. Unforgettable how Julien Absalon and Jean-Christoph Peraud stood on the podium with their sparkling medals.
Orbea is particularly proud of Catharine Pendrel's two World Championship titles in 2011 and 2014. Especially because she was the first woman to win the rainbow jersey on a fully: in the saddle of the Orbea Oiz. The successful Canadian is still loyal to them today: In the US Clif Pro Team, she and her colleagues like Lea Davidson and Katerina Nash go to Orbea.
But they also want to continue their unique success story in Europe: as a new bike partner in the KMC Ekoi Orbea team, one of the oldest teams in mountain biking. Stars like Julien Absalon and Julie Bresset wore the team's jerseys. Olympic gold, world championship titles and countless top placings in the cross-country world cup speak for themselves: this team knows what it feels like to win.
And it wants more of it. That is why the French team is positioning itself increasingly internationally on the way to further triumphs. For example with the two new Swiss in the team: Florian Vogel and Thomas Litscher. Or the fast ladies Annie Last from Great Britain and Malene Degn from Denmark.
The riders are on the cross-country floors Orbea Oiz and Orbea Alma.
The team and also Orbea have set their own challenges for the new season. Which are they? They reveal that here:
FLORIAN BIRD
“My goal: to climb the podiums in World Cup races.”
- 2018st place MTB XCO World Championship XNUMX
- XNUMXst place cross country world rankings
- Place Swiss Championships XCO 2018
ANNIE LAST
"I want to be on the podium at the World Championships in Canada."
- XNUMXst place cross country world rankings
- 2017st place MTB XCO World Championship XNUMX
- Place British Championships XCO 2018
VICTOR KORETZKY
"My goal is to fight at eye level with Nino Schurter."
- XNUMXst place cross country world rankings
- Place French Championships XCO 2018
MALE DEGN
"In the second year in a professional team, I want to find my place above all."
- XNUMXst place cross country world rankings
- Place XCO World Cup Stellenbosch (U23) 2018
- Place MTB XCO World Championship (U23) 2018
THOMAS LITSCHER
"I want to get back on the World Cup podium"
- XNUMXst place cross country world rankings
- 2018st place MTB XCO World Championship XNUMX
MILAN VADER
"I want to learn a lot in this team and keep improving."
- Place MTB XCO EM (U23) 2018