With 5 World Championship titles in the books, N1NO Schurter is not only one of the most successful mountain bikers of all time, but the 30-year old Scott icon has equalized Julien Absalon’s benchmark with his triumph in Nove Mesto. In addition to that, only one week after his demonstration of power, N1NO managed to secure his 20th World Cup victory at the Lenzerheide World Cup. More confident than ever, N1NO now heads into the last weeks of preparation for the Olympics. On August 21st, where he wants to complete his collection of Olympic medals after winning the Bronze medal in Beijing in 2008, and Silver in London 2012.
N1NO Schurter is more than just another Cross-Country athlete winning one medal after another. N1NO belongs to a selective group of individuals who truly raise the bar in their respective sports. With his style of racing and his very unique style of riding, N1NO has not only conquered podiums but also won the hearts of cycling fans worldwide.
Great chapters in sport always see dramatic situations - both through victories and defeats, joy and drama, and pure relief and frustration are sometimes very close together. Mountain bike racing is no exception. In Cross-Country mountain biking, the ever-lasting battle between the three main contenders is constantly entertaining the community. N1NO, Julien Absalon, and Jaroslav Kulhavy are the three guys who lead the way and it seems no one can mess with this trio. Regardless of the course, one of the three seems to dominate...
There has never been a more exciting competition time for the crowds to watch and follow this exciting sport as there is right now. This year has so far witnessed another level of racing from the three main contenders, and the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro will be the ultimate climax. N1NO has raised the bar so far winning three World Cup races, the Swiss National title, and the World Championships. There is no doubt that N1NO is as ready as he could be. And he is hungrier for Gold than anybody else.
Obviously I'm in great shape right now. I feel super comfortable and fast on my new SCOTT Spark 900 RC. Up until now, everything has gone according to plan towards Rio. The huge past weekends and the way this season is going have given me great confidence going into the next round.- Nino Schurter, 4x World Champion.
Nino Schurter’s Spark RC 900 Worldcup.
Photography:Jochen Haar, Sven Martin, Michal Cerveny
It's really wonderfull to see Absalon so close and even ahead sometimes. Every big champion has to have big a opponent and i'm speaking for both of them...
@BeardlessMarinRider: how much has he got in hand though? Lap 3-5 in Lenzerhide was the fastest I've ever seen anyone ride XC relative to the competition. I think he could slowdown 5-10% and still win.
@jclnv: Who knows. What I do know though is that you can only peak for so long... maybe he's yet to peak which would be a scary prospect for the other guys!
I'm guessing they have a very specific reason for doing it that way. Probably has to do with mimicking the pedaling motion; going all the way down doesn't do that.
Also there is growing evidence that a full squat isn't exactly good for you. Think in evolutionary terms, why would a human need to lift such excess weight in such a way?
Awesome video!
Zika, flesh eating bacteria, & getting mugged?