A 2012 Retrospective From The Trek Gravity Girls
2012 was the 4th season for Steffi and Katja as part of the Trek Gravity Girls. They started the season as a team of 2, but after "The Search for the Next Trek Gravity Girls," there are now four members on the team. Here is look back from Steffi, Katja and our new team members Michèle and Kathi on 2012.
Steffi Marth
"All my Season Recaps from the past 5 years sound the same. This was my best year ever, it can´t get any better... I can´t really say 2012 was different, but it definitely had 2-3 highlights which I would never miss. The most exciting for my team was for sure was casting for The Next Trek Gravity Girl competition. When I first heard the idea I was so sceptical and thought it could be really embarrassing, like the format on TV. Afterwards, it actually came out that all of our competitors in the contest thought the same. You can imagine how awkward the first round in Saalbach was at the beginning. After a number of events, we, along with Trek, decided to take two new girls onto the team - Michèle and Kathi, both super motivated and skilled on their bikes. They survived all of our tasks to explain bike technique to the group, take a good action photo, covered one of our events on Facebook and finally won the sympathy of Katja, myself and the whole Trek Crew. I am so excited to travel around with them in 2013 and motivate more and more women to ride their bikes.
For me personally I have had so many highlights in 2012. It started with Sea Otter Festival in California racing the Dual Slalom and the DH which was a lot of fun.
The best day of the year was one day during the Freeride Festival in Saalbach. We had the casting going on which was a lot of work and in the evening I competed in the Dual Slalom and won it in front of all the casting members, who supported me with loud shouts and hand claps. After the champagne shower I remember the bet I did before the race when I said to my friends that I would wear an original Bavarian dirndl for the party if I won the race. So when I showed up at the legendary "Goaßstall" Party we had great fun dancing and having a good time.
Also, my visit to the Dakine Headquarters in Hood River, Oregon, was a mega highlight in 2012. It was my first time in Oregon and the nature was truly breathtaking. The huge snow covered Mount Hood in the background, the super wide Columbia River in the middle and a fun little trail in morning light in the foreground... I will never forget the Syncline Trail. I was able to give input on the clothing that I will be wearing this upcoming season. I am sure I will head back there one day soon.
And of course, Crankworx in Whistler is always a highlight of the summer. I am on my way now to plan it again for 2013, this year I want to come earlier to bring some more Germans to guide them through "Mountainbike Wonderland" as we Europeans call the area around BC, Canada.
A big thank you goes out to Trek, Bontrager, Dakine, IXS, MET/Bluegrass, Adidas Eyewear, Shimano, Leatt, Schwalbe, FiveTen, Carbocage, Südtirol, Fox Shox for making it possible to live my dream.
I can´t wait for the spring to come and my bag to be packed again. Love, Steffi."
Katja Rupf
"2012 started with a problem, our team was too small. Steffi and I needed a new team member, but how would we find this girl? The idea of a casting was born and soon we had more than 30 applications. Our first meeting with all the girls was in Saalbach-Hinterglemm (AUT) for the Freeride Festival. The highlight for me was definitely the helicopter shoot. It was amazing! 34 girls on a line feeling the flow on the Hacklberg Trail!
Next stop was to Flims with the remaining 10 girls. It was rainy the whole weekend! But that didn’t stop us from having fun on our bikes. Third round was at the Trek Bike Attack in Lenzerheide. Beside the race we, (the last five girls and I) had the chance to ride an epic singletrackl at sunset – this was the best trail that I'd ridden for a while and we all felt the same spirit. I was so lucky to ride my bike again, after all my studying for my bachelor's in business administration. The final of the casting was in Brixen. Steffi and I were so happy, when we got the info from Trek, that it would be possible to get not only one, but two new team member. So we are lucky to be four again and we are looking forward to the upcoming season.
Besides the casting I coached the ladies group at the Dakine Freeride Camps in Flims, Switzerland for two weekends.
Blue Velvet, Black Velvet, Too Tight, A-Line and the GLC Drop, this was my preferred combination during my holiday in Whistler. Just such an amazing place to ride. In October I got the chance to ride one of the most impressive trails I’ve ever ridden, the Whole Enchilada in Moab. Starting in high alpine at 3400 meter and ending after a 25 mile downhill ride in the desert was an incredible experience. After that Ross Schnell showed me and René Wildhaber some of his favorite trails in Grand Junction, Fruita and Sedona. Red rocks are so different from our Swiss Mountains and for me really impressive. I can’t wait till the snow melts and we can kick off the bike season" - Katja
Kathi Kuypers
And here is what our new teammember Kathi has to say:
"Before the search for the Next Trek Gravity Girl, I was a random naive girl from a very small town in Southern Bavaria, Germany. For the simple reason that I have to cover distances with my bikes, I got little skills on my mountain bike and loved it to shred my own local trails and our very own Bikepark. My friends told me about the Casting for a Trek sponsoring deal and I was so enthusiastic about it. The first stop: Saalbach Hinterglemm totally blew my mind. More than 30 girls to compete with - every single one of them was pretty good on their bike - definitely a tough nut to crack. But in the end I made it on the team and I am so damn happy to be part of the huge Trek family. Steffi, Katja and Michèle are the most fabulous girls to fool around with. For 2013 I'll try to boost my skills on my Trek Ticket to prove to all the anxious girls out there that they can do more than just the chicken lines.
Right now, my biggest trick is to stay on my bike while flying over obstacles, but I will train a lot during the off season and I'm going to set my signature next year! I'm on fire!
Ride on. Cheers." - Kathi
Michèle Quint
"It seems like yesterday that I headed out to my first TTG event in Saalbach. The impressions and experiences gained in Tirol and Flims were so varied and intense, that they boosted me from one event to the next. Having just digested all my impressions from the weekends, I was then full of anticipation for the Trek Bike Attack.
Definitely one of the highlights for me was the good spirit between the girls. There was no racing atmosphere or competitiveness. Instead, we all joined forces in a way that I have never experienced before. Réne Wildhaber‘s tips were invaluable, and the Trek Team supported us nonstop.
This past summer was one of the best on the bike with the girls. Having previously only biked with males, it was great to experience so many really cool and friendly women on and off the track with whom you can rock your socks off. Thanks to Trek and the Gravity Girls, I was given the opportunity to meet some great personalities, make new friends and have a great time on my bike amidst nature. Summer 2012 was just fantastic.
I can‘t wait for the upcoming season, and am looking forward to hitting the trails with you all!
Bye for now!" - Michèle
In 2013 the girls will be supported from Trek, Bontrager, IXS, Five Ten; adidas eyewear, Dakine (Steffi Marth and Katja Rupf), Ion Bike wear (Michèle Quint and Kathi Kuypers)
www.trekbikes.com
www.bontrager.com
www.ixs-sportsdivision.com/home.html
www.adidas.com/eyewear
www.fiveten.com
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Member since Oct 4, 2008
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