Photo Story: Andreas Kolb Looks Back at his 2022 Race Season

I was really happy with how my offseason went. I spent a lot of time in Wales with the team and we made some good progress with the bike setup.

End of March it was already time for the first world cup in Lourdes and the track looked like it would suit Charlie and me well. I was fired up to finally go racing again.

I remember my race run really well (which is never a good sign) but it felt like I was on the limit and I was sure this is going to be a sick a result. P22 with a big time gap to the top ten was definitely a big hit for my mental game.

Next up was the Sea Otter Classic where I decided last minute to race the Dual Slalom. It was the first time for me racing Dual and I landed on the podium which I was super stoked about! And it made me wonder if I could transfer the pace I had there onto a DH track.

I started to push really hard and definitely got out of my comfort zone to get to that next level. This was simply too much and I began to have big crashes.

Sadly one of them ended with a broken elbow and I had to miss the second world cup in Fort Bill.

Luckily I didn’t need surgery and after 3 weeks I was already back with the team for world cup number 3 in Leogang. It was definitely early to come back but I just couldn’t miss the good times with my team mates.

The struggle was real riding one of the toughest tracks out there right after injury, but I just kept myself calm and was simply enjoying riding.

After having a horrible last practice run crashing hard and nearly missing the start because of bike issues, I reminded myself again to simply have fun and enjoy the home crowd. Out of this mindset something insane happened. For the first time I finished inside the top ten and straight onto the podium.

Getting my first podium in front of the home crowd with so many friends and my family watching was the best felling ever! It also was the first elite men WC podium for Austria and Atherton Bikes. A day I will never forget!

After Leogang, we went straight to Crankworx in Innsbruck and after Sea Otter I couldn’t resist to race another Dual Slalom. I was able to keep everything together in the slippery conditions and ended up with the win. I really surprised myself with this one.

To be European champion was always one of my biggest goals in the last few years. This year I finally made it happen. Standing up there next to one of my best friends David Trummer in 2nd place, made it even better.

Seeing Rachel back in action in Lenzerheide was impressive. With nearly no preparation, she qualified 7th and finished 6th in finals.

After my first podium in Leogang, I had doubt that I would do it again this season. But then, I made it back on the podium in Lenzerheide, which was a huge mental boost for me.

Spraying champagne in Andorra together with the biggest legends of the sport like Gwin and Bruni felt like a childhood dream.

My first single digit number. It´s been a long time coming!

Things started to get better and better! I scored another podium in Andorra on a track I wasn’t feeling too great on. After that I finally made it into the top 3 in Snowshoe and it was my 4th podium in a row. Never would I have ever believed that would happen this season.

Between Bernhard Kerr, Ronan Dunne and myself, 3 Conti riders made it on the podium that day.

After Snowshoe I struggeled with some weird illness in Mont Saint Anne. Doing a full run on that brutal track was nearly impossible so I had to dig deep that weekend. My racerun started off strong, with splits inside the top 10. A mechanical in the bottom section ruined all my hopes for a good result and placing 44th, I lost important points for the overall standings.

After a well needed break, it was time for world champs in Les Gets. This year’s track was one of the fastest and gnarliest tracks I´ve ever seen. It took me time to get out of my comfort zone, but on race day I started to feel good and I knew I could get a medal. In my race run I rode like never before this season. I felt comfortable on the highspeed section and I hit every corner pretty much perfect. Halfway down I got too greedy and I ended up hitting a tree, so the race was over. I’m still happy with that weekend because I unlocked a new level for me.

Going into the last world cup with a top 5 plate was a crazy feeling. With three riders behind me with only a 3 point difference, I knew it was going to be hard to keep that number.

Val di Sole has been my favourite track for many years and I knew this was going to be an unreal weekend. When I won timed practice for the first time and quali the next day, I was blown away. I started to feel the pressure for race day.

I didn’t show my best in my finals run, but it still was enough for 2nd place, which happened to be my best result ever. Still, I was bummed in the first few minutes because I wanted that win so bad.

When I realized that I made it onto the overall podium, I couldn’t stop smiling. I suprisingly moved up one rank and ended up 4th in the overall.

My goal was to get one podium this season and I ended up with 5, and the overall podium too. Receiving my overall trophy was something else.

Roosting Pierrons face with champagne will never get old, and hopefully something I will get to experience many more times.

Re-signing with this crew for another two years feels awesome. Everybody in the Team became like family members to me and I can’t wait to see what 2023 has in store for us!