Gehrig twins, the fastest enduro sisters

If you have been following the Enduro World Series for a while two names will always pop into your mind, Anita and Caro, the swiss twin sisters. Since the first race in Punta Ala the twin towers have been always a force to be reckoned and contenders to every podium. DH, 4X, enduro stage races, you will see them on any gravity oriented event and certainly battling for the first positions. Get comfortable and keep reading, you may discover a thing or two about these relentless riders.



Yari: Who are Anita & Carolin Gehrig? Where are you from and where do you live?
Anita: We are swiss twins that are most often found racing their bikes somewhere on this planet, well just not this summer for obvious reasons. We live in a beautiful mountain region called Flims Laax which is in the heart of the alps. Definitely an ideal playground for bikes. Originally we come from a town close to the lake of constance but live here since over 13 years. Anytime time we'd call this place home.

Yari: How and when did you start cycling in general?
Caro: When our brother took part in the Junior XC Race at the World Champs in Lugano in 2003 we saw a downhill race for the first time. We were fascinated by the speed and spectacle and from then on knew we wanted to give it a try. It took a few years until we had the money to buy bikes. We started riding with the age of almost 20 when we moved to Laax for a first winter season. We decided to stay for summer too and were looking for a summer hobby as in winter we were snowboarding a lot. It was clear we now had to start with downhill biking.



Yari: I've traced you both back to 2010 on the IXS Cup and even Caro on the UCI WCDH Champery on that same year and Anita in UCI WCDH in Leogang 2011. I didn't even knew you both participated in the UCI Downhill World Cups. How has racing treated you so far?
Anita: It's pretty funny but our mountain biking and racing paths started pretty much at the same time. From our family background biking was always racing, so from the very beginning, we knew we wanted to race. Which is pretty funny to look back now. We got our bikes and went straight to a race. I was in Whistler for a summer not long after we began I took part in a few races there with the highlight being the Crankworx Air DH, that was in 2008. Since that we pretty much tried everything within the gravity disciplines starting with Downhill and some World Cup Downhill. Caro took part in 4X races which was exciting.

We then moved to the more endurance side and took part in mass start downhill races such as Megavalanche and Maxiavalanche. Shortly after Enduro became a thing and our sponsor at that time Specialized asked us if we wanted to take part in their newly formed Enduro Series, long story short, first race first win and we were hooked on the format. There was just so much time on the bike which we really enjoy until now. When the Enduro World Series came up in 2013 we knew we had to be art of it. Since the we have not missed out on a EWS, well at least one was always at the start.




Yari: Which team you ride for nowdays?
A & C: We run our own team "Norco Twins Racing" for the third year now. It's been great to have our own structure to suit our needs and be independent in the decision making.

Yari: You both are always a force to be reckoned with on the EWS since the very first race in Punta Ala back in 2013. What about it, how it has been so far? Has it changed a lot?
Caro:: It has been an amazing journey so far taking us to unreal places and the best trails in the world. Looking back I must say it has also been incredibly tough some times pushing our bodies and mind to the very limit. Over the years it has become a bit more compact and standardized which is probably a good thing because back in the days it escalated in toughness sometimes.




Yari: You are known to be amongst the fittest in the races and are not afraid of long days on the saddle. Anita winning Trans Provence and Caro 3rd, is a good example of that. Placed top5 couple years in a row on the EWS and always on the top10. Do you prefer long physical races or shorter, with more shuttles and less pedaling?
A & C: We like it both but it occurs that we seem to perform extra well when there is a big portion of grit an endurance involved.

Yari: Which race, from the ones you've participated, consider the toughest? Why?
A & C: The toughest was Crankzilla, Whistler EWS years back. It was ridiculously tough with many verticals to climb and technically very demanding. Even for the men it was hard to make the liaisons. After the Ride don't Slide stage everyone was shattered but it was not the end of the race we still had the brutal "Top of the world" stage which in itself is already a monster with around 25min racing time. Well we survived but it was a borderline experience.

Yari: So far which is the race from which you keep the best memories?
Anita: One of the best memories is certainly when I cracked the EWS podium for the first time. The feeling of achieving something really great is amazing. The Finale Ligure EWS also has made some very special memories for us.
Caro:: For me it was EWS Olargues, I rode on my very best and surprised myself with my committed and good riding.


Yari: And the worst?
Anita: EWS Colombia for the conditions but not for the vibe and spectators. I had a broken hand from the previous EWS in Chile and wanted to try to race anyway. I was in a lot of pain and did not even manage to practice all the stages, pure survival mode.
Caro:: The conditions in Colombia were horrendous, the mud was so deep it was almost not rideable and sometimes the wheels would get stuck and you could not go on before cleaning out several handful of mud between fork and wheel. I guess you can imagine the misery now.



Yari: Do you have some kind of amulet or obsession when racing?
Caro:: We hand out a fist bump before each stage start ????

Yari: Which are your strong points?
Anita: Somehow I manage to switch to "Race Anita" and suddenly ride a lot better.
Caro:: I like big jumps and fast tracks.

Yari: And weaknesses?
Anita: I struggle to commit to big jumps and would love to let off my brakes more often.
Caro:: When it becomes tight and janky I sometimes struggle with my temper it would be more helpful if I could keep calm.





Yari: For enduro racing: "blind" racing or trained stages?
Anita: For EWS we prefer to race prepared and not blind, it really is a safety thing. You don't want to end up with now clue where you going. Also it won't ever lead to an even playing field.
Caro:: Blind racing has a special thrill and sharpens your instincts every now and then it is great to take part in a race with no practice. Also I find it so simple: you just show up and race. No pratice and line check you just go with the flow.

Yari: MTB is an extreme sport and racing at the highest level has its own risks and is almost impossible to avoid injuries. How do you handle it? Have you had some serious injury, did it make you change how you race? How was the recovery?
Anita: We both broke our femur early in our mtb career, it definitely taught us a lesson to be well prepared and trained when racing.
Caro:: I had my fair share of injuries and luckily I always recovered well after. It's a thing I could live without but overall we spend so much time riding sometimes luck is just not in your side.

Yari: Other than the enduro bike, what other bike(s) do you own right now, which one do you ride the most?
Anita: We definitely ride our Enduro Bike the Norco Sight the most, it's such a fun and versatile bike. We are very spoiled with a whole fleet of Norco bikes and can choose between: Sight VLT E-Bike, Aurum Downhill machine, Rampage Pumptrack Bike, Optic for All Mountain and the Section for all the things road and gravel.




Yari: Something specific you wanna mention about your bike setup?
Anita: Our bike setup is pretty similar, but the cockpit positions varies a bit.

Yari: 26, 27.5", 27.5+ or 29, what's your opinion, which one fits you better?
Anita: 29, we are both very tall with 1.80m and can easily handle a big bike. Also the advantages of big wheels outweighs the disadvantages.

Yari: You work a lot to get women into MTB, do coaching and promote the sport. Why do you believe there are still not many women racing?
Caro:: Having our Womens Camps and helping women to get into the sport is a big passion of us. With our camps we already had a big impact on the female riding scene in Switzerland and that's something we are really proud. Somehow women are not so competitive as guys or they think they are not good enough, but if you never try you never know right. Racing makes you automatically a better rider, as you have to cope with different types of tracks, weather and terrain week in week out.

Yari: What's your opinion on the present and future of women in MTB?
Anita: MTB has experienced quite a boom trough this whole pandemic and will only keep on growing. I hope the normal bike won't be replaced by e-bikes too soon. It's great to open it up for more people but it's a bit too easy too. For me the real deal is always as self-powered ride, it's simple it's pure.




Yari: Social media presence is something that brands look for often today. You are really active with your videos, travels, racing, riding and having fun in general, keeping it real. What do you think about social media, racing results and sponsorship?
Caro:: Social Media has it's place and has become an important role in sponsorship. It's the mix that makes it. I'm glad we have this platform but would not want to work with it only. Racing is the pinnacle of the sport and I hope the industry values it for much longer. To keep it real is really important to me.

Yari: Which rider impresses you the most nowdays or is your preferred one?
Anita: Cecile Ravanel for her insane commitment
Caro:: Sam Hill what a badass

Yari: Do you do a specific training, could you briefly describe it?
Anita: we train with a coach that has helped us a lot in progressing our fitness and strength. Depending on the period we train 2-4 times a week in the gym. Always two different workouts that train specific areas.




Yari: Which is or are your preferred ringing spots?
Anita: We love the riding were we live, Laax (Graubünden) has a super cool riding scene and great trails.
Caro:: Other than home we love Whistler and the Wallis Area in Switzerland.

Yari: With the current COVID19 situation, with lots of cancelled or postponed events, how are you facing this season, have your schedules changed a lot?
Anita: We had some big changes as everyone. The race season was postponed to August to kick off, with less races then usual and no trip to Canada nor USA.

Yari: To help us to enjoy more our rides what setup of advice for our bikes would you recommend or advice?
Caro:: Setting up your suspension properly is key for a great riding experience and servicing it yearly will make a big impact on performance.

Yari: Music are you listening right now?
Anita: Spotify Indie playlists ????




Yari: Preferred food?
Anita: My garden is exploding right now, so my favorite is to walk in the garden and harvest whatever is available. It makes me happy to create something delicious and healthy with ingredients from my garden.

Yari: Camper van or Ferrari?
Anita: Camper
Caro:: Camper

Yari: Beer or wine?
Anita: Beer because it's more refreshing
Caro:: Both

Yari: Future plans and expectations?
Anita: Hoping to step on that elusive EWS Podium again soon.
Caro:: It would be great to finally make it on to the EWS podium

Thanks for your time Anita and Caro!!

You can follow Anita & Caro on the following social media:
+ Anita Instagram
+ Caro Instagram
+ TwinsmtbRacing Facebook

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Photos: @kabelleira / Sven Martin / @mattwragg / Lisa Paarvio / Yari

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MENTIONS: @norcobicycles / @wilderness-trail-bikes / @crankbrothers / @CamelBak / @Caro-DH

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