Swiss Cross Nationals

At the Swiss national cross championships the SCOTT-Swisspower team got stuck in the mud. Florian Vogel was close to the medals finishing in 5th but Marcel Wildhaber was off the track in 8th place. Our juniors who went into the race as the favorites were also not able to fulfill our hopes.

Andri with silver and Dominic with bronce was OK- but the gold was missing!

Cyclo-cross means mud! This long time tradition was not seen in such an extreme for many years. Days of rain turned the course into a mud fest. Cold temperatures and wind made it tough not only for the riders, but also the staff who were busy cleaning bikes every lap. Conditions for true cyclo cross riders. The Swiss mountain bikers, who usually can ride on the same level as the cross specialists had trouble with these conditions.

Our chance for a medal was cut in half after one lap only. Florian Vogel crashed on a slippery descent and lost contact to the 8 men lead group. Marcel Wildhaber stayed in there till half way through, unfortunately he it wasn't his best day and he dropped back to 8th place. Towards the end, the race got exciting again.

Lukas Flückiger and Florian Vogel showed faster lap times than the three men lead group with Christian Heule, Simon Zahner and Julien Taramarcaz. Going into last lap they were only 10 seconds down. But it was too late. To almost everybodies suprise, Taramarcaz, a former U23 Swiss champion, showed the best finale. Heule, who will most likely end his career after this season, finished only in 3rd. Vogel finished in 5th behind Flückiger.

Florian Vogel

By winning 4 races in this cross season, Andri Frischknecht set himself as the favorite for the junior title. He set the pace throughout the race, but was not able to drop Dominic Grab off his wheel. Instead, his own team mate Dominic Zumstein got droped. A strong fighting Grab not only stayed with Andri, he even attacked him on the last lap with enough strength to get a little gap. This was enough to win. This disappointing lesson will stay in both Andri and Dominics head for a while.

SCOTT Plasma Fastest in IM Arizona

SCOTT Triathlete Linsey Corbin rode her new custom SCOTT Plasma to a race best bike split of 4:50:11 at Ironman Arizona on Sunday. Her ride not only earned her best split of the day, it also propelled her to her first sub-nine hour Ironman result, and second place overall on the day.

Getting out of the water several minutes behind her competition, Corbin immediately dropped the hammer once aboard her Plasma. She effectively reeled the leaders back to within striking distance before exiting T2 for the marathon. Corbin couldn’t quite muster the speed to overcome eventual winner Leanda Cave, but she was still fresh enough off the bike to pass a fading Meredith Kessler for second place.

Congratulations to Linsey Corbin for her sub-nine hour performance, second place on the day, and the fastest women’s bike split aboard her SCOTT Plasma at Ironman Arizona!

Welcome Brendan Fairclough

GIVISIEZ, CH (November 23, 2011) Following the wrap up of yet another amazing season of Downhill racing, a number of interesting rumors involving Claudio’s 11, Swiss cheese, pump tracks, and Brendan Fairclough’s next move have been circulating online. SCOTT Sports is delighted to put an end to the speculation and to proudly welcome professional DH racer, and all round pinner, Brendan Fairclough to the Scott11 team.

Brendan is widely recognized as one of the most well rounded riders on the DH circuit with a unique style that has captivated and inspired his many fans. Whether he is racing competitions or ripping with friends, his natural ability and bike control make him one of the most exciting riders to watch. Brendan is a regular top ten rider with an impressive 4th place finish at the recent 2011 Champéry World Championships, despite a torn ACL, and has featured in multiple highly acclaimed mountain bike films such as Clay Porter’s 3 Minute Gaps and Anthill Films’ Follow Me. Now, after having undergone reconstructive knee surgery, Brendan is ready to come back next season to continue working with top bike film producers and to take on the UCI World Cup DH series with a new knee and a new bike.

SCOTT Sports and the SCOTT11 team will give Brendan the opportunity to take his racing to the next level by providing him with unparalleled support and the finest equipment to reach his goals. Brendan will also play an instrumental role in developing and testing SCOTT products including SCOTT’s Gambler and Voltage FR bikes.  

“I’m really happy to have the opportunity to join Scott11 for the 2012 and 2013 seasons,” says Brendan. “It’s going to be a big change from the last few years since I’ll now act as the lead rider on the team, but it’s a role I feel I am ready to take up and feel it’s going to be good for me in my fight for a championship. It’s going to be good to progress with SCOTT in the downhill market and hope we can get the bike on the top step of the podium and beyond. Very happy to have signed and can't wait to get stuck into the season.”

“With Brendan on board, we can finally play a major role in the men's field,” adds Team Manager Claudio Caluori. “The whole team is totally excited and will work flat out to get Brendan where Floriane Pugin has been since joining Scott11: On that podium!”

Welcome to SCOTT, Brendog!

Corbin Captures Bronze at Worlds
SCOTT triathlete Linsey Corbin recently captured the bronze medal at the Ironman 70.3 World Championship held in Henderson, NV.

The tough course was a new venue for the event promising a challenging race for the competitors. The potential for triple digit temperatures went unfulfilled, but the hilly bike course still served to separate the field and distance the best from the rest.

Linsey put in a strong bike leg aboard her Plasma 3 to solidify her spot on the podium. She had put a bigger chain ring on her bike in anticipation of the undulating course, and used it to great effect. Instead of coasting sections of the lengthy descents, she maximized the return on her efforts by pedaling her Plasma 3 down the sustained grades and opened a gap to her nearest chaser, which she maintained on the run.

Congratulations to Linsey Corbin, Ironman 70.3 World bronze medalist!