Nina Graf in an interview: "Should I bet money on who will win the overall World Cup? My money's on ..."

Nina Graf is one of Germany's World Cup hopefuls in cross country. With her team switch to the Lapierre Racing Unity Team together with her Lexware colleague Maximilian Brandl, Nina wants to attack. We spoke to her.

Nina, what are your goals for 2025?

Nina Graf: In 2025, my focus will be on the German Championships, the European Championships and, of course, the World Championships. I also want to focus on my consistency in the World Cup.

How did the switch to Lapierre come about?

It was clear to me that I wanted to join a UCI elite team with years of experience at world-class level. That's exactly what I find at Lapierre. Here I can learn and rely on 100% support to achieve my goals.

Did you test the bikes before the change?

No, I didn't. But I checked the geometry beforehand and found it suitable for the World Cup, so there are no excuses :-)

Do you feel more pressure of expectation in the new team?

The greatest pressure that athletes put on themselves is always their own. Yes, there is a certain amount of expectation. No, I don't feel any noticeable pressure. And I myself know that I give my best every day and know that I can rely on my coach, my team and myself so that I can achieve the goals I have set myself.

Which World Cup are you particularly looking forward to?

Val di Sole, Andorra and Mont Saint Anne - I love natural, technical World Cup routes that are really challenging and have a few metres of elevation gain.

Which one suits you less?

Phew, when you're in good shape, you can ride fast on any track. So hopefully every track will suit me in the coming World Cup season. :)

There has been a lot of talk about the marketer Warner Brothers in the past. More in the downhill scene than in the cross-country scene. What is your opinion?

There is always room for improvement, but as the new rules have only recently been decided and will come into force this season, I wouldn't jump to conclusions just yet. I am firmly convinced that our sport has huge potential and I hope it is presented to spectators and the public in the best possible way.

The first race is still a few weeks away, how are you currently preparing?

The first race was in Spain in mid-February, but the first important race, the World Cup in Brazil at the beginning of April, is still a little further away. I'm currently at a training camp in Girona, enjoying the warmer temperatures and the endless trails for my training. I'll spend March fine-tuning in Freiburg, with another preparation race in Switzerland, and then it's off to the races.

If you had to bet money, who would you bet on? Overall World Cup winner: men and women?

To Jenny Rissveds in the women's race and Victor Koretzky in the men's race.

Give me 5: The key points interview

An interview with cross-country world champion and Freiburg resident Nina Graf (26).

Must Dos

1 Scandinavia with a van
2 Learning to kitesurf
3 Prioritise family
4 Discover Asia
5 Building a house

Sport

1 MTB, (what else?)
2 Alpine skiing
3 Cross-country skiing
4 Jogging
5 Climbing

Waste of time

1 Make-up
2 Scrolling Instagram
3 Cleaning my bike
4 Netflix
5 Ironing

Spots

1 Fribourg
2 Livigno
3 Girona
4 Stellenbosch
5 Finale Ligure

Good Times

1 Shooting trails
2 Games evening
3 Ski holiday
4 Coffee & cake dates
5 In the mountains

Dreams

1 Olympic medal
2 World Cup victory
3 Opening a café
4 Doping-free sport
5 Own family

No Go`s

1 Racing bike only
2 McDonalds
3 Petrol station pretzels
4 Coffee without cake
5 Cake without coffee

Paths to happiness

1 Sport always helps
2 Time with friends
3 ...and family too
4 Baking & knitting
5 Being out and about

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