Cross-country world champion Nino Schurter and ex-professional and team manager Ralph Näf, together with a financially strong sponsor, have launched a New Swiss racing series which is due to start with three races in 2022. We spoke to the pair about record prize money, why there is room for another race series in Switzerland and what you can expect at the events of the ÖKK Bike Revolution better than in the World Cup.
BIKE: Who came up with the idea and what was the impetus?
Nino: The idea came from Ralph. For him as team manager, something was missing between the World Cup and the Swiss Cup races. The World Cup has developed positively. The Swiss Cup races are not at the level he would have liked them to be. He wanted to gain a foothold between these two series. Then he teamed up with René Walker, the organiser of the European Championships in Bern. And my management company GFC will then market the whole thing. That's how the idea developed for me to join in with my experience. I was enthusiastic about the idea right from the start because the sport of MTB is close to my heart. It is important to me that there are top events, also for the next generation.
The Swiss Bike Cup is a nationwide XC racing series, why something new?
Nino: We want to position the new series between the World Cup and the Swiss Cup. We believe that there is a need for additional events that bring grassroots sport and racing together. That is our major concern. We have decided to pay out attractive prize money for top performances. We pay the highest prize money available in the sport of mountain biking. We also want to provide first-class live coverage of the races. Each of our races should be an attractive biking experience for everyone involved.
Is there really so little prize money in the World Cup?
Nino: In the World Cup races, the prize money is disproportionate to the performance. We want to set an example here too. Everyone involved, such as partners and riders, young talent and spectators, should get their money's worth. We want to bring popular sport, racing and kids together.
How were you able to gain such a well-known insurance company as a sponsor?
Nino: Mountain biking is experiencing a real boom and sales figures have been rising significantly for years. The top cross-country results of the top Swiss riders at major events and in the World Cup have contributed to the fact that mountain biking is now attracting a lot of attention. This is also due to the fact that the Swiss Cup has done a good job in recent years. At the same time, people are increasingly looking for sporting activities and outdoor experiences. We combine these two elements of top-class and popular sport. This approach convinced ÖKK to join us.
Is this only possible in Switzerland, where mountain biking is so highly valued?
Nino: We also had to work hard for it. We were lucky that we had a lot of top riders in recent years. In the days when Sabine Spitz celebrated her greatest successes, things were certainly different in Germany. We have been among the best for many years. It started with Thomas Frischknecht, with Christoph Sauser, with Ralph Näf, with me, with Jolanda. Now we are benefiting from this and can utilise this starting position as a logical consequence.
What is special about your racing series?
Nino: Our aim is to make mountain biking a holistic experience. We want the events to have a bit of a World Cup feeling, but at the same time fully integrate popular sport.
Ralph: We want to do something for mountain biking and the sport and have invested in organising events that are implemented exactly according to our ideas and appeal to the wider bike community in particular. Big-name partners and the MTB industry believe in our vision.
How much are you involved in the organisation yourself?
Ralph: Nino actively contributes his ideas and experience at weekly meetings. The series will also bear his signature. I am even more deeply involved in the organisation of the planning and implementation. That was the idea from the start. It was immediately clear to both of us that we would be actively involved and help shape the event. This is the only way we can credibly stand behind the series.
Nino: I really enjoy contributing my opinions at the meetings. It's a great project to see the other side for once.
You know almost all the race formats. What was particularly important to you in the new racing series? What do you want to do differently from others?
Ralph: We want to offer more than at classic racing events such as a Bundesliga race. We offer a wide range of activities for visitors. Riding tours, kids' races, testing bikes and eating something good in between. On Sundays, we also offer the opportunity to ride a tour and then watch the elite races live. The routes should be compact enough to create a stadium feeling like at the World Cup in Lenzerheide. Newcomers should also get their money's worth and be able to find out about the technology. There should also be something on offer for young people in the evenings.
Creating a new event in corona times, isn't this the wrong time?
Ralph: These times in particular have shown how important events that can be experienced physically are. In this respect, we consider it to be the ideal time. Of course, we are keeping a constant eye on the situation and are ready to react if necessary.
Nino: We actually wanted to start with a race in 2021, but unfortunately we had to postpone that. Now we're looking ahead and want to take the opportunity to create great events for the wider bike community and all sports enthusiasts.
You want to attract professionals with the highest prize money. How high are they?
Ralph: Paying high prize money has always been our main concern. We pay prize money up to 20th place, which is not the norm. We don't think it's fair for a world-class athlete to receive 600-800 euros as prize money for an international race with a top field of starters. Women and men get exactly the same prize money. Juniors and the U23 class also get prize money. The elite winners, for example, receive 5000 euros. Eighth or ninth place still gets more than winning a C1 race in Europe. We want to set an example for the riders and create an additional incentive to take part in our series. But it should also show the quality of these races.
Prize money is one thing for the top riders, UCI points are another. How are you positioned?
Nino: The points are of course also very important. The first race is an HC race, which is the highest category after the World Cup. The other two races are C1 races. But our goal next year is to have more HC races.
There are three races in the first year. What is the long-term goal?
Ralph: The aim is to organise five events from 2023. However, it is important to us that all races are at least C1 level. Thanks to a special authorisation from the UCI based on our expertise in racing, we even managed to start at least the C1 category in the first year.
Is the prize money for young talent also a clear statement about promoting talent?
Ralph: Absolutely, this is very important to us. There are 17-, 18-, 19-year-olds who are already practising the sport almost professionally and investing as much in training as a professional. They travel from France, Germany or Switzerland for the races, often at their own expense. So it's only fair that they pay good prize money. That spurs them on and so we have the best junior races in Europe.
Is it a fundamental problem that top results in the youth sector are not rewarded appropriately?
Ralph: The basis for future success is being laid in the youth sector and, as already mentioned, a lot is being invested by the youngsters. We want to take this into account, for example with higher prize money.
Nino: Our initiative should also have a signalling effect. Of course, we hope that others will follow suit. I've already won races where seven of the ten best riders in the world were at the start and I got 800 euros. There are riders at the start who put in the same effort as me and don't get a single euro in prize money when they finish eleventh. We see a need for action overall.
Which big names have already announced themselves?
Ralph: We are in our first year and are only just in the process of launching a major communication campaign. Nevertheless, we are already proud to announce that Jolanda Neff and Evie Richards, the Olympic and world champions respectively, will be at the start of the race on Monte Tamaro. Numerous other top riders will also be at the start to test their form for the World Cup. The best juniors in Europe will also be there, as it is a UCI Junior World Series race.
Where can you watch the races if you're not there?
Nino: All races will be broadcast live on the web. In addition, we have already been promised that the races in Switzerland will also be shown on a free TV channel and we are sensing a fundamental interest in our series in terms of broadcasting. We are investing a lot of money because we want to offer a good broadcast. When a world champion like Evie Richards races against Jolanda Neff, many people around the world are interested. However, there are often no good live streams for such races. That's why we want to offer top live coverage of all races so that people can follow them. Because for many professional athletes, this is just as important as the prize money.
Which races will you be competing in, Nino?
Nino: I will be riding in Chur and Huttwil. I can't start the first race in Riviera because I'm at the Cape Epic. Of course, I'll be following Riviera from afar and will be well informed.
