SCOTT

Becoming a Superman....

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 4:25:44 -0600

....with a little help from my friends!

It all started with a question that had settled itself in the back of my head. What would it take for me to get serious about triathlon for – if nothing else – just one season?

The answer was simple: responsibility and peer pressure. If I wanted to get the best out of myself the stakes had to go up. Rather than being content with a 10:15 after 5-week training period, I needed to commit. Start training in November and stày dedicated until October the next year. To be able to do that I needed two things: a goal and people that would motivate me push me and challenge me all through the year. The Challenge was quickly found: “As a middle-aged age grouper, get as close to the pros as you can by the end of the season”. And leave at least some of the pros behind me in some of the races. The people wanting to motivate, challenged and encourage me surfaced almost immediately: former elite cyclist Dave Bruylants and just about everyone at Scott Sports in Fribourg. Amazingly they all thought my challenge was a great idea. The thought of combining the heart and soul that defines most age groupers with the ambition and sheer commitment of a pro-athlete really appealed to them. Or as Florian Brugger of Scott-Sports said it: “If you really think of it, an age grouper pushing himself and doing punishing work-outs in spite of a 45 hour/week job is closer to our core audience than those few, almost unique athletes who are the pros of our brand. The elite athletes are our Formula-1 drivers. But the age-groupers are the people we produce bikes for”.

Photo by Tony Mussche

And so Scott offered me a contract as a ‘goodwill ambassador’ and an ‘opinion leader’. And they gave me their amazing Scott Plasma 10. The Plasma that I ride is not the most expensive triathlon bike in the market. It’s not even the most expensive triathlon bike from Scott. But it is a very, very fast yet affordable bike accessible to most age groupers. And that goes for all my gear and equipment. I will be going head-on with some very serious athletes, with nothing but gear that you can buy off the shelf.

In the 10 months to come, I’m hoping to prove that with the right spirit and commitment and quite a bit of encouragement from the right people anything is possible for any age grouper. And all of the wisdom and the knowledge, all of the tips and tricks that I gather throughout this year, I’ll be only too glad to share with all of you guys. Here at www.scott-sports.com as well as on www.projectsuperman.be.

Various websites and magazines are on board to bring regular updates about this unique project:
-triathlete-europe: http://triathlete-europe.competitor.com/2010/03/11/blog-project-superman-average-age-grouper-elite-athlete-1103/
- 247 Triathlon: http://www.tri247.com/
- Transition Times: http://www.youtube.com/Triathlon
- Humo (Belgium Lifestyle Magazine): http://www.humo.be/ will bring a story at the end of this year
- etc. brought and will bring interesting aspects about a not too easy undertaking.

Wish me luck …

Peter Lissens

Round 9 Toronto

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 17:19:38 -0600

AMA Supercross Round 10 - Toronto Canada

Lites –

Dean Wilson and Austin Stroupe set the pace by winning their qualifying heat races. Austin and Dean looked very strong going into the main.
As the gate dropped, Justin Barcia is the one that gets out front with Stroupe, Wilson and series points leader Christophe Pourcel all close behind. As the race settles down, Barcia still out front, Stroupe right behind with Pourcel in third and Wilson in fourth. Half way through Stroupe and Pourcel put on a charge to the front but Pourcel picks up a tuff block cover on his foot peg causing him to loose a few spots. Stroupe is able to close the gap on Barcia on the later laps, but a tricky sand turn section slows him a bit from being able to make a pass.
Stroupe holds onto another solid second place finish while Pourcel takes third. Barcia wins his first and rookie Dean Wilson takes fourth.
After the race Pourcel says “I am mad about my performance tonight…and I will win next week.” This makes the only race of the series that Pourcel is not on the top step of the podium.

Results –

1. Justin Barcia HON
2. Austin Stroupe SUZ SCOTT apparel, helmet and goggle rider
3. Christophe Pourcel KAW SCOTT goggle rider
4. Dean Wilson KAW SCOTT goggle rider
5. Ryan Sipes YAM
6. Brett Metcalfe HON
7. Kyle Cunningham YAM
8. Troy Adams SUZ
9. Michael Willard HON
10. Nico Izzi YAM

Supercross –

Ryan Villopoto wins heat one but Davi Millsaps was also very fast with a strong second place finish.
As the 450 main gets underway it’s Trey Canard with the early lead followed by Villopoto and heat two winner Ryan Dungey. A few laps in, Villopoto and Dungey are able get around Canard. Villopoto puts a sizable gap on Dungey and takes it all the way to the checkered. Dungey and Canard hold onto second and third.
SCOTT athlete, Davi Millsaps, was running a solid top five before going down at the half way point. Davi got up and walked off the track under his own power. We wish Davi a speedy recovery and hope to see him back in action next weekend at round 11 in Dallas, TX.

Results –

1. Ryan Villopoto KAW
2. Ryan Dungey SUZ
3. Trey Canard HON
4. Ivan Tedesco YAM
5. Kevin Windham HON
6. Josh Hill YAM
7. Nick Wey KAW
8. Thomas Hahn SUZ
9. Justin Brayton YAM
10. Matt Boni HON

*Photos via Transworld Motocross

Tom Wallisch Wins Euro Winter X Games Gold

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 11:03:58 -0700

March 12, 2010
Tignes, France

Tom Wallisch Right 9 above Tignes

Today was a huge day for SCOTT Athletes just over the pond at the European Winter X Games. Tom Wallisch skied his SCOTT Punisher Jib skis right to the top step of the podium in Ski Slopestyle. Tom's rail game was on point mixed with spinning both ways and two doubles in his run as well. Tom was joined on the podium by fellow SCOTT pole athletes Bobby Brown and Jossi Wells as well.

Bobby Brown 2nd, Tom Wallisch 1st, Jossi Wells 3rd Ski Slopestyle

On the women's side of things it was Keri Herman continuing on her Silver Medal streak at X Games with pocketing another Silver in Tignes. Keri was the only girl to hit the flat-down rail up top and then spun both ways all the way down the course with clean grabs. Right behind Keri was fellow SCOTT Teammate Ashley Battersby who found herself in bronze after spinning on and off of rails and a mix of switch and forward spins all the way down.

Keri high above Tignes

It was a huge day with 5 podiums for SCOTT Athletes, Congrats to all who competed on a job well done!

Ashley Battersby 3rd, Kaya Turski 1st, Keri Herman 2nd

Justin Dorey takes home Bronze at Winter X Games Europe

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 21:03:37 -0700

March 10th, 2010

After winning the qualifying round for Winter X Games Europe, Justin Dorey skied strong all night to take home third place in Men's Ski Superpipe! Justin’s back to back doubles, alley oop flatspin 360, switch 900, switch right 720 to alley oop flatpsin 540 was good enough to put him on the box behind the 2 Flying Frenchmen Kevin Rolland and Xavier Bertoni. Stay tuned for more news from Winter X Games Europe tomorrow including Ski Slopstyle prelims!

Justin Doubling up above Tignes

Congrats JBONE!

Round 9 Daytona

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 11:43:34 -0700

AMA Supercross Race Report Round 9 – Daytona Beach, FL

Lites –

Daytona Supercross has always been known for its long, rough, physically demanding and sometimes downright nasty conditions. This year’s Ricky Carmichael designed track was exactly that! Long, high speed straights and multiple whoop sections made for great racing!
For the third week in a row Christophe Pourcel dominates and keeps his record perfect! Christophe, as always looked great. He was smooth and seamed to float over the gnarly, rutted Florida sand. Also, for the third week in a row Austin Stroupe was up front finishing a solid second. Both Pourcel and Stroupe won their heat races and proved once again they are the ones to beat in 2010! GREAT JOB GUYS!!
Rookie Dean Wilson also looked very fast and finished a hard fought third. This was Wilson’s third Supercross Lites race ever. SCOTT is pumped to have swept the Lites podium at the most demanding race of the series!!

Results -

1. Christophe Pourcel   KAW SCOTT Goggle rider
2. Austin Stroupe   SUZ SCOTT Apparel, Helmet and Goggle rider
3. Dean Wilson    KAW SCOTT Goggle rider
4. Blake Baggett    SUZ
5. Justin Barcia    HON
6. Ryan Sipes    YAM
7. Brett Metcalfe    HON
8. Darryn Durham   HON
9. Kyle Cunningham   HON
10. Martin Davalos   YAM

Supercross –

This week saw the return of SCOTT athlete Chad Reed. After laying down the fastest lap time in practice, one-half second ahead of Ryan Dungey, Chad decided not to race due to his wrist injury. Look for Chad to return next weekend in Toronto.
The 450 main was all about Ryan Villopoto. Villopoto was fast all night winning his heat race and getting the holeshot in the main. At the end of the challenging 20 laps it was Ryan Villopoto with the win. Dungey took second and Canard finished third. Ryan Dungey still leads the championship series by 20 points over Ryan Villopoto.
SCOTT athlete, Davi Millsaps, looked fast this weekend and despite a poor start was able to displace Josh Hill and challenge Canard for third. Millsaps finished fifth in the supercross main. Davi has been a consistent podium finisher this year and continues to ride faster at each round.

Results -

1. Ryan Villopoto   KAW
2. Ryan Dungey    SUZ
3. Trey Canard HON
4. Kevin Windham   HON
5. Davi Millsaps HON SCOTT Apparel and Goggle rider
6. Thomas Hahn   SUZ
7. Nick Wey KAW
8. Kyle Chisholm   YAM
9. Josh Hill    YAM
10. Ryan Morais   SUZ

Maremma-Cup - The Equipment!

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 2:02:13 -0700

The MTB racing season has started! The riders of Scott-Swisspower MTB Racing Team already showed up with outstanding results. A new racing season means, starting relaxed and with good performance the first races. But a new season also means, that new, lots of new material is waiting to the riders. So also the team Scott-Swisspower stays ready in a complete new team outfit! New team clothing, new bike frame, new helmets, gloves and further accessories. René Krattinger from Scott and the co-sponsors DT Swiss, Ritchey and sponsor SRAM were taking care, that all bike components found the right way in the right time to its place. Chef team mechanic Erwin Wildhaber does know exactly what this mean. All day long and at nights are going to be invested, that the racing machines of the athletes will be prepared and tuned in its best way. „It's a huge quantity of material, but because everything came very early all fits the time schedule perfectly“ his comment!

The athlete’s further trust on the SCALE and SPARK, which will be used to the specific characteristics of different courses . Especially for World Champion Nino Schurter the frame comes in a special World Champion design. Credit where credit is due or even more important, „ride in style!“, Nino’s comment! In the same way also the FUGA RC helmet comes up in special colors, as Swiss and World Champion version. What stands as working tool to our World Champion, this also should be available to everybody of course. Therefore the team replicas SCALE, SPARK and FUGA RC helmet are available in standard team colors at your next Scott bike dealer, racing proven! Search your Scott shop here >

Nino's beauty! Scott Scale, DT Swiss Suspension, Ritchey Wheels and components, SRAM XX

Scott Spark featuring TwinLoc, DT Swiss Suspension, Ritchey Wheels and components, SRAM XX

Maremma-Cup - The Riders!

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 3:47:40 -0700

Maremma-Cup, Massa Marittima, Italy. „This Tiramisu was just awesome“, the two guys at the table in front of me are still swarming, Nino Schurter and Florian Vogel. To the two athletes and the entire Scott-Swisspower MTB Racing Team Massa Marittima always is a beautiful destination with lots of comfort to start their racing season. Along the trainings camp the first race of the season, the Maremma-Cup is taking place here. Ernesto Hutmacher and Thomas Frischknecht also because of the technique and epic racing course got a field of riders together which is outstanding. Almost all top athletes throughout the whole world came by to compete here.

Guys, what’s the benefit of Massa Vecchia and the Maremma-Cup? The Maremma-Cup offers a very technique and epic course. In the past these days were dedicated for training needs only. In the mean while the two weeks here in Tuscany we spend for training, racing and collaboration with media people. Actually a very good opportunity combining all these three issues together at the same time.

Honestly, you already showed an incredible pace at the race. Already in best shape? No not really, currently it would be ways too early being in best shape already. It’s even more important competing not at the limit yet. It still takes two months until the first Worldcup race starts. So that means in end of April we have to be fast, not before. The Maremma-Cup shows a first tendency about the personal performance shape.

What goals do you set for the upcoming season? Patrick Gallati: Finishing with constant results at the Worldcup races, further beeing part of the European and World Championships of course. Florian: Finishing the overall Worldcup in top three would just be awesome, and of course the Worldchampionships will be important to me. The Swiss Championships in my hometown will be truely a very nice event to me.

At the worlds you showed a perfect team work. Is this strategy a part of your success? It’s not like in the road racing that a team strategy already can be set before the race. As the past Worlds showed a strategy comes up during the race. Of course we always try to do good team work, but this we decide case by case after the race started.

But anyway there exists kind of rivalry in between of you, even you are good team mates? This for sure yes. If we lead the race together both of us try to finish the race as the winner! But if we lead the race together and one of us gets some seconds behind because of a small technical problem we don’t attack, we even more are slowing down the pace a bit. As soon the team mate comes back we push hard together that the following group won't catch us anymore.

Well, where do you go after Tuscany and what are the plans for the near future?
I guess we’ll do a short stop at Finale Ligure. Afterwards we’ll do the Cape Epic race. This for sure will be an adventure and something complete different to us. Finally, in end of April, the season starts definitely with the first Wolrd Cup in Dalby Forest, UK.

Further news and updates about the Scott-Swisspower MTB Racing Team you always can get on www.scott-sports.com or on the team website www.scott-swisspower.com. Have fun!

MONSTER Weekend Rolls into Sun Valley, ID

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 14:57:20 -0700

Mark your calendars, The MONSTER/SCOTT Weekend is coming to Sun Valley, ID.

Friday, March 19th
SCOTT/MONSTER Athlete Autograph Signing 6-8pm
Come meet X Games Athletes Tom Wallisch, Justin Dorey and Ian Cosco and preview the 2010/2011 SCOTT Wintersport Line at the SCOTT Headquarters.

Saturday, March 20th
Dollar Mtn Terrain Park
Session the Sun Valley/SPT Terrain Park with X games athletes.

MONSTER Photo Shoot at Dollar Mtn 7-9pm
Tom Wallisch, Justin Dorey and Ian Cosco session the MONSTER Feature under the lights.

WHISKEY JACQUES 10pm
Come party with SCOTT and FREESKIER as they host a SUN VALLEY blowout!

Tom Wallisch takes home second at European Open in Laax

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 7:49:35 -0700

March 15th, 2010
Laax, Switzerland

After 2 days of qualifications in pipe and park, where 200 riders showed their tricks in LAAX, the 5th annual European Freeski Open by Swatch was ready to go off. Slopestyle semifinals and finals were to take place, but due to the wind and weather conditions the competition had to be cancelled.

SCOTT team riders Jonas Hunziker, Keri Herman and Elias Ambühl warming up in the hut

Heavy winds up to 70 km/h made the course with a length of 500 meters too dangerous, especially the jump line. The organizers decided to cancel the contest to guarantee the safety of the riders.

Fortunately an alternative could be organized for the riders coming from all different regions of the world in the form of a railjam. This afternoon the so called "Stair Rail Battle“ took place down in the valley at the rockresort. The Jam Session had a field of over 60 riders sessioning a stair feature with hundreds of spectators watching.

SCOTT rider Jonas Hunziker and SCOTT rider and winner Ashley Battersby

The crowd was treated to 2 hours of non-stop action. When the dust settled five judges crowned the “Winner of the Stair Rail Battle” at the European Freeski Open by Swatch 2010 to JF Houle from Canada and SCOTT team rider Ashley Battersby from the USA.

SCOTT International Teamrider Tom Wallisch on course

SCOTT International team rider Tom Wallisch took home 2nd, after throwing down an amazing show for the cheering crowd.

Congratulations guys!

Maremma-Cup - The Race!

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 3:30:10 -0700

The SRAM XX Maremma Cup had with its second weekend of racing a successful continuation. The same is for the SCOTT-Swisspower Mountain Bike Team who started of the season with a strong showing. With Florian Vogel in second and Nino Schurter in third we had two guys on the podium, tough the victory went to the Italian champion Marco Aurelio Fontana (Cannondale). With Patrik Gallati in the U23 and Roger Walder in the junior’s race we still had two wins to celebrate.

With 17 nations at the start the Sundays XC race saw a mini edition of a world cup race. The first row at the start line look like the “who is who” of mountain bike racing. Italian champion Marco Aurelio Fontana – European champion Ralph Näf – Olympic champion Julien Absalon – Spanish champion Jose Antonio Hermida – Moritz Milatz (who crashed badly and ended up in the hospital with a broken nose) – and Swiss champion Florian Vogel – all lined up in front of another 100 riders including the two Olympic champions Bart Brentjens and Miguel Martinez.

A trio with Fontana-Vogel and Näf escaped already in first lap. Followed by the Orbea Team with Absalon and the two Spaniards Ruzafa and Lejaretta. Nino Schurter who had not the best start also jumped on the Orbea train.

Half way trough Näf dropped back. The battle between Fontana and Vogel had to decide about the winner. In second last lap Florian dropped his chain, which Fontana right away turned into a 15 second, lead that he kept to the finish line.

Still, Flo can be proud of his second place. With his strong performance he let his rivals know they can count on him in 2010. A bit more than just a fight for the third podium spot was the duel of Schurter and Absalon. Like at last year’s worlds, they where battling head to head the last lap. And again it was Nino who had the better end. Just a little taste of what is to come in 2010.

We also saw a great race of Patrik Gallati. In the middle of world-class riders he finished in 9^th and won the U23 race. Roger Walder had to battle it out with two other competitors on last lap and also was in front at the end. Not enough, Marcel Wildhaber in 26^th and Matthias Rupp in 34^th made up for a great team performance.

Next week we head to South Africa for the 8-day Cape Epic. Nino Schurter and Florian Vogel jump into this adventure for the first time.

Ranking

FONTANA Marco Aurelio (CANNONDALE FACTORY RACING) 1.43.35
VOGEL Florian (SCOTT-SWISSPOWER MTB-Racing) 1.44.04
SCHURTER Nino (SCOTT-SWISSPOWER MTB-Racing) 1.44.37
ABSALON Julien (ORBEA) 1.44.48
LONGO Tony (TEAM FULL-DYNAMIX) 1.45.13.1
RUZAFA Ruben (ORBEA)
LEJARETTA Inaki (ORBEA)
MARTINEZ Miguel (G-SKIN)
GALLATI Patrik (SCOTT-SWISSPOWER MTB-Racing)
NÄF Ralph (MERIDA) EL