SCOTT

SCOTT signs Ironman Luke McKenzie

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 15:48:19 -0600

Luke McKenzie, winner of Ironman Japan and multiple Ironman 70.3 podium finishers has joined the SCOTT Triathlon Team. The 27 year-old Australian native who bases in Bend, Oregon during the Northern Summer has been a consistent performer on the Ironman circuit since his debut in 2004.

A strong all-round athlete McKenzie is not only one of the best swimmers in the sport but is fast becoming known for his cycling prowess. McKenzie has shot to the lead of several Ironman events in the past three years and was sixth place off the bike at the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii last October.

McKenzie’s breakthrough win came at Ironman Japan this past June when he lead the race start to finish in a new course record time of 8 hours 29 minutes.

McKenzie has once again turned his focus towards the Hawaii Ironman, October 11, where the young athlete looks to break into the top 10 for the first time. With a strong swim/bike combo he will know doubt be nipping at the heels of his more experienced rivals come race day.

SCOTT will be supporting McKenzie with the new Plasma 2 LTD model SCOTTusa.com which was launched in July, 2008. He will join two time Ironman World Champion Normann Stadler, Ironman Lake Placid standout Christian Brader and rising female Ironman Linsey Corbin as athletes to be riding the Plasma 2 in the Kona Lava fields.

Luke’s Plasma 2 will be tricked out with SRAM Red components www.sram.com Vision Carbon Aero bars and Full Speed Ahead K-Force Cranks and Brakes www.fullspeedahead.com Zipp 808/1080 wheels www.zipp.com and Fi’zi:k Arione Carbon saddle www.fizik.it

“I am really excited about joining forces with the team at SCOTT. I was attracted to them by their constant innovation and dedication to the very best triathlon specific bikes. The new Plasma 2 is a testament to SCOTT’s everlasting pursuit to produce the best bikes on the market today. SCOTT are setting the benchmark with the Plasma 2 and I look forward to riding the fastest bike available in Kona,” said McKenzie.

“Sometimes you run across an athlete that is so passionate about your brand that you have a sense they would make a spectacular ambassador for your product,” Commented Adrian Montgomery, Marketing/PR Director for SCOTT Bicycles. “This was one of those cases exactly. We are committed to the sport of Triathlon and would like nothing more than to post some excellent results aboard the Plasma2 in Kona. With Luke joining the team, we have another contender in the hunt for Victory.”

Look for Luke on the new SCOTT Plasma 2 at the upcoming Nautica Malibu Triathlon, Cancun Ironman 70.3, Hawaii Ironman World Championships and World IM 70.3 Championships.

For more information on SCOTT bikes visit: www.SCOTTusa.com

For more information about Ironman athlete Luke McKenzie visit: www.lukemckenzie.com

SCOTT USA and Ritchey Design to Sponsor CrossVegas

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 16:30:42 -0600

SCOTT and Ritchey to also host a VIP retirement party for World Cup racer,

Thomas Frischknecht at CrossVegas

SUN VALLEY , Idaho and SAN CARLOS, Calif. – September 3, 2008 – SCOTT and Ritchey Design is proud to announce their co-sponsorship of the Elite men’s and women’s races at CrossVegas this month. In addition, both companies will be hosting a VIP retirement party at the races for Thomas Frischknecht to celebrate his incredible 19-year career as a World Cup competitor.

...to down load the high-res image, please click here.

“CrossVegas, held in conjunction with Interbike, will arguably draw a huge crowd of cycling enthusiasts,” said Adrian Montgomery, marketing director for SCOTT. “It will be an amazing opportunity to take that population of cycling fans and entertain them, as well as commemorate the career of cycling’s greatest champion and sportsman, Thomas Frischknecht.”

The CrossVegas cyclocross event will take place on Wednesday, September 24 at the Desert Breeze Soccer complex in Las Vegas.

SCOTT-Swisspower athletes Thomas Frischknecht and Florian Vogel will compete in the Elite men’s race, which starts at 9:00 p.m. The VIP retirement party and an informal press conference with Frischknecht will be held immediately following the men’s race in the SCOTT and Ritchey booth.

“I am happy to have SCOTT and Ritchey, two top brands in the bike industry, involved in CrossVegas,” said Brook Watts, co-promoter and marketing director for CrossVegas, LLC. “We are especially honored to help Thomas celebrate his retirement by helping him compete in the last race of his career.”

During the informal press conference, Frischknecht will discuss his new role with the SCOTT-Swisspower Team, and SCOTT will debut its new Cyclocross line at the event, along with the new Addict CX. The Addict CX features a 986 gram carbon frame outfitted with Ritchey’s WCS cockpit components, straight CX carbon fork and Carbon 38 wheels.

For more information about SCOTT Bicycles, CrossVegas or to request a VIP pass, contact Adrian Montgomery at 208.622.1036 or via email at amontgomery@scottusa.com.

The Desert Breeze Soccer complex, the venue for CrossVegas, is on the corner of Desert Inn and Durango Roads. Interbike will provide complimentary shuttle service from the Sands to the race location from 6:00-11:00 pm, with shuttles leaving every 15 minutes.

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About SCOTT USA

SCOTT USA, Inc., established in 1958 and located in Sun Valley, Idaho, is a leading international manufacturer of premium bike accessories/equipment, motorsports, and wintersports products. To learn more about SCOTT USA, please visit www.scottusa.com.

About Ritchey Design

Northern California-based Ritchey Design was founded by road racer, mountain bike pioneer and product innovator Tom Ritchey in 1974. The company is well-known for its technical merits through attention to detail during the product design phase, resulting in high-quality, reasonably priced road and mountain bike components. To learn more about Ritchey Design, please visit www.ritcheylogic.com.

SCOTT Bicycles is the new equipment sponsor to Team Columbia

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 8:50:34 -0600

Givisiez, Switzerland, September 1, 2008 — SCOTT Bicycles announced today that it will become the new equipment sponsor to Team Columbia, which includes top professionals Kim Kirchen, George Hincapie and sprinter Mark Cavendish. SCOTT will provide Team Columbia with road and time trial frames and forks and has entered into an agreement to work with Team Columbia on the development of the next generation of superior bicycle technology.

“This was a very important decision for SCOTT and we are proud to join forces with a successful team like Columbia,” said Pascal Ducrot, VP of Scott Sports. “The fact that the team is U.S.- and European-based and includes top level riders from 17 countries around the globe fits our distribution and marketing strategy perfectly. The team works closely with technical sponsors and this allows us to bring new and innovative products not only to athletes but also to consumers. The chemistry between SCOTT and team manager Bob Stapleton was there from the beginning and we are confident that this step will be beneficial for both of us.”

The team is owned and operated by High Road Sports Inc., a group founded on the values of clean and fair sport and personal commitment. They have demonstrated a leadership role in anti-doping, initiating an independent anti-doping program managed by ACE (Agency for Cycling Ethics) and actively creating a culture that discourages cheating. The team chooses partners and suppliers that provide the best products, and has chosen SCOTT based on the tools and technology that the brand offers.

“We are excited about our new partnership with SCOTT,” said Team Columbia Owner Bob Stapleton. “We share the same goals in providing our athletes with the best tools and technology available. We are committed to working closely with SCOTT to develop outstanding products for professional athletes and enthusiasts.”

Victoria Beck wins Powerman Austria

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 0:45:02 -0600

New Zealand athlete Victoria Beck won Powerman Austria recently. Here is Victoria's take on the race:

I had to get up early to have breakfast, but was still feeling quite sleepy, so went back to bed for an hour, before getting up to start the day! I was still feeling tired and could've easily gone back to bed… The race briefing was all in German, so I was hoping that there was nothing important said that I missed!

The race started on the main street of Weyer. A couple of the Austrian girls started out pretty fast, so I tried to hold back, as it was going to be a long day and I figured they'd blow up running that fast!! I was right - after only about 1km into the 1st 15km run, we were all together in a bunch of about 5... halfway through the first lap on the first run I noticed the girls had been just creeping up the rises and hills, so I decided to push the pace a bit and that was that - they all dropped away!

Coming back onto the main street at the end of the first lap (of 2) I was the first athlete overall to go through, as the men had started five minutes later, so the crowd went crazy - I actually got goosebumps!!

The bike was good - one good 17 or so minute climb per lap, and then undulations. At the bottom of the hill on the second lap, my chain came off, so I quickly jumped off to put it back on and my calf muscle seized up - I thought disaster had struck, but once I jumped back on my bike it was all okay - my calf calmed down!

To tell you the truth, I was expecting to get passed on the bike, as it's always been my weakest, but once I got back to the transition still in the lead, I had a feeling I was going to be okay.

The last run was really hot and really hard, but I got there and running down that finishing chute with my flowers and everyone going nuts was just the best feeling!

I nearly had a wee tear in my eye when I was up on the top of the podium and they played "" - a very, very special moment! God defend New Zealand.

Dinner that night was in the VIP area, and it was a privilege to spend the evening with world duathlon champ Joerie Van Steelant and other elite athletes!

Victoria Beck

www.victoriabeck.co.nz

Pure Genius

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 11:36:07 -0600

It's been four years since SCOTT began distributing bikes again, both road and mountain, in North America. In that time they've chipped away at the high-end endurance racing market share with bikes like the ultra-light SCOTT Addict road bike and Spark and Scale carbon fiber cross-country bikes. All three of those models are gaining ground among boutique enthusiasts. SCOTT also has the unique and versatile 6.5-inch-travel Ransom, in both carbon and aluminum versions, with its unique Equalizer shock.

However, SCOTT's steady growth is especially impressive considering the one glaring omission from the company's lineup; the bread and butter five-to-six-inch-travel trailbike. In Europe, Scott had a successful trailbike in this category, the Genius; however, it violated Specialized's patented FSR Horst-link chainstay pivot placement. Therefore, it was not sold in the United States. To combat this, Scott started from scratch with the new Genius, and the result is a single-pivot frame design that ruffles no feathers.

SIDE-BY-SIDE
The Gucci factor on the Genius LTD puts it in a class of its own. High-zoot components like the air-sprung DT Swiss EXC 150 fork with a 15millimeter quick release axle with carbon lowers, and DT Swiss XRC 330 carbon rims, will surely turn some heads.

Virtually everything that could be carbon fiber is, such as Truvativ Noir cranks, Formula brake levers, and Ritchey handlebar, stem and seatpost.

As exotic and interesting as the LTD is, the Genius 20 is sure to satisfy the rider who's confident in the capabilities of the American-made Fox TALAS 15QR fork and Shimano XT brakes and drivel rain.

As Scott has done with many of the high-dollar carbon bikes in their line, they've developed more affordable aluminum versions. The Genius 50 features the same Equalizer2 shock, a RockShox Revelation 409 Dual Air fork, Schwalbe Nobby Nic tires and Avid Juicy 5 brakes.

SCOTT Bicycles discontinues sponsorship

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 9:14:51 -0600

SCOTT Bicycles announced today that it will discontinue the sponsorship of the SCOTT-American Beef cycling team for the 2009 season.

“SCOTT has been a partner with Mauro Gianetti’s team since the beginning in 2004. In all the past years the team could celebrate some remarkable victories. We would like to thank the team for the cooperation in the past years and we wish the team and new sponsors all the best for the future.”
Pascal Ducrot VP Scott Sports SA

René Wildhaber wins DH Marathon at Nozawa, Japan

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 2:00:42 -0600

He did it again. Riding the incredible Ransom, René Wildhaber won the the Downhill Marathon race at Nozowa, Japan recently. Similar to last year, Wildhaber enjoyed the atmosphere and the fans at this yearly event, and Japan's Scott Distributor Goldwin guaranteed the best racing support for Wildhaber.

René on his way to another victory in his favorite discipline, DH Marathon racing.
Photo: Red Bull Photo Files / René Wildhaber

Famous Wildhaber is well known in Japan by many fans.

After this race is completed, Wildhaber begins his main project of the season, travelling with friend and photographer Mesum Verma through fascinating India. Mountain biking at its best at elevations of up to 18,000 feet. While these guys are traveling we'll able to get the latest news on Mesum Verma's blog. Don't hesitate to read about and explore the adventures of Scott team rider René Wildhaber - Visit the blog: mesumtravel.blogspot.com/

Olympic Bronze for Nino Schurter

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 3:33:46 -0600

In an exciting finish, Nino Schurter won the Bronze medal in the Olympic Cross Country race behind French riders Julien Absalon and Jean-Christophe Peraud. In doing so, Schurter preserved the honor of the Swiss.

It was a huge step in the rapid rise of Schurter. “He is already the favorite for London, because he is still progressing”, said the 28 year-old winner Julien Absalon, who will attempt to win his third Olympic gold medal four years from now at the next summer Olympic Games. A medal for Switzerland's Christoph Sauser or Florian Vogel had been expected, while the 22 year-old Schurter was more of an outsider when talking about Olympic expectations. But those who know Nino know that he is a “competition guy” who can give his best performance at big events and that’s why his bronze medal was not such a big surprise. His attack towards the end of the race is also typical for his riding style and the favored Sauser had no chance to counter.

Vogel, who was the Swiss favorite going into the race, must have experienced one of the biggest disappointments in Beijing. Even though he managed to start in pole position and lead for the first two laps, he couldn’t keep up with Absalon’s counter attack. The extremely high speed of Absalon turned out to be a problem for other riders as well and one after another Paulissen, Stander, Hermida, and Kesiakoff lost sight of the French duo. Vogel really didn’t have any good luck: affected by the heat, he passed out and was taken to the hospital where he received an IV. Luckily he didn’t have to stay for long and after being re-hydrated, left the hospital after a few hours. This shows that success and failure are very closely connected. Vogel gave everything but unfortunately didn’t achieve his objective. Still, he can look back at his most successful season, which includes a world championship medal, the European title, a World Cup victory and the Swiss Champion title, proof of his talent and certainly something to be proud of.

For now, we are extremely happy about Nino’s bronze medal and the great success of the other team riders.

Nino Schurter on his way to the Olympic bronze.

Scott also enjoyed success in the women's XC, as Scott rider Maja Wloszczowska of Poland
rode a great race to earn the SILVER medal.

Lance McDermott places 2nd at Crankwork

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 14:13:13 -0600

SCOTT Progressive rider Lance McDermott earned a silver medal at the 2008 Crankworx Slopestyle contest with an impressive display of flip mastery. McDermott took second place by only a half point deficit to winner Andreu Locondeguy, who crashed in his first three attempts at pulling off a double back flip off the first booter, but pulled it together in his final run to impress the judges.

Photo: Ryan Cleek

McDermott had a very solid qualifying round, stomping a huge front flip off the big dirt jump mid-course, something he continued to land throughout the contest. McDermott also nailed a flared back flip off the Kokanee drop in qualifying, but stepped up to a tremendous crowd pleasing back flip on-front flip off the final stunt. The crowd went wild and could barely get their heads around what just happened. No one has ever pulled a front flip off the final step down, and McDermott pulled three in his final run alone. “I only had a split second after flipping onto the box to brake check and then flip the other way,” said McDermott. “I have never tried to front flip off a step down, it felt awesome to land that in front of the huge crowd at Crankworx. I am going to build a step down at home to practice on now, so I can have more tricks locked up when I come back.” McDermott rides a limited edition Slopestyle bike from SCOTT Bicycles. To see the video, please click here.

Photo: Ryan Cleek

Field Tested: Scott Spark Limited

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 14:30:20 -0600

Guest reviewer in the Field Tested column this week: Aaron Gulley, the deputy editor at Outside's Go and a very committed gear head. Aaron finished a really impressive 48th in the grueling Leadville 100 race this year (out of 653 finishers) on Scott's top-of-the-line full-suspension bike, on which he will here hold forth.

Field Tested: Scott Spark Limited
From: $8,200
Verdict: If you can afford it, don't think twice.

Bike racers love to say, it’s not the bike that matters, it’s the engine. And while I generally subscribe to this noble truism—as in, stop your whining and go train harder!!—on Saturday, while I was racing the Leadville 100, it occurred to me: If the bike doesn’t matter, why were all the fastest guys humming along on high-end cross-country racers that cost as much as a new car?

For this year’s LT100, my second consecutive attempt, I traded out the 5.5-inch, 26.5-pound all-mountain ride that I raced last year for a top-of-the-line Scott Spark Limited, which the company graciously lent me for testing this spring and summer. I’ll get slightly ahead of myself to say that, by the time I splashed through the course’s last mud puddle, I had trimmed 51 minutes off my 2007 time and had an immeasurably more enjoyable race. Sure, there were lots of factors: the cool weather, the overnight rain that lead to perfectly tacky conditions on the course, a different training regimen, and successful nutrition (as in, no barfing up my food this year!). But I also firmly believe that my relative success came in no small measure thanks to the Scott. This bike is, quite simply, one of the most stunning pieces of technological innovation on the mountain bike market today.

For a course like this, which climbs some 14,000 feet on predominantly dirt roads at elevations between 10,000 and 12,600 feet, you want to ride something light. (Extra heft amplifies the effects of the thin air.) I weighed my Scott Spark Limited at a head-slapping 21.19 pounds, with pedals. To put that in perspective, in the weeks leading up to the race, the cycling media reported with some incredulousness that Dave Wiens and Lance Armstrong—who, by the way, went on to finish first and second respectively—would both be riding sub-23-pound bikes. When I read that, I had to weigh the Scott again. Yep, still 21 pounds!

The real story of the Spark, however, is what you get for that nominal weight. I imagine numerous racers were riding bikes lighter than this, but those were either stripped-down hardtails or bare-bones single speeds. The Spark is a four-inch (front and rear) carbon race bike with at-your-fingers controls for the fork lockout and three-stage shock. Put another way: This frame is so light (3.4 pounds) that Scott had plenty of latitude to add extras like bar-mounted controls. The frame is extremely rigid for its featherweight, but the single-pivot suspension still swallows up the rough descents. Kudos to DTSwiss: The carbon XRC 100 fork is incredibly light (and sexy looking!) but plenty stiff for my 155-pound frame; and the Scott Nude TC shock (which the Swiss company builds) allows you to switch from fully open (for descents) to traction mode (medium stiffness for improved climbing) to fully rigid (for zero power loss on pavement). The wheels—comprised of the new DTSwiss 190 Ceramic SL hubs mated to Ritchey WCS rims—felt snappy and light going up (I believe these weigh an ungodly light 1250 grams for the set; and you can feel it!), without compromising any durability or tracking going down. Two other wicked features: 1) The integrated carbon seat post shaves some weight and looks damn cool; and 2) the integrated carbon bar/stem combo is one of the wildest developments I’ve seen (though it makes it tougher to get the right size; incidentally, this bike fit me perfectly). Oh, and I love Magura Marta brakes; the action is crisp, and the large, 180mm rotor up front provides incredible control.

On the course, I loved the lockouts, as I could instantly transform my full-suspension ride into a veritable road bike, making it much easier to pull along with a paceline on the hard-pack rollers. Not to put to fine a point on it, but having all of these controls on the bars is such an advantage. Dozens of times, I saw other riders reaching down on their frames to flip their ProPedal switch or turn off their shock lockout, and more than once they ended up either slowing down to do it or nearly crashing in the process. Going uphill, which we did a lot, I found myself passing other riders frequently. The traction mode on the shock really helps the bike’s rear end grip the trail, and I could feel how light those wheels really are. But unlike many guys on hardtails, who had to pick their way down some of the trickier spots, I could throw the full-suspension down the rockiest hills, thereby preserving my hard-fought placements on the descents.

Speaking of fast descents, one of the figurative high points of the race came about two miles from the summit of the Columbine turnaround, when Dave and Lance zoomed by me (already 30 minutes ahead of me). Man, were those guys moving! And contrary to what he said before the race, based on the intent scowl on his face, Lance was definitely “in it to win it.” That makes Dave’s success even more impressive. This was his sixth consecutive win at Leadville, but riding Lance off the wheel has to rate as a career highlight. In fairness, it’s also clear that Dave probably wouldn’t have finished quite as fast—he shattered his old course record by 13 minutes, finishing in 6:45:05—without Lance to help him push that pace. (Lance finished two minutes after Dave.)

As for me, I finished in a sprint against my training partner, who caught me in the final mile (and pipped me at the line!), to take 48th place in eight hours and 16 minutes. It was about what I had expected, though I had hoped to be a touch quicker. Knowing that I was riding the ultimate bike for this course, I have nothing to blame except my legs and my tenacity. So for Leadville 2009, I guess I’ll have to work harder on that engine.
—AARON GULLEY