5 questions, 5 answers with a 9 times World champion Hi Gunn-Rita, first of all: Congratulations on your great success! I really crossed my fingers for you throughout the marathon world championship race and I was truly happy when you made it! Nine times World Champion… Unbelievable…! Still, for your fans I have a couple of questions on the race and your season. (Click for the interview) 1. As one of only a few ladies competing at the international top, you are racing both XC as well as marathon. Might this mix have been your advantage in Kirchberg (regarding liveliness, technical level of the XC World Cup race tracks, …)? GR: Yes and no...The top speed in XC is higher, especially out from the start. The disadvantage coming from the XC scene is that we have never time for racing marathon during a season and with a course like in Kirchberg, it is very hard to do such long and steep climbing when you are not used to it. The last downhill at the Worlds this year, was really my favorite part of the race. Long, technical and with lots of high speed. 2. Winning the XCM World Championships shortly after you turned 40 might have surprised some. Or did you rather take advantage out of this (regarding experience, long-term endurance, …)? GR: In many ways this track in Kirchberg was one of the hardest I have ever done because it took power and a big engine, but also a lot of mental substance. Riding uphill for more than 60 minutes with a steady pace, pushing the legs to the limit, it all comes down to how you handle this mentally. Together with Kenneth we work a lot on this for the last two weeks on training. Keeping focus on breathing, proper bike handling, pedal stroke, loose grip on the handlebar and using as little energy as possible in other parts of the body than the legs. I also knew that I would meet the "wall" several times during the race and was prepared that this would be a very painful part of the race, but had to push trough this no matter what. The age is no limit. It is all about working hard, priorities and passion...how much you want to become a champion again. 3. Riding your MERIDA BIG.NINE, you relied on the advantages of a Twentyniner bike. Most likely there was no real alternative to that, was it? GR: I`m riding the best bike there is and the BIG NINE gives me comfort both up and down, good grip, a big advantage on technical parts and great rolling characteristics. With the setup I have on my bike and the equipment the Multivan Merida Biking Team is using, I trust my bike to 100% in all conditions. 4. Before entering the last downhill section you even found time to have your front wheel changed to another one suiting this last challenge better. Being that close to winning a World Championship, where did you take this calmness from, relying on everything going well during this stop? GR: Everything we do in a big and important race as a World Championship, is planed down to the smallest details. The decision to change the front wheel for the last downhill was taken many days ahead of the race. If it was raining heavily, the plan was to change both wheels. I also knew before the start that no one could beat me down the last part so I was pretty calm when Marco changed the wheel. What worried me most was if I could stand on my feet while waiting those seconds it took to change it. 5. What’s up next? Where can your fans watch you racing and wearing the rainbow jersey? GR: Join us for training in Livigno! I will wear my rainbow jersey every day when I ride my bike...and that will be the case for a year now :-) Racing marathon is extreme so it is not an easy combination when the main goals are in XC racing. From now on it is the World Championship in SA at the end of August, and the WC finale in Hafjell two weeks later, these are the main targets and that means there will be no room for marathon racing in this period. I will race a big marathon event in Poland on the first weekend of October and perhaps I do one or two more marathon races at the end of the season. Thank you very much for taking your time. And of course enjoy celebrating your success!
Posted on: Thu, 25 Jul 2013 09:37:14 +0000
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