New Year - New Team

It's with great excitement that I announce my team shift to KMC EKOï Orbea. It's always hard to keep a secret like that for months, so I'm quit relieved that the cat finally is out of the bag, so to say.  

Malene and Milan have already proven they were ones of the best UCI U23 riders. 
In 2019, they will begin a new chapter in their career as they will compete for the elite World Cup. We expect them to make progress among top elite riders and to get use to MTB elite races rhythm. 
Malene and Milan have already a mature and professional way to approach their own sport in spite of their young ages. 
They are really attentive and eager to learn in order to be more and more successful. 
To do so they could benefit from Annie, Victor, Thomas or also Florian high-level experiences. I can’t wait to work with them
- Team Manager in charge of Young team elite riders​

Who is the KMC EKOï Orbea? 

From the Orbea team announcement:
"The team knows what it’s doing. It’s one of the oldest in MTB. Its structure dates back to 1998. They’ve also experienced a lot in competition.
They began with victories in France, where the team got its start. And little by little, the rest came along. An Olympic medal, two world championships, five more relay titles and numerous podiums in World Cup competitions (some of them, thanks to the figure of Julie Bresset, Maxime Marotte or Stephen tempier). There’s a lot we could write about this, but suffice it to say that the team has victory in its DNA. Its awards demonstrate this. The same goes for us.
The Team KMC Ekoi Orbea wants to continue to grow. It has opened borders in the team ranks. With the Swiss army. With riders who bring seniority. We’ll contribute our experience in more than 30 years of competition. And more.

Because they’re not lacking in tools for modern Cross Country. They’ve got the Oiz and Alma. And all because we must confess that we have a goal in mind with this team: to take the Orbea name to the peak of the world’s cross country."

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Okay, Michel Hutsebaut started the team two years after I was born. wooow. Well this is pretty cool to be a part of. And one thing is sure, they know what they are doing. We will be 6 riders from 5 different nationalities, and I will team up with Annie Last in the women elite cat. in the World Cup. Excited for a new friendship! I hope we can be up there in the mix and shake it up. Well us young riders always do that, don't we? 

Here's another picture from when we met the first time. We visited the Orbea Factory and also got to see the products from our other main sponsors. The KMC chains and the EKOï kit especially, but also the michelin tires, fox suspension, look pedals and more!  
It's always exciting to meet new people I think, we kinda know each other - but then not at all actually. The team spirit and atmosphere is for me important, so I always do what I can to be bring a good vibe :-))
From left: Florian Vogel, Victor Koretzky, Thomas Litscher, Annie Last, me, Milan Vader and U23 Helene Clauzel

The Orbea Factory was founded back in the 1840's but it was first until 1930 they actually started to produce bicycles. It's a pretty speical story you can check out : https://www.orbea.com/dk-en/about-us/1840-1929/
"We left firearms behind and began making bicycles with all guns blazing"  

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The team sponsors 2019: 

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Stay tuned for a bike check soon! 

/Malene