Two new members join the GHOST Factory Racing Team

After a short, but succesful season 2020 the GHOST Factory Racing Team will be completed this year by former junior worldchampion Nicole Koller from Switzerland and reigning german marathonchampion Nadine Rieder.

The GHOST Factory Racing Team, built around Dutch Champion Anne Terpstra (Netherlands), Lisa Pasteiner (Austria) and Caroline Bohé (Denmark) is completed by Nicole Koller (Switzerland) and Nadine Rieder (Germany) this year.

Nicole finished her first races in the Elite category in the special 2020 season and was able to attract attention, especially with the ninth-place finish at the first European Championships of her athletic career as a professional. At the beginning of Nicole’s sporting career, she initially had to choose between gymnastics and mountain biking, but luckily decided in favor of the off-road sport. With her vocational training in her pocket, and after joining the Swiss Army’s Elite Sports RS School, Nicole decided to focus completely on her professional sporting career. In her first year as an U23 rider, she already managed to climb onto the World Cup podium. Nicole was able to improve year after year and delivered more and more consistent performances and results. “After many years in the same environment, it was time for a change. I got to know the entire team already and am really looking forward to the new season. It’s nice not to be the only woman and to be able to exchange ideas with others and benefit from each other’s experiences. Everyone was very open right from the start and that gives me a great feeling of being in good hands.” 

Nadine had to rely mainly on her family for support during competitions over the last seven years, but was still able to make a considerable performance leap last year: “I met my new coach at a training camp and he pretty much turned everything inside out. There were a lot of changes involved and I am sure we haven’t optimized everything perfectly yet. So, there’s still untapped potential.” Without the support of her parents, however, participating in races in recent years would not have been possible, and for this, she is extremely grateful. “Even though everything worked out well, it was also a burden to organize everything myself and I am thrilled to have the support of the team from now on. I would like to develop further and I think that, as a member of the GHOST Factory Racing Team, I have the chance to fully demonstrate my potential. Above all, I would like to improve my technical skills and I get the best possible support from the team in that regard. I feel like I am in the best of hands, not only as an athlete, but also as a person, and I am looking forward to my time with the team!”

“The first get-together with the new team felt very good. For us in the team, results are not the only decisive factor in selecting an athlete – and that is the only way our concept works. We spend a lot of time together over the course of a year and therefore, the human side and the chemistry is one of the most important aspects for putting the team together. That’s why we are now looking forward to the new season with our proven support staff and our new additions. Together, our goal is to make the dream of the Olympic Games in Tokyo come true for as many athletes as possible”, said Thomas Wickles, looking ahead to the new season.

In addition to the athletes, changes have also been made to the material. German carbon manufacturer Bikeahead Composites will have an even bigger part in the perfect setup of the competition equipment. “We have had a very close collaboration for years and are excited to enhance that even further. The look of the bikes will drastically change, and we immediately fell in love with them. Especially because we are very closely involved in the development, we expect the best possible results from the cooperation”, said Wickles.

Cadence Nutrition is on board as a new partner in the sports nutrition sector. The company’s roots are in South Africa, where the team was able to attest to the quality of the products in previous years: “Especially during our long training camps in South Africa, it was not possible to bring all the bars and gels from Europe, so we came across Cadence. The products impressed us so much that we ultimately stuck with them.”