GFRT News - new team member and Maloja as new clothing partner
11 January 2022
reading time: 6 minutes
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Maloja as new clothing partner of the GHOST Factory Racing Team
The GHOST Factory Racing Team can look back on a very successful season – among other achievements, the highlight of the year certainly was the renewed victory of the team ranking, which the team earned after a complete XCC and equally successful XCO races at the season finale in Snowshoe. However, it was not only the purely athletic successes that were decisive in scoring Maloja as a new renowned supplier for the team from Waldsassen.
FINJA LIPP COMPLETES THE WOMEN'S TEAM FROM WALDSASSEN
Over the years, the team has been able to build up an excellent reputation and always stands out for its excellent team spirit. This is particularly important to us and one of the cornerstones of our commitment - all the better if we are successful with it and our partners and sponsors value and appreciate it in the same way.
Thomas Wickles
After a successful 2019 in which the team won the team standings for the first time in team history, there was no overall recognition in the 2020 Covid year due to the reduced race schedule.
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This has been our team goal for years - to be able to all stand on the podium together and win the team rankings. In 2019, we managed to do that at every single race – absolutely crazy and unique for sure. 2021 didn't start so well at first, especially when Nadine dropped out due to her fractured foot and we were way behind at times. But in Snowshoe, everything worked out perfectly. Nicole started from the front row, Nadine delivered her first TOP10 finish of her career and I made it onto the podium for the first time of the season at the final - together we became the best team of the day and even the year. Nothing is impossible and we are happy to take the momentum into the new year!
said Anne Terpstra looking back on the 2021 season
News from the team: Who stays, who comes?
For team manager Thomas Wickles, it was a matter of keeping the team and support staff steady:
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We all, without exception, had a desire to continue together. That was clear to all of us early in the season. The coaches as well as the athletes will stay with us, only Lisa will leave the team at her own request after she had to quit the season early.
New rider for the GHOST team
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We are happy to have found a new up-and-coming athlete in Finja, who fits wonderfully into our team structure. We were able to get to know each other even better in the fall, after we already knew each other from the summer. At the end-of-season camp, all the girls met each other for the first time and made a great team right away. We're looking forward to our first season together, in which Finja's main focus will be on learning.
Thomas Wickles
More about the new GHOST face
The fourth-place finisher at the Junior European Championships was also part of the German relay team that won bronze at the European Championships. After passing her Abitur, Finja Lipp from Rheinfelden was drawn to Freiburg, where she finds the perfect conditions to combine sports and studies with the support of the Olympic Training Center:
It's super cool to be part of this team now, everyone gave me a very warm welcome. In our first week we had a lot of fun together, we could already spend some time getting to know each other a little better. I'm looking forward to the support I can now get at this level. Until today, I was mainly active in the family environment. This will certainly also be my biggest challenge, getting used to everything and using the year to learn alot.
Maloja will support the team from the 2022 season onwards
"We wanted a clothing partner for the future who shares our vision and passion. From our first conversation with the Maloja crew, it was clear that we would make a good match. The views, philosophies and convictions simply match. At the latest during our first visit to the Maloja headquarters, we immediately felt like part of the family. It took a little while this Covid year for all the girls to get an impression on site, but when the time came, everyone was immediately on fire. Not only because the new kit breaks with old conventions, is beautiful and you take it for granted that everything will fit perfectly - of course it does. But also the passion for detail and the technology that goes into this kit is incredible."
But in the end, above all, it's the people, the employees of Maloja and the fire in their eyes when they talk about the new products and are excited to equip an all-women's team.
says Thomas Wickles, looking back on the development year of the new collaboration
What Maloja says about the new collaboration
But on the Maloja side, the same euphoria was evident from the start, according to Peter Räuber (CEO Maloja):
"We are already involved with Maloja in the World Cup and are delighted to now also support a women-only team. Function and style go hand in hand for us and the girls' styles make up a not insignificant part of our collection. In this way, we can also optimally equip the team. The girls should feel comfortable in Maloja and at the same time know that we are a reliable partner when it comes to performance, so that they can always be in the front rows. We are also looking forward to developing the bike collection further together with the team. What works in the World Cup is also suitable in an adapted form for the Maloja customers.
And Maloja will not only be seen on the track: It is important to us to dress the entire team. They should also be perceived as a unit off the track and be well dressed with our streetwear. We know how much the athletes and the whole team travel and that they appreciate comfortable styles after training. That's exactly what we have the right streetwear for."
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New motivation for elite female riders
Already after the first fittings and test rides in the new kit, Nadine Rieder was beaming:
I already had the feeling that people perceive the outfit positively and I was proud to be able to represent the cool design and colors for GHOST and Maloja. I have been a fan of the brand and products for years. Now to be allowed to co-develop my own team kit is super cool. The result is certainly extraordinary and more feminine than anything before, but the design is especially beautiful in the forest - after all, that's where we love to be.
New motivation for elite female riders
The GHOST Factory Racing Team starts the new season in the new outfit and with motivated reinforcements. Finja Lipp (D) will thus be the only U23 athlete in the team next year, while Caroline Bohé (DEN) will tackle her first elite season.
This will give the established elite racers Nadine Rieder (D), Anne Terpstra (NED) and Nicole Koller (SUI) another teammate in both short track and cross country.
"It was so cool to see the other three on the track in Snowshoe for the first few laps as the 'GHOST Train'. I can't wait to be on the road with them in the World Cup and hopefully we'll manage to race together one or two more times!"
says Caroline Bohé looking forward to the new season and challenge.
Pictures: Irmo Keizer @attentionbuilders