Lechner's Colnago team presented - the Olympics the highlight

Eight riders belong to the MTB Pro Team Colnago-Südtirol, which is the only Italian mountain bike team to have received the status of a “UCI Elite Team”. The team consists of riders who come from Italy and Switzerland. Top rider Eva Lechner and the two U23 athletes Julia Innerhofer and Lisa Rabensteiner come from South Tyrol. The deaf athlete Renate Telser is also part of the team, which won gold and silver at the 2011 World Championships for the Deaf.

Mariangela Cerati is the marathon specialist in the team. She comes from Parma and is the fifth “Azzurra” to compete for the Colnago South Tyrol team. Nathalie Schneitter, Vivienne Meyer and the young Andrea Wallis, on the other hand, are the three Swiss women in the very successful MTB team, which is led by South Tyrolean Edmund Telser as team manager.

“Our primary goal is to promote and support youth. We cannot afford to only sign top female drivers. That’s why we introduce young female mountain bikers to top-class sport,” it was said at the presentation on Friday. For this reason, a youth trainer, Manuel Gschnell, was hired this year to look after the young drivers exclusively.

Season highlight London 2012 The highlight of the season is the Olympic Games in London on August 11th. Two bikers from the South Tyrolean team could be at the start on this day: Eva Lechner and Nathalie Schneitter. “Eva has the qualifications pretty much in the bag, Nathalie has to achieve the standard, a top ten placement in the World Cup by the end of May. We are in good spirits that both will be at the start in London and maybe even be able to compete for the medals,” said team manager Edmund Telser. “The course in London is very similar to a cyclocross course. The course is technically not very difficult, but you always have to concentrate 100 percent to avoid mistakes,” said Lechner, describing the Olympic course.

For Lechner, 2012 isn't just about the Olympic Games. The South Tyrolean parade mountain biker also wants to cut a good figure at the other important races of the year, such as the European Championships, the World Cup and the World Cup: “August 11th is a day of this year. There is only one chance and the competition never sleeps. Of course I will do my best, but I will also fight in the other races and try to achieve good results,” said the 26-year-old from Eppan.

Julia Innerhofer's goal is to be able to take part in the World Cup in Saalfelden in Austria. “This year, just like Lisa (Rabensteiner, editor’s note), I’m racing in the U23 category for the first time. Of course the change is difficult, also because there is a lot to do at school. But after successfully completing the course, I can concentrate fully on cycling,” said the Puster native.

Part of the team will take part in the Marlene Sunshine Race this weekend. Among the participants is Eva Lechner, who is aiming for her third victory in the “home race”.

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Lechner's Colnago team presented - the Olympics the highlight

On Friday, the Lindenhof in Naturns was the venue for the presentation of the Colnago South Tyrol team, for which, among others, the South Tyrolean World Cup bronze medalist Eva Lechner is competing.

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