Reporter: Hello and welcome to Shakedown day here from Specialized EWS Zermatt.
If you're new to EWS racing, then Shakedown is a day that we have at the start of the
week.
It's not a race stage, it's a trail that the local organizers set, is similar to conditions
the riders're going to find out on the stages, and it gives the top pros a bit of a chance
to get their eye in, get their bike set up and have a good shot.
This year, that feels more important than ever.
Without further ado, let's find out what they've all been up to.
[music] Reporter: Miranda, welcome back.
Great to see you, longer off-season than I'm sure you would have liked but nice to be back.
Miranda Miller: Yes, it is.
It's nice to be back in Europe.
Quite the first round for it.
Reporter: Bike looks very, very sparkly as well.
Tell us about it.
Miranda: Thank you.
It's a brand new bike.
It's called the Process X or Process X depending on where in the world you're from.
Yes, it's longer, it's slacker, it's lower and it's more carboner.
Reporter: The last time we were here, we saw lots and lots of wheels and tires give out
with these rocks.
Are you running inserts and things this weekend?
Miranda: I've been here for a couple days riding a bit.
I did the first two days on a little bit of a heavier rim with no insert and it seemed
fine, but today I have the little bit lighter rim but with an insert and I'm going to try
that and see how it feels.
It didn't feel great because you would hit your rim a lot and that feeling's like not
very nice.
I'm hoping that the insert will make it feel a bit better but we'll just see how it goes.
Reporter: I was just saying as well that you've been experimenting with chain stay length
as well but do you think that can help you here?
Miranda: I hope so.
Yes, I just put it into like the shorter rear end to help with some of the tighter turns.
It's really nice and long rear end for the fast like high speed stuff, very stable but
I feel like you're not reaching very high top speeds here and it'll be more so getting
through those tight turns.
Wyn Masters: It's good to finally be back in pretty, pretty hard time to really put
on a race.
Hats off to EWS for trying to make it happen.
Reporter: You're in the UK now as well.
[unintelligible 00:02:19] you tell us about that.
How's that going for you?
Wyn: I've moved to the south in Chichester, actually.
So, so far, so good.
Not quite the mountains we've got here but it's not too bad.
Reporter: Tell us about your bike then, has much changed over the off-season because you've
had quite a long time to think about it in this one?
Wyn: Yes, I've ridden it a lot so it's probably [chuckles] a bit tired, but yes, it's been
going well, we've got the new Fox stuff on there.
The 38 fork and the new shock.
Reporter: How big a advancement do you think the bigger chassis forks that we're seeing
coming through now like the 38?
Is that really what you guys have been wanting for a while?
Wyn: I think it's probably good for someone of my weight, in the heavyweight category
just a little bit, a little bit stiffer and we're riding stuff that's probably a lot gnarlier
than a lot of the World Cups so it makes sense.
Reporter: Isabeau, it's been a while but it's great to see every back in the race again,
isn't it?
Isabeau Courdurier: Yes, it's been a long time.
I think everyone is really excited that we finally can ride and race together.
I'm super looking forward this weekend.
Reporter: Title win last season and then a team change.
You don't see that very often, how's the move to Lapierrebeen?
Isabeau: It's been super good.
I'm really loving my bike right now.
I've been working a lot more with the mechanic and we've Nico Vouilloz to get the seating
fits, we've RockShox as well.
I'm very, very happy with the bike right now.
Reporter: We've got no individual title this year.
It's all about the teams, does it change your approach at all?
Isabeau: I'd say it's been a bit different to find the motivation to really train like
super hard like to my max, but I guess we have a cool team and I'd be looking forward
to chase some points for them.
Reporter: We've got Adrian in your team as well, all French.
Do you think that could be a benefit this season as well?
Isabeau: It's really a huge benefit for me.
Already from this winter, I was able to ride with Adrian, he's super fast.
I'm not riding a lot with him, but the first 10 seconds, I am in his wheel.
It really helps me to improve my line choices and stuff like that.
So yes, it's been a huge advantage for me.
Reporter: Bernard Kerr, we've seen you at EWS races from the team say before but racing
this weekend, wow.
Bernard Kerr: Yes, I guess I didn't really have a good excuse in 2020 not to be here.
We don't have much else on the weekend.
I don't know, it's sick.
I've never been to Zermatt before which is pretty cool, and we just get to hang out with
everyone and ride our bikes again.
Should be pretty sick.
Reporter: [unintelligible 00:04:42] is quite good at this, isn't it?
As well as Shakedown.
Everybody's just seeing each other for the first time as well.
Is it good to have the band back together?
Bernard: It's so sick to have the band back together.
See everyone in the pits like all the teams and cruise around, man, it's sick to be at
a race again.
Reporter: Now, we do have to talk about, we were just chatting over there about you're
quite good at nose manuals, aren't you?
[unintelligible 00:05:00] from those manuals and that's going to help you.
If it's going to help you anywhere in the racing scenario, it's here.
Bernard: Maybe, we've done two runs down this Shakedown track and it's-- yes, the hairpins
are super, super tight so I don't know, maybe it'll help.
I'm not sure.
Reporter: Are we going to see you at the other races this year as well?
Bernard: [unintelligible 00:05:14] the EWSs this year because World Cups aren't looking
too hopeful, and even if they did, there's not many of them.
Yes, just want to do the best I can from my sponsors and show willing and try and just,
yes, get them some good coverage and have some fun riding my bike.
Reporter: Nice.
Bernard, we look forward to seeing you out there.
Bernard: Cheers.
Reporter: You've got some good memories from this place as well, haven't you?
Martin Maes: Yes, last year I won.
I really enjoyed the race, even though the first stage, I remember, was very very physical.
I had a really good time.
The weather was perfect so hoping for the same this year.
Reporter: Weather may be a factor as we go on with this [unintelligible 00:05:48] weekend,
is there anything you can really sort of prepare for in that respect?
Martin: Yes, it's looking pretty rainy, maybe even snowy over the weekend.
That's going to be a big mental challenge, I would say, because when you spend the five
to six hours up the mountains and you're wet and cold, if the weather is below five degrees,
it could be a very tough day, but it's the same for everyone.
We need to get some jackets and some pants and we'll be fine hopefully if the rain and
the snow stays in the sky.
Reporter: Who do you think are going to be the riders you're racing for the win this
weekend?
Martin: Well, unfortunately, not having Richie and Sam over here makes the game a little
bit more open, I would say, the race a little bit more open, so probably the same as usual,
Flo, Damien, and all of those guys, the super fast Adrian last year came back very strong.
It's always very hard to predict because, like you say, it's been a year since we didn't
race.
Big lockdown, so a lot time to train, a lot of time to ride bikes.
Reporter: No Sam [unintelligible 00:07:14], that's a big hit, isn't it but an understandable
one given the circumstances [unintelligible 00:07:20].
Nigel Page: Yes, yes, it wasn't obviously an easy decision.
Sam really loves racing and wanted to come racing.
He loves it.
Just the logistics of getting him here and the uncertainty of all the events and the
restrictions changing on a weekly basis, we were just worried that he'd come all this
way, he'd already be away for probably nine weeks and then maybe get stuck here and then--
Where he lives, he has to go into quarantine when he gets home, and they have to have a
date for that and-- Just weighed it all off, with there being
no title.
Sam is always keen to go for titles, but that wasn't really his decision.
He would've have come if we'd have insisted that he came but just weighing up all the
odds, I just thought it was a better option to let him stay at home.
He's going to do some really cool edits for us over the next couple of months so we'll
obviously share that with yo.
Hopefully, that will be a really cool thing.
Fingers crossed, we get to have a season next year and he'll be back in Hungary for trying
to get after the titles again.
Reporter: You had a really good Trophy of Nations, didn't you?
Coming in here, feeling good?
Rhys Verner: Yes, yes, I feel great.
Trophy of Nations was kind of like a bit of a breakout ride.
Helped a lot to be able to follow Remy and Jessie and just see what-- those are the two
top-ten dudes, so just follow them, see what's going on and I was able to hang so that was
a good confidence boost.
Reporter: Trying to keep up with those two must've been pretty terrifying.
Were you surprised by the pair?
Were you sort of-- Rhys: I was like probably more nervous going
in, like, "Okay, I really got to hang on.
It's all-- like if I crash or like I dropped, I'm going to let down the team," so I was
like just doing everything I could to hang.
I found it was doable.
They definitely smashed the peddles, but-- like I don't know, if you see it like it's
easier to have a rabbit to chase, I think.
I found I was like-- it was tough, but I was able to hang in there, and yes, it was a bit
eye-opening for me to just see that.
Reporter: Noga, yes, [unintelligible 00:09:19] one of the teams that a lot of people are
predicting are going to be right in the hunt for that team title this year, does that change
how you approach this weekend at all?
Noga Korem: I guess I'll do each race by itself.
It takes some pressure out.
Well, it was pretty hard to prepare for this one, so I guess I'll just do the first one
and then we'll decide for the others.
Yes, for sure, first goal is to finish the race with no issues and, yes, to do my best
as always.
I really hope to be on the team podium, all of us, because that's always the best champagne
shower so looking forward to that.
Reporter: Very yellow new bike, anything else changes at all for you?
Mark Scott: Bike's the same.
Got a new fork from RockShox, big 38mm ZEB.
Reporter: It is a big thing as well, isn't it?
Are you feeling the benefits of that?
Mark: Yes, it's perfect for this bike really.
It's just made for it so I kind of felt right at home straight away.
All good.
Reporter: What are you hoping for this weekend?
Mark: Give it my best and see where I come out.
Hopefully it's somewhere in the top 20 or maybe higher.
Reporter: New team, new bike, you've had that added bit of extra time.
Does it feel a bit like that?
Greg Callaghan: Yes, absolutely.
Yes, obviously, it's mostly negatives for this year so far but there's been some positives.
The bit of downtime at home was good.
I enjoyed it and it was nice to be home for so long.
We don't get that so much.
I feel like I've come out of lockdown with a fresh outlook and fresh motivation and the
team and the bike has helped that as well.
Just looking forward to get going.
[chuckles] Reporter: We've got a completely full elite
women's field as well.
Who do you think are going to be the first women?
Morgane Charre: It's hard to say.
It's been almost a year since we raced Enduro so we'll see.
We'll see.
[chuckles] Reporter: And the Pivot as well, any changes?
Morgane: It's my first year on Pivot and I'm really getting used to the bike and I feel
great on it.
I'm back on flat pedals [chuckles] and that's it.
Reporter: Flat pedals?
What's prompted you back onto flat pedals?
Morgane: I just tried both last winter and I just feel more confident on flat and I'm
used to that so it's better for me, it works better.
Reporter: There we have it then, Specialized EWS Zermatt is going to be a very different
race.
Closed course, closed pits, closed start and finish area but what is really coming across
clearly from the Shakedown Day is that everyone is just enjoying being back together and bike
racing being the number one topic of conversation again.
Don't forget you can keep up to date with everything from here, in Zermatt, right here
on GMBN as we head towards race day at the weekend.
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