INTERVIEW - Mountain biker Nino Schurter says: "I realize I've lost my drive – it's time for something new."

Nino Schurter, you're between the final World Championship race and your last World Cup race at home in Lenzerheide. How are you doing?

I'm fine. But it's not easy to race when you're feeling very emotional at the same time. I underestimated that a bit in the World Championship race. But I really enjoyed the World Championship; whether I finished 9th or 42nd doesn't make much difference.

You said it was easier for you to say goodbye because you're no longer competing at the top of the world. Did you ride one season too long?

No, it's exactly right. I couldn't have stopped after winning the World Championship. Then I would have always wondered what else was possible. I enjoyed this season, and I also had good results, made the World Cup podium, and won the Cape Epic. If I could pull it all together, I'd still be at the top.

Since when have you noticed that it is more difficult for you to subordinate everything to sport?

Especially when things aren't going well, it's difficult to keep going with the utmost determination. The same passion isn't there anymore. I'd like to do things in life that aren't compatible with sports. It starts with a cool hike with my daughter, which isn't ideal on a rest day, and ends with vacation plans. For twenty years, I've always focused on sports first, followed by everything else. That gets very exhausting over time.

Are you just getting to know yourself?

Yes, I didn't think the farewell would touch me so much; I'm not usually this emotional. I get a lot of feedback from all the athletes, like from Mathieu van der Poel before the World Championship race. That's when I realized how special a farewell like that is.

It also shows how you've shaped the sport. What do you consider your legacy?

I'm proud to have been a part of the sport's development, almost as proud as my results. My team and I were often one step ahead with new equipment and new training philosophies. Over 20 years, I've always taken small steps forward, keeping pace with new generations. It was crucial that we always approached this actively: I had a very innovative coach, my team with Thomas Frischknecht and my mechanic, and Swiss Cycling , who helped with testing and analysis.

Those around you say this drive has always come from you. Where does this ambition come from?

I always saw it as part of my job, and I owed it to my partners. As soon as the races were over, I thought about what I could optimize next, what we could tackle as a team in the offseason. If the job is fun, you can be successful, and that's always been the case for me. The fact that I was always rewarded with great results made it easier. It wasn't until this season, when things weren't going so well, that I realized how everything has to come together for success.

Are you afraid that you won't find anything else that you will approach with the same passion?

I've always had this fear. That's why it's hard for me to say I'm done. But now I realize I've lost my drive. For me, that's a sign that it's time for something new. I no longer feel the need to optimize everything; I want to tackle other things in my life. Now I don't have any major concerns anymore, which was different two years ago.

Next year you'll still be racing, but no longer in the Cross-Country World Cup. What appeals to you?

Gravel races, especially at special locations: the Utopia Gravel Fest in Spain, the Traka, which is the largest in Europe. Then there's a cool gravel race in Iceland and the BC in British Columbia, a stage mountain bike race on the most beautiful trails. Whether I'll ride the Cape Epic in March with my teammate Filippo Colombo is still up in the air; I'd have to be in top shape for that.

Gravel races will be significantly longer than mountain bike competitions. Will this change your training?

Yes, I'm really looking forward to it. At 39, I'm finding it increasingly difficult with very intense, short bursts, and in long gravel races, endurance performance is what counts most. But it will also be tough if I don't give it 120 percent. Whether the surroundings and the actual participation will be decisive for me or whether I'm also racing for the result, I'll have to figure it out.

What are your career plans?

I have a few projects in the pipeline, but not everything is ready to be announced yet. I can talk about one thing, though: I founded Goat Trail with a Chur-based construction company. We want to build cool trails for biking and hiking.

Your almost ten-year-old daughter, Lisa, is very athletic. Do you see traits of yourself in her?

In recent years, she's become very ambitious. At the World Championships, she would go to every team and ask if she could get a bottle from this or that rider, and she would come back with a bag full of bottles. She's become a real fan of the sport and enjoys racing herself.

Let's look back at your career. What was Nino Schurter like when he won his first World Championship medal as a junior in Lugano in 2003?

He was young, cheeky, and enjoyed cycling. The fact that I had the confidence to achieve great things from an early age and never set limits made many things possible for me.

Did you also experience moments of saturation, such as in 2016 when you finally won Olympic gold after bronze and silver?

I always did very few races and took long breaks after the seasons. This kept me hungry. And in sports, there's always another big goal on the horizon, a new Olympic cycle or a home World Championship. That always motivated me.

You rave about the 2018 World Championship title in Lenzerheide as the highlight of your career. Which of the ten World Championship titles was the most surprising?

The first one was in Canberra in 2009. That season, as often happens, I had breathing problems, suffered from chronic bronchitis in the summer, and things weren't going well. Everything was going well leading up to the World Cup, but no one expected me to win the title. The team was just as surprised as I was. It's nice when a title comes out of nowhere.

Back then, you beat the dominant Julien Absalon. How important were these major rivalries to you?

Extremely important. Absalon helped shape who I am today. Jaroslav Kulhavy, too, with whom I had many battles, and later van der Poel. These athletes shaped and inspired me.

You've never really caused any trouble. But you once clashed with the Swiss rider Mathias Flückiger over a racing incident in Lenzerheide. You two apparently didn't see eye to eye. What was that competition like?

That's history. We've spoken out and respect each other as competitors.

Kulhavy inflicted one of your biggest defeats; you let him pass you just before the finish line at the 2012 London Olympics. How did you deal with those few setbacks?

They motivated me even more to do everything even better. After defeats, I was always the most innovative or had the greatest drive.

At the Olympic Games in Rio, after bronze and silver, gold finally came.

This victory was very important to me. I felt like it was my last chance at what might be my last Games. I was at my prime and knew things could get difficult after that. I really gave it my all to make it work. The victory was important for me to be satisfied with my career. It's been nine years, but ever since, the question has always been: How much longer will I last?

What remains of this moment? The feeling at the finish line? The celebration afterward?

The moments before the race were defining. Everyone expected a dry, fast race. Then it rained during the night, and everything was muddy. Shortly before the start, we studied which tires would be the right ones—the team manager, the mechanic, the national coach. I was devastated and thought: Shit, we've done so much, and now we don't have the right tires. But in the end, we made the right decision.