Gehrig Twins form their own "Norco Twins Racing Team

The most successful Swiss enduro riders Anita and Carolin Gehrig are announcing a big change from this year: after three years in the service of Ibis Cycles, the twins will be contesting the international enduro racing season on Norco bikes with immediate effect, and as an independent team. In addition to Norco as the main sponsor, the two can count on some new, but also existing, strong partners.

After three years in a team, and knowing that they were going their separate ways, the option of working independently again was on the table early on. "For us, it was the logical step to set up our own small team. Although this means more work, it also gives us the freedom to have a solution that is perfectly tailored to our needs," says Carolin, explaining the big change.

However, the decision to maintain a team, including mechanics, involves a lot of work and financial outlay. It was therefore not possible to mentally switch off after the racing season, as the twins started looking for suitable partners in late summer. Almost six months later, the Gehrig twins' team package is complete, and the third member of the team - long-time friend and mechanic Kili Meili - is also delighted: "I'm also pleased that everything has been finalized, because competing in an entire Enduro World Series season at a professional level without a mechanic is practically impossible. I stood in as mechanic for Anita and Caro twice during the 2017 season, so it was an obvious decision for me to ride with them for the whole of next season."

Fast bikes from Canada

With Norco, Anita and Carolin Gehrig were able to find a bike partner of choice, as the Canadian company's mountain bikes had been on their radar from an early stage. The fact that the cult brand also has a strong distributor in Switzerland, Indiansummer, gives them additional support and is also very important for their women's camps. The Gehrig twins will rely on the 29-inch "Range" enduro model as their race bike. "We really like the smaller 27.5-inch wheels for riding, but in racing and for our height of 180 centimetres, twentyniners are simply the better choice," notes Anita Gehrig.

In addition to Norco as the main sponsor, the two continue to work with Samsung, but can also rely on old and new partners on the materials side. The twins' ranges roll over the trails of the world with wheels from DT Swiss, fitted with WTB tires. The latter are kept tight with sealant from "Joe's No Flats". The bikes are powered by lightweight cranks from Praxis Works and stopped with Swabian brake technology from Magura.

The Norcos are steered on hopefully successful courses with Deity parts. The "Thronlift" is also interesting, because in addition to DT Swiss, the Gehrig twins also rely on Swissness here: The variable seatpost comes from the small Ticino forge "Yep Components", with a 185 millimeter stroke. There is also a change in the headgear. In future, their heads and eyes will be protected by Uvex helmets and goggles. The Leatt brand will take care of their knees and backs. As before, the textile finish will be provided by Swiss clothing label Zimtstern.

Focus on the podium

Anita and Carolin Gehrig's focus is on the Enduro World Series, where they finished fourth and fifth overall in 2017. Anita comments: "Last year, I came fourth in eight races, four times by a very narrow margin. In the upcoming season, I want to break the spell of perpetual fourth place!" Carolin has also come close to the podium twice, and so she formulates her goal for the 2018 season just as clearly: "I know that I also have what it takes for an EWS podium and will give everything to finally fulfill this dream. The crowning glory would of course be a twin double podium."

The planned events for the "Norco Twins Racing Team" are the entire Enduro World Series, individual super enduro races in Italy and other European enduro races, individual races at the Crankworx Festival and of course the Twins Womens Bike Camps in Flims.