The three years with the Polish racing team "Kross Racing Team" did not bring Fabian Giger the desired luck. The former fourth-placed rider in the world rankings was caught in the infamous vicious circle and was never able to build on his previous performances. This is set to change in 2019, with fresh motivation and a new team - the "Superior XC Team".

The team was formed from last year's "Focus XC Team" - from the three-person team management around Mathias Beck and Linda Indergand as the only remaining athlete from the old formation. Florian Vogel, Marcel Guerrini and Markus Schulte-Lünzum left the team at the end of the year. The Czech bike brand Superior, which last supported Bart Brentjens' World Cup team in 2016, is the supplier.

In addition to Indergand and Giger, the two Germans Felicitas Geiger and Martin Gluth as well as Karla Stepanova and Jan Vastl from the Czech Republic will be riding for the Superior team.

"Riding into the top 15 again"

Giger is relieved to have another chance in a World Cup team. After two years of sparse success, it is not a matter of course to be back with a World Cup team.

"I'm glad that I was able to sign with a top team again with the Superior XC Team. The material is top-notch and it's cool that we are supported directly by Superior. This means we can also influence the development of bikes," enthuses Giger, adding: "The main goal is the World Cups, and I will enjoy the usual support there. I also want to ride with the top riders again in international races like the Proffix Swiss Cup. It's also nice to have a second Swiss rider in Linda, and it's a good fit with the other team colleagues too. I had three great years with Kross, but the last two weren't as successful in terms of performance. Now, with a new team and new motivation, I want to ride back into the top 15 in the World Cup."

The 31-year-old has signed for one year for the time being, but adds that he is aiming for more years if the performances are right. "Changing teams every year doesn't make much sense."