Back in 2011, the GHOST Factory Racing Team started as an all-women's team for the first time as a GHOST factory team in the international arena. Over the years, the team has won many medals and victories, but a year like 2018 was certainly exceptional. The team, which was significantly rejuvenated and reorganized in the previous year, was able to further establish itself as probably the best-known women's mountain bike team and the successes prove the decision right: "We made a lot of changes for 2018 and, looking back, these were the right decisions. With the new and younger squad, we were really able to take more than just one step forward. There are still a few changes going on in the background that will allow us to work even more professionally and offer the athletes even better training opportunities. That's why we are sticking to our strategy, we will continue to attack with our young women's team in 2019 and are looking forward to our new athlete," says Thomas Wickles, Team Manager of the GHOST team.

The team began working on their riding technique in the fall with the support of Kurt Exenberger. The former Austrian national coach is one of the best-known faces when it comes to riding technique training and advanced training. The Tyrolean has been professionally passing on his knowledge to amateur cyclists and, above all, professional athletes for 20 years. Numerous professionals on the World Cup circuit have learned their technique and skills from him. The ladies of the GHOST team have also been on the road with the expert on one or two occasions in the past. This collaboration will be intensified in the future in order to meet the demands of modern XCO sport: "I'm really looking forward to working even more with the GHOST girls. It's always great to work with motivated athletes anyway, but we've already achieved a lot in our first sessions here. Of course, seeing progress after a short time makes it all the more fun and helps everyone," says Exenberger.

The team of Barbara Benko (Hungary), Anne Terpstra (Netherlands), Sina Frei (Switzerland) and Lisa Pasteiner (Austria) will be joined by Marika Tovo from Montebello Vicentino in Italy. The newcomer impressed in her first U23 year in 2018 with a third place in Nove Mesto, third place at the World Championships and second place at the European Championships - in all of these successes, the Italian champion stood on the podium with her new team-mate Sina Frei. It took some time to persuade her to switch from basketball to mountain biking and even then it was still a difficult path: "I didn't know how to ride a mountain bike at all." And so she had to admit defeat in her first race after just a few meters in the rain and mud. But with her perseverance and passion for the sport, she managed to make it to the top of the Italian junior ranks within just a few years: "I'm very proud to be part of the GHOST Factory Racing Team now. I was able to get to know all the other ladies and coaches at a first technical camp in the fall and feel very comfortable. In December we were all together again at a training and test camp and I am impressed by the professionalism with which everyone in the team works. I'm really looking forward to the season and can hardly wait for it to start." The Italian will try to confirm her performances from last season and establish herself in the U23 field.

Another change is that the team will be riding on Maxxis tires in the future: "We were able to see the performance of our new tire partner for ourselves at a training camp in December. As the only point of contact between the mountain bike and the ground, the tire naturally has a special role to play. The Maxxis portfolio is perfect for this and the cooperation with the department specifically responsible for racing allows us to get even more out of the products. Close cooperation with Maxxis is already evident in the GHOST portfolio and the expansion of the collaboration makes perfect sense for us," says Thomas Wickles about the new partnership.

The season traditionally starts for the team together in Cyprus in February with the Cyprus Sunshine Cup. Until then, the athletes largely prepare independently and compete in various cyclocross races in Europe, among others.