Jolanda Neff is ambitious ahead of the first race of the Internazionali d'Italia series: "Winning helps to win. Andora will be my first high-level test of the season." Trek Factory Racing will be sending defending champion Stéphane Tempier (FRA) and young star Evie Richards (GBR) into the race alongside Neff.

The 2017 cross-country world champion, Jolanda Neff, and Evie Richards from Great Britain are among the favorites in the elite competition. "I'm happy to be starting again after a difficult season," explains Neff. "I am grateful to the organizers of the Andora Race Cup for the organizational effort. I want to find my best form early on, and there's no better way to do that than to compete with the best athletes in the world. I also think Evie is getting stronger every season and I hope we will be a very successful team this season."

The main goals of Neff's season are the Olympic Games in Tokyo and the Mountain Bike World Championships in Val di Sole, where she has already won once and finished second in the 2019 UCI World Cup after a neck-and-neck race with Pauline Ferrand Prèvot. "The Olympic race is my first goal of the season, but I love riding races in Italy and want to be fast from the first test. My motto is 'Winning helps to win'!"

Neff's team colleague Stephane Tempier from Gap in the south of France is also motivated and combative: "I have a good feeling about Andora and Italy. I really like the course because it's demanding and technical. I also know the microclimate of the Ligurian Riviera - it's a perfect area to train and ride in March. I've had a tough season in 2020 and have yet to win in the Trek Factory Team jersey. I want to get that feeling back as soon as possible."

The event in Andora (ITA) is part of the five-race "Internazionali d'Italia Series", which also includes the cross-country classic in Nals.

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