The German manufacturer Nicolai not only has a long tradition in racing, the brand was actually born out of racing in 1995. Leigh Donovan's downhill world champion bike, which Kalle Nicolai originally built for the US manufacturer Mongoose, formed the foundation stone for his own brand as the Trombone. For over 20 years, Nicolai was an integral part of national and international races, with legendary teams such as KRC-Nicolai, SRAM-Nicolai, Gates-Nicolai, Conti-Nicolai and the sponsorship of numerous individual athletes such as the BMX world champion Yvan Lapraz or the downhill pro Benoit Coulanges. In recent years, however, Nicolai has been less visible in racing. All resources had to be pooled in 2018 for the company's relocation to a larger factory site and the expansion of the new production facility - and the lockdown came shortly afterwards. The break has now come to an end with the start of the 2023 season, and Nicolai is back on the starting line with the Nicolai Racing fueled by Fidlock enduro team.

Nicolai Racing fueled by Fidlock - that's one female rider and two male riders who already bring a lot of racing experience and success to the team: Lena Arndt, Marvin Kaufmann aka Mupfen and Tim Schüz. All three already have national and international racing experience and have already tasted so much podium air that they have developed an appetite for more. Lena, Mupfen and Tim have been riding together as friends for a long time and form a well-rehearsed team, each bringing their individual mix of skills and personality to the table.

Lena Arndt

Lena is a power woman. Having acquired a taste for MTBs during her sports studies, the young teacher from the Ruhr region now takes every opportunity to head south on her bike in her camper. Lena is always in a great mood and infects everyone with her good humor - provided there is enough coffee and pizza at the start. In addition to her passion for racing, she particularly enjoys exploring new bike areas. When Lena is not on her bike, you can still usually find her on the mountain: climbing and bouldering.

1st     Place Women EWS100 VAl di Fassa 2022
2nd     place Women EWS100 Petzen 2022
1st     Place Elite Women Enduro de la Semoy 2022
1st     place Elite Women BC Enduro Saint-Dié-des-Vosges 2022
1st     place Elite Women BC Enduro Bussang 2022

"My suspension is rather firm, but I ride with less air pressure in the tires - so I'm definitely not a setup nerd. My favorite trails are long, fast and rough, and I don't really like to get on the bike below 1000 meters in altitude."

Instagram: @lena_ar_

Marvin Kaufmann

Marvin got the bike gene with his mother's milk. The Odenwald native has done everything from XC to BMX and downhill. As a result, his riding style is not only unmistakable, he is also damn fast. Mupfen has taken the Scandinavian flick from rally racing to the enduro track and his motivation and enthusiasm will pull anyone along with him. When he's not biking himself, the trained forester makes life better for other bikers as a trail builder in the Beerfelden bike park.

1st     Place Trans Madeira 2022
1st     Place Trailtrophy overall ranking 2021
8th place German Downhill Championship 2022

"I'm super hyped to be riding in a real team for the first time. I like my suspension soft, with a decent amount of end progression, and I love riding in wet and muddy conditions. The perfect trail for me is long, steep and technical."

Instagram: @the_only_real_mupfen

Tim Schüz

Tim got into biking at the age of 12 via BMX and has been on the racing circuit for 8 years now. The 27-year-old engineer works at Nicolai and has already had the opportunity to test the Nucleon 16 prototype extensively, quickly realizing the bike's potential as a racing machine. When Tim is not biking, he is optimizing his camper for the next bike trip or bouldering in the climbing gym.

1st place Trailtrophy overall ranking 2019
1st place Trailtrophy overall ranking 2020
3rd place EWS100 Canazei 2022

"I'm super motivated to be at the start with such a fast bike and such a cool team and I'm already looking forward to the exciting technical discussions about the Nucleon 16 at the races. In terms of suspension, I'm on the firm side, with medium rebound."

Instagram: @timschuez

Teambike Nucleon 16 Supre

With the brand new Nucleon 16 Supre, the first series of which is also available for regular delivery alongside the team launch, Nicolai is providing the team with its current technology leader and the most powerful enduro racing machine in its portfolio. With its revolutionary drivetrain, the Supre Drive from Canadian manufacturer LAL Bikes by Cedric Eveleigh, the Nucleon is designed to combine the efficiency of a derailleur system with the robustness of a geared bike and eliminate the respective disadvantages.

The front-mounted chain tensioner of the Supre drivetrain made it possible to create a high-pivot chassis for the Nucleon 16, which is designed solely according to the desired performance data in terms of anti-squat, anti-rise, wheel lift curve and progression, as its kinematics are not subject to the limitations of regular derailleurs. By handing over his new bike to the team, Nicolai not only wants to prove the performance of the Nucleon 16 under competitive conditions, but also make a statement about the will to progress and the joy of innovation - and send a message: Nicolai is racing.

nicolai-bicycles.com/enduro-racing-team