This puts Ralph Näf in charge of the strong Stöckli Pro Team, which will continue to rely on its leaders Jolanda Neff and Mathias Flückiger in 2016. With the signing of Alessandra Keller, Stöckli is now heavily involved in the promotion of young talent. Keller was Junior World and European Champion and has already achieved 2nd place in the overall World Cup in her first U23 year.

Ralph Näf sees his task as laying the foundations for the top performances of the Pro Team athletes: "My goal is to create the best conditions for their success together with the athletes of the Stöckli Pro Team. I will work on this with all my heart and soul! I will also be heavily involved in testing and developing the new Stöckli bikes."

The strong-nerved Näf was one of the best mountain bikers in the world for several years. In 2003 he won his first European title and in 2006 Näf won back-to-back titles. At the European Championships, he won three medals within seven days (MX+Team Gold, XC Bronze). Just a little later, he won his first rainbow jersey at the Marathon World Championships in France!

Näf also proved his strong nerves at the World Championships: he took silver in Fort William and bronze in Val di Sole. In 2012, Näf became the first Eliminator World Champion in history.

Press release

A detailed interview with Ralph Näf will follow next week.