Matthias Stirnemann is returning to the Märki team after two years with Team Scott-Sram. The 27-year-old developed extremely well there in 2015 and 2016 and climbed up to fifth place in the world rankings. Stirnemann got off to a great start in Thomas Frischknecht's team when he won the Cape Epic together with Nino Schurter in 2017. However, the rest of the season did not go to plan and he only managed one top 20 result in the World Cup.
In 2018, he had to abandon the Cape Epic due to an infection and it also took him a long time to get back to his old level of performance during the season. This was the case at the World Cup final in La Bresse. However, a double defect and a fall prevented him from finishing higher than 19th place.

Although Stirnemann missed out on the World Championships in his own country, he still managed a strong finish to the season in September by winning the Swiss Epic together with Andri Frischknecht.
It was "a hard pill to swallow", Matthias Stirnemann wrote on his Instagram account, having to say goodbye to the team after two years. He had hoped that there would be a chance to stay, but with four riders the door was closed. (Scott-Sram is expected to announce new additions soon).

So Matthias Stirnemann decided to knock on the door of his old team again, which also rides Scott bikes. "When Matthias Stirnemann asked me to return to the team during the World Championships in Lenzerheide, we quickly came to an agreement," writes Roger Märki in a press release. "The good experiences with the hard-working and serious athlete from Gränichen from 2015 and 2016 left an impression on me and Irina (wife Kalentieva)."

It was clear that he would be given "another chance" and they were delighted that he was "back". The aim is to build on his (cross-country) performances from 2016 and qualify for the European Championships and World Championships.

Together with Austrian champion Gregor Raggl and his compatriot Karl Markt, Stirnemann forms a men's trio in the team. The latter is also the key to the second new signing. 34-year-old Fabienne Schaus is in a relationship with Karl Markt and has been wearing the furniture store's logo on her helmet since the World Championships in Lenzerheide.
Schaus has an "office job" in her home country of Luxembourg, so she has to organize her time for training and racing. The 22nd-placed rider at the 2018 European Championships, who also has experience on the road, still has her sights set on competing at the 2020 Olympic Games.

Alongside her and Irina Kalentieva, 21-year-old Nicole Koller completes the women's squad. She is currently competing in the cyclo-cross season and team boss Roger Märki believes that "with a bit of luck" she could win a medal in the U23 race at the World Championships at the beginning of February.
On January 2, at the EKZ Cup in Meilen, she will be joined by Matthias Stirnemann in the Möbel Märki team jersey.

U17 rider Fadri Bernet and amateur Michael Grod will also be racing in the same jersey in 2018.

Matthias Stirnemann recorded his greatest successes in Roger Märki's team - now he's returning there.

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