Breakthroughs. Battles. Brilliance. | The B Line 🇨🇭 | Whoop Uci Mtb World Serie

It's time for the V-Line, where we bring you all the behind-the-scenes action, and this weekend we've been in Lenzerheide. Let's take a look at the headlines. Starting with the short track on Friday, it was redemption for Sibelia Blanc after being involved in that racing instant in the XCO in Leogang with Jenny Roosverd. It added fuel to the fire and she ended up winning her first ever short track elite race. 23-year-old Adrian Boischi continued his winning streak after winning the XCO in Leogang. He backed that up with another win in the short track. And once again, he shared the podium with Luca Martin and Bjorn Reilly, who continued their podium streak. And on Saturday, it was all about the downhill. Anna Newkirk celebrated her debut elite win with Team Frameworks. And it was a huge congratulations to Finn Iles, who managed to back up his win from last week in Leogang, once again in Lenzerheide. And our third day in Switzerland was all about the cross-country Olympic. Jenny Roosverd showing her dominance with back-to-back XCO victories. And Ronja Blocklinger, one of the home favourites, celebrating her best ever result in the XCO. And Luca Martin with a lesson in perseverance, showing everyone to never give up. It was a brilliant battle between him and Adrian Boischi, but finally we see Luca Martin at the top of the podium once again. Right, let's head and join Emma Stewart, who's got all the reaction from our downhill day. Okay Finn, second victory, back-to-back, how does it feel? Feels really good. Still kind of can't believe it. It's not a lot of time to process the first one, so to come here and to like, I think it's a really good thing to race right away the week after. Sort of keeps you locked in even, I don't know how to say it, it's like keeps me locked in even if I don't want to be because I want to celebrate what happened and I just like keep the momentum that I had and keep riding the way that I have been. So I'm really proud of this one, really proud of the team for how much work they put in to get to this point and to do two in a row. I've never imagined it in my life, so I'm really stoked. We're so stoked for you Finn, and can you tell us how many days it took? Seven. And then how many days did it take previously? 1,407, so we're on a roll now. This is like, I'm cutting down my win time by like 2,000 percent or something like that. I guess it'd be more, yeah. One of our team guys, Nico, sent me a photo, I think I said it in the interview earlier, but I sent him the 1,407 days and he cut the 1-4-0 out and then it wrote seven days till your next World Cup win and I was like, that feels really good to have a team that believes in me that much and I think that that really helps because I know that all the people around me trusted me to do my job and trusted me to be able to win and I just have to do that for myself and so to go out and to do it again just really reinstills that confidence in myself and the confidence in the fact that I can race, which is a really cool feeling. And that's what it's all about, congratulations Finn, enjoy the celebration. Thank you so much, cheers. Okay Lisa, so podium on a home crowd, top best position so far in the elite field for you, how are you feeling after it? Yeah, it was just amazing, it was a really good day for me and yeah, second place, I was really close to the win but I'm super happy about my win. That's so good and you know, to be in front of a home crowd here in Switzerland, how does that feel? The pressure was okay at the top, like I was not too stressed and I was in a good mood you know and yeah, to be second on the front of the home crowd is like really cool, like a really nice sensation you know. And then, so we now have a week until the Tuile, do you have any plans, what are you going to get up to? First, some days of rest because I'm so tired from Leogang and today, so a bit of rest and I will go maybe to Verbier with Matisse and then to La Tuile. Will you be out there tomorrow cheering for Matisse? Yeah, of course. What do we think he's going to do? A win, I hope for him. That's all we want, good luck Matisse. Outstanding qualifying, going into Q3, how did that feel? Yeah, it was pretty insane, not what I was expecting. I mean, I know I'm a sorry, sorry, you're gonna have to bleep that out. I know I'm an amazing rider, you know, so it's only a matter of time before it starts to click and starts to show but yeah, it was pretty insane to be, you know, the second, like third to last to drop, so yeah. And then, how was that run? How did it compare compared to that qualifying run? I think it was like a second slower. I was just like straight out the gate, just pushing too hard, overriding, made heaps of mistakes. Yeah, so I was quite frustrated because I didn't ride how I wanted to but also at the end of the day, it's another building block. It's a top 10 in elite women, so yeah, just gonna keep going and keep charging. How hard is that transition? You've obviously come up to elite this year from juniors, it just seems so hard. Yeah, I mean, the sport's only getting faster and faster. Some injuries along the way have definitely slowed down my progress but I think in the long run, it's definitely going to help me out a bit, gives me that determination and that strength. So yeah, it's different, that's kind of how I'd explain it, it's different but it's cool to be a part of. And then as a Kiwi girl, what is your plan during this break? So obviously, we can't go back home, we've got a week, so what are you going to do? Yeah, I can't go home until October, which is sick. It's such a long block. It is, it is. But yeah, I mean, I'm going to go to Mausein, chill out a bit. I kind of just have gotten good at making other places my home for like weeks at a time. So yeah, I've got my teddy, so we're good. And that's all that matters, right? A little bit of home comforts. What about some Marmite or like some Tim Tams? Maybe we could request some of those. Tim Tams, I swear if anyone brings Tim Tams to the next race for me, I will give you a jersey. Please, please. Bring the Tim Tams guys, come on. Acer, what about my arm? Can you sign my arm please? Yeah, I want a signature. Yes, I want an Acer for me, a signature, come on. Give me a signature. It's so hard on skin. Yeah, it is hard on skin. Oh, look at that, that is so great. Okay, Acer, how does it feel to be back on the elite podium? Yeah, it feels really good for sure. The last two races have been like a little like sad, so I'm stoked to get back up and put down a run. It felt really nice. What is tonight's celebration is going to look like for you guys? Obviously, Anna Newkirk just won here. First World Cup win for Anna, so I mean, I'm super hyped for her. When I was warming up and I saw that, I was stoked. So I mean, yeah, I don't know, we'll see where it goes, but I think we're probably going to go. Think it's going to be a big one? Probably. That's great, and that's what we love to hear. And did you actually get to watch Anna's run? I know, but I just saw the splits like on the phone. I didn't have to watch it yet, so we'll definitely watch that back later too. That will be great to sit down and watch and celebrate as a team. Obviously, this team here, it looks like it's such a tight knit, and you guys have like such a great environment. So yeah, very excited for you guys. Yeah, thank you. Little handmade American team up top, baby, let's go. Okay, Scarzi, another podium, how are we feeling after it? Well, we're starting early to celebrate this today with my team. I'm super proud with all the people behind the podium. It's not only my job, but it's like a job of everyone. What will those celebrations look like for you guys? Well, we just went to both, like this is a bottle of Spritz, and there's one full of gin tonic. Okay, perfect. What is your drink of choice? Gin tonic. Gin and tonic. With a lemon or with a lime? Hard one. Hard one. I would say lemon personally. Yeah, yeah, lemon. That's what it's all about, right? Yeah, yeah, lemon. And then we know we've seen you on the podium, how hungry are you for that win? Well, I made three race, and I did second, third, and I just missed the first one, so I'm pretty nervous about this. But I know it's a long process, so I just believe in me and in all my team, and I know it's going to arrive. I think it will definitely arrive this season. If I was a betting woman, I would put my money on you. Oh, really? Yeah, I would. Okay, thank you. Okay, can you tell us what's going on here? Just a tribute to one of the marketing directors at Canyon, who's leaving the company, so just giving him a nice send-off. That's lovely. A lovely little bit of celebrations. And you know, Luca, it's really great to see you in the finals today. I know last week it was a bit of a rough week for you. Yeah. Honestly, I don't know if you could have fallen higher, fallen more. Yeah, yeah, it was a heck of a fall from grace. So yeah, this weekend was a tough weekend, but I was happy to, you know, be back in the mix. And for sure, I wanted more from the finals today. I thought I for sure had the pace to be on the podium, but yeah, just didn't put it together like I wanted to. And the times are too close, and the competition is too much to not have a perfect run. So yeah, it is what it is, but much better than last weekend. And then we have a week off now until the 12th. What are your plans? What are you going to get up to? I'm actually flying home tomorrow, so I'm stoked to go home. I haven't been home for a whole lot. Do you think you'll ride your motocross bike? Maybe. We'll see. I'll see what tracks are open, but I would like to. Is your brother Walker Shaw going to be there as well? He will. Yeah, yeah. I think he's picking me up from the airport, or at least he better. So yeah, should be good. That will be great. Well, we look forward to seeing you in Lituile. Yeah, thanks. How does it feel to be the girlfriend of the fastest man today? Like, I don't know. To be honest, he's not just been the fastest today. I've known him to be fast for a long time, so it was just a matter of time. Yeah, to be fair, you are biased. But yeah, no, it's been so great to see Finn performing so well out there. And then let's talk a little bit about you. How is your elbow? The elbow is actually not too bad. It's not amazing, but I've not got any upper body strength because I already spent my off-season injured with my back. So yeah, I'm struggling a lot fitness-wise, health-wise, and it's just showing in the results and it's just kind of taking its toll a little bit. So yeah. How is the mental space in there? Because I can imagine that's quite frustrating. Yeah, I mean, a lot of doubts start creeping in and the results are kind of... I'm a very factual and realist person. So when the results show up, it's like the doubts kind of come true. So it is a little bit hard to manage, but I think we've got a plan put in place now to move ahead and kind of set the goals towards Worlds in the second part of the season, which was always the goal, but it's kind of hard when you're in it and you want to give your best and you feel like you're not giving your best. And it kind of sucks for myself, but also the team who have put in so much effort. And then also me and Finn have just completely tables have turned. And I think there's a lot more understanding for the position that he was in last year whilst I was winning. So yeah, we're growing a lot together as a couple. My headspace as well is being challenged quite a lot, but it's fun. Yeah. How do you deal with that dynamic? Well, like I said, he kind of had to deal with what I'm dealing with now. So there's a mutual understanding, I guess. It's been really difficult, but it's like a win for him today is a win for me today. So yeah, it's not... A win's a win. Absolute power couple is what you guys are. It's so great to see you or see Finn succeeding. And we know that that success will come for you eventually. As you said, it's the latter half of the season that you're going to be focusing on. So we wish you all the best and we can't wait to see you back. Oh, thank you. Okay, Anna, talk me through what's in your hands right now. I got some Crank Brothers mallets that says I won a World Cup today. And you did win a World Cup today. I did win a World Cup today. How insane is that? How insane? Honestly, how does it feel? I can't even describe like the feeling when I crossed the finish line. I like heard the crowd cheering. I looked back and I saw the number one. I haven't screamed like that since I was like a little girl. That is honestly so great to hear. And that's like, I guess that's like what the sport's about, right? Is having that first ever World Cup win. Yeah, these moments are few and far between. So I'm going to try and enjoy it as much as I can. And speaking about enjoyment, what is the plan for tonight? We will see. So you're not going to let away any secrets. So I was just with MS. I had a gin and tonic. What do you guys have to offer me? We've got beer and Radler. Radler? Radler. What about pizza? I feel like I saw some pizza over there before. I hope so. I'm so hungry. Do you have much time to kind of, I guess, after the race, what did your post-race look like? Waiting at anti-doping to go pee, watching live timing, seeing what Asa was doing, waiting some more at anti-doping, peeing in a cup, and then celebrating with the team because Asa got third. I won. So sick, sick day for the team. Yeah, what a day for Frameworks. Like, that is actually insane. Insane. Like, so, so sick. Everybody put so much into it. So it's super stoked. And then we have a week till it's real. What's your plans in between? I am going to Scotland. Scotland of all places. Do you want to go to the rain? No, I'm going to go see, I'm going to a concert. So what concert are you going to? Metallica. Epic. That would be so cool. I'm excited. I'm really excited. How long has that been booked for? I actually booked it last week. It's a birthday gift for my boyfriend. He's right there. I was going to surprise him, but then I told him like an hour after seeing him because I can't keep secrets. That's okay. We don't mind about secrets. That'll be so epic. And what is your favorite Metallica song? Fade to black. Can you sing it for us? No. Just some head banging. Thank you so much for your time. What a weekend it's been for you. Oh my word. We are talking after the XCO race. You've had a moment just to gather yourself. What a battle between you and Luca Martin. I think it was nice to watch. It was great to watch. I mean, I think he's probably the strongest I've felt on a mountain bike ever. It was special. I started one with the bike. I was pushing on the climbs and then on the flat section, just going my pace, trying to be smooth, not pushing over the limit, just like on that nice edge. And then, yeah, people were dropping in one by one and then it was just Luca. And yeah, he came and then I did a nice attack. A nice attack? That's an understatement. That attack on the climb was amazing. Were you waiting for that moment the whole race? Yeah. Yeah. I was waiting for that moment the whole race. I knew what I wanted to do. Mathieu van der Poel in 2019 did this to Nina with two laps to go on the road, same place. And I was thinking about this yesterday night. Actually, I was thinking about this all year. I wanted to do this and if I was in the wind, like fighting for the wind, I would do this, like Mathieu. And I did this and that's how it goes. And then I didn't want to take any risks in this because I knew how good I was feeling. And then, yeah, just a stupid mistake. And I was on the floor. It's amazing that you've done your homework on this course as well and being able to emulate someone like Mathieu van der Poel. Is he one of your idols? Oh, for sure. I mean, I've been watching him since I'm a kid and I still dream that I can race him on a mountain bike in the World Cup at the front. Yeah, that's a big dream of mine. But no, of course, like when you watch Nino and Mathieu and it's such a special course as well, when you ride. It's pretty mythical and he's been here for a long time. I still remember Worlds in 2018 when Nino won with that beautiful bike, like white and red on the other side. So it's pretty special to race here actually. You have beaten Mathieu van der Poel though. Not in a proper race where he was going through, but I did beat him in the test event in the Olympics, but it doesn't count. A win is a win. No, it doesn't count. Okay, fine. I hope he can do more World Cups and I can race him since that's my dream. Oh, we would absolutely love to see that battle. Tell me what happened on that last lap, because it was all going so well for you and then all of a sudden it wasn't. Yeah, I mean, it's a course which is super tricky. You have roots everywhere, little gravel corners and when you're on the limit, on the edge, you can make a little mistake really quickly and I didn't do any mistakes on race and it just happened in the last lap. Congrats to Luca, he was also super strong and he was also pushing me. If he wasn't there, I wouldn't have to go so quick and maybe I wouldn't make any mistakes, so it's also congrats to him for being so strong today. I think personally I had really good legs and I could go really fast at the times, but in the end I didn't cross the finish line first, so it didn't count. You could sense your frustration, rightly so in that moment, because there wasn't any real sense of urgency to get back on the bike. I was such in a flow state, I think, in this fine line where I feel at one with the bike and I feel like I just navigate and it's almost a tunnel vision where I don't really see anything what's happening and then, poof, you crash and then you're a bit lost and then Luca passed me and I lose the race. I have to be honest, it was hard to be motivated to go fast into the end. No, I can totally understand that. What is different about this season? It's your first season technically racing elites, although we have seen you in the past couple of seasons. Tell us a little bit about what's been going on, because you're only 23 years old. Yes, so I had a good year in 2023 where I won the overall both short track and XEO in 2023 and I won seven world cups. So we made the decision to step up to elite in 2024 with this little dream of qualifying to the Olympics in Paris, in my own country, where we knew it was maybe not realistic but we still wanted to try and to see because also I could still do the championships in 2023 and fight for the world championship that I didn't have in time. But unfortunately I came to Brazil in 2024, which was a qualification race with, I think, amazing shape, but I pushed my body to the limit to be in top shape and unfortunately the travel to Brazil and how hard the conditions are over there and it was also new for me and I got really badly sick there and still tried to race. I passed out in Mariposa and crashed in the pit zone and didn't stand up and then I did the rush hour with what I had was really far away from my level at the time and finished 9th and 16th and then came back to Europe and realized I had some real big issues. So I had to stop for three months fully off the bike where pretty much one month I couldn't move, I was just in my bed. Why was that? Yeah, it was some really severe health problems at the time and super special to think that in that time both Specialized Factory Racing and Red Bull Boranco gave me a contract for the years after, which is something I'll remember forever and something I'm grateful for and that really kept me, I think, that helped me so much because that helped me to stay patient, to not do any stupid mistakes coming back, to take my time, to allow my body to take the time to come back and it took a long time to come back. It wasn't until maybe March or April in 2025 that I was feeling like myself again and so, yeah, in 2025 I came back to racing on the road and on my own bike and it was my second year Elite but yeah, I only did two World Cups before. Yeah, you're counting this year as your official first year Elite, right? So this year is my first year where I'm officially Elite but yeah, we can say it's my second year. Yeah, you have been racing up for a little while and you've been so strong, especially this season. I was speaking to your teammate Christopher Lemons, he was saying it's only a matter of time before they saw you on that top spot which you managed in Leogang in the XCO. How did that feel for you to finally be up there because you've watched your teammates do it previously? Yeah, I think I believe in myself really hard and I believe I can be good in cycling but also I put a lot of pressure on myself to perform and I really want to perform and I try my best to perform in cycling so it was pretty tough not winning. I have to be honest, many people will say you're so young, you have all your time but I want to win and last year it was quite tough sometimes to not win and like both in Brazil where I got overtaken in the sprints from first to third and then Lake Placid twice as well and then in Monsanto I had a really good short track but I got squeezed in the barriers a few times and lost the win as well and so I finished the season with a nice feeling physically but without a win and this winter I really worked on not putting too much pressure on myself to get that win and to race without thinking about this win and actually in Novemesto I didn't win, I raced I need to win and then it paid and I paid the consequences for this so I came to Leogang with a clear process plan and actually the first race where I came with this process plan I won so kind of special. It's working for you and you were able to back it up in the short track this weekend? Yeah I think it made me free during Leogang, it relieved the kind of pressure that I had on myself and it also made me believe in the process I did because I always question if I do things well enough, if I should try harder, if I should eat a bit less, if I should train a bit more, if I should train a bit less or whatever and to see that I won with what I do and to see that I was also on a course like Leogang which is maybe one of the hardest physically, it was kind of special. There's a lot that goes into it isn't there? What's it like behind the scenes at Specialized with you and your teammates, do you hang out a lot together? I think it's a lot more relaxed than what people would think, it's just three friends, like Martin came back from Korea and just spent two weeks with me where I lived and we were riding one time, we stopped and we went swimming in the sea mid-ride and I got stung by a jellyfish. No you didn't! Yes on my feet and I still have the scar so yeah I think why we perform is because we manage to yeah to still train quite hard and do but always in a fun way like for me it's never felt like work and I wish you can stay like this for as long as possible. You're living the dream aren't you? Yeah for sure it's my dream, it's what I dreamt about and and I'm grateful to have this luck. You working with Martin Bedari and Christopher Blevins, clearly you all get on really well but when you get to that start line you just have to push those emotions aside right? If I had to choose for anyone else and me to win I would choose Martin or Chris or Victor but of course I choose me first but and also to see how happy the team was for me to see me win in Leogang was something super special like something I will remember forever. Everybody came and hugged me, everybody was genuinely happy for me and yeah it stayed in my heart. And no doubt Victor Koretsky was cheering you on as well and watching along. Yeah he sent me messages, I still remember last year when we spent the full week here and he finished first in the short track and I learned from him last year and I managed to win this year also thanks to him and fortunately last year he broke his wheel here but he was also flying and I made sure every time I came on that little section that I would be quite clean and not hit that rock. You could learn from his mistake. How is Victor Koretsky getting on? I think he's training really well. It was a crazy accident and a horrific fracture. I think his shape and level is really good but he's building the strength back in his shoulder and in the whole arm and but normally we should see him back in Andorra. Oh fingers crossed it would be good to see him back out there and great to hear that he's on his way back and coming into form again. How are you managing your calendar Adrian because we're loving seeing you on the mountain biking but you're also very much a road athlete as well. Yeah I'm super lucky to have the chance to do both with Red Bull, Boron Pro Team and Specialized Factory Racing and I think this year has worked well. I've done already 27 race days on the road and I've learned a lot. I started racing in January to May and I think we're still figuring out the process. Some things are working, some things a bit less but hopefully we can improve year after year, month after month to figure out what works for me and to make me a better athlete. Do you have any spare time to do anything other than be on your bike? Last year, so there's 52 weeks in the year and last year I was, for 40 weeks I was away. Wow. Between training camps, races, yeah, training camps, races with both teams and so when doing these 12 weeks I still need to train as well. So when I'm at home I try to relax as much as possible. I like to paint with my dad. I've started building Legos. I play chess a bit with the team. We have Denny who's started to play chess and he's going to beat me. But yeah, also just spending time with my family when I can or riding with my brother. Yeah, also just going to dinner and seeing friends. But yeah, cycling takes a lot of my time and it's also my life. Yeah, cycling really is a full-time job for you. I've got to ask though, what do you paint with your dad? We paint abstract art. He doesn't really like anything but something that he's done and he's shared a bit to me and when I have time I really like to and I can decorate my apartment. Oh really? On the walls or on canvas? So how to say in English but it's like maybe this size sometimes. Yeah. You put it on the wall. Yeah. Also do some small ones that I put together. Oh, that's a really nice way to express yourself away from the bike because it is important to be able to switch off, isn't it? Or not. I have to do this. I never switch off. I always think about cycling. But it's nice to be able to have some time where it takes your mind off, let's say, and to have something that stimulates your mind without it being cycling. But I always think about cycling. I think about it, I live it, I breathe it, I dream about it. And speaking of dreams, what is your dream? Because things are going so incredibly well for you in the World Cup. Where do you go from here? My dream is to be sponsored by Red Bull Marmite and my dream is to extract the most potential that I can have out of my body. If that means winning a big race, it will be nice but I just want to make sure that over my career and the next 10, 15, 20 years, I can improve as much as possible and be to my full capabilities and try and do things smart but also try and push to the max with still being smart because if you train too much, you won't be as good. I want to try and do things as good as possible and see where it takes me. Maybe it takes me to win big bike races. Maybe it doesn't but I don't want to end up my career with any regrets. Is there any particular rider that you would love to beat? Not really, I don't think. I think there's riders I would love to race with and it would be special to be a part of the race but I don't wake up thinking I want to beat the rider. I wake up thinking I want to extract the full potential out of my body. We have got a couple of weeks away from World Cup racing. What are you doing? Can you switch off? After Andorra, I have a three-week training camp, a road race and then building up to Ligier and more championships where I hope to be in my top shape. Best of luck for the rest of the season. We are absolutely loving watching you, Adrian. Thank you for your time. Pleasure.