Full Interview: Vali Höll on Why She's Back With YT for 2024

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YT Industries saw promise in Vali Höll before she even started racing on the World Cup circuit, signing her on a six-year contract when she was just 13 years old. The Austrian then went on to win two Junior World Cup overall titles as well as two World Championship titles on the YT Tues before moving up to the Elite category.

A nasty crash sidelined her for her first Elite World Championships in 2020, but she came back swinging in 2021 as a part of the newly formed RockShox Trek Race Team, winning the overall title in what was her first full year racing in the Elite category. In her three years with the team, she's racked up eight World Cup wins, two overall titles, and two World Championship titles. Now, in what feels like a homecoming, the 22-year-old Austrian has signed with The YT Mob. You can read the official YT Mob press release here.

We talk about why Höll signed with the German brand really early in the 2023 season, what she's most looking forward to with the new team, learning to deal with disappointment, what it was like to finally race against Rachel Atherton last season, and more. The podcast is above if you'd like to listen to our conversation. Alternatively, a transcript is below.

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Sarah: Vali, thank you so much for coming onto The Pinkbike Podcast today. I know you've got some big changes coming your way for 2024, so I'm excited to get right into that. Please tell us, what team are you going to be riding on this coming year?

Vali: First, thanks for the invite and yeah, I'm going to be on the YT Mob.

Sarah: How did that come about? You were with YT, then you were riding on the SRAM TLD team with a YT bike. Then you were on the Trek for the past three years. At what point during the season did YT approach you or did you approach YT? What did that look like?

Vali: When I separated with YT, it was all in good terms. I was just ready to start something new with Trek. I mean, there were a lot of possibilities with Trek to turn it into a bit more of a professional approach. Like the team is going to get a bigger support, all my team members are going to be on the same bike. So that RockShox Trek team was the perfect way to start my elite career, I would say.

I was always in touch with YT because we were really good friends anyway. They were always super close to my heart because they were my first sponsor and we just kept in touch. Then the last three years have been pretty amazing on my side, but I just knew, okay, I might need to change something because the setup was perfect to start a World Cup career, but maybe not to turn it in something more professional.

I just saw how much YT was investing into The Mob team, how well the Enduro team is going, and the way they're thinking is pretty amazing - you can choose the parts you prefer and you don't have to ride what the team gets sponsored with. The money doesn't really matter for the riders, they can choose wherever they feel the most confident and the fastest on. I like that approach a lot.




Sarah:You've always been on RockShox components. Are you continuing with RockShox and SRAM this year or are you changing to different components there?

Vali: No, I spent so much time helping to develop that new fork that I don't want to throw that work away, to be honest. I did ride some other stuff for testing, obviously, but I feel quite confident on the SRAM RockShox stuff. I started with it and same with YT. That's the bike I learned to ride on and the first day I was back on the bike, it felt like home. I'm pretty happy.

Sarah: Was it hard for you when you went from that YT to the Trek bike? Did it take a while to get used to the new setup?

Vali: It was for sure a totally different situation because it was after my crash in the Leogang where I broke my ankle and it was my first big injury and I couldn't walk for like four months and I had a second surgery on it and just the whole injury side was super new to me. I've never had to rehab and learn how to ride again and then I learned to ride a new bike as well and obviously the geometry on the Trek is way different to what I've ridden in the past and with the high pivot, it was so planted which is amazing for downhill, but not when you come back from an injury because you just feel like you can't move the bike. Luckily, after two or three months I was able to be second in Leogang with a crash so I don't think it was an issue.

Sarah: How's your ankle these days? Do you have like a little bit of stiffness still or is it totally fine?

Vali: I think it's with every injury, like every now and then you feel it, but it's been three years now, so I'm all good.

Sarah: Yeah, and it's been three years since I last did an interview with you. At that time, you were just moving up to the elite category and you were signing with the new RockShox team. You seem surprised at that point that so many brands were interested in signing you because you had "only" had success as a junior. How was the process different for you this time around? Were you kind of expecting more brands to come to you? Did you feel kind that confidence differently this time around?

Vali: Well, for sure. I mean, in three years I managed to grab four titles, which is pretty sick to be honest. Obviously that changes a lot in the rider's value that you have. I'm still super young, so it was a bit tough for me to kind of know what I'm worth, because I feel like in the scene nobody really talks about it. Obviously the men, they get a lot more money and even if you have two World Champ wins as a woman, it doesn't equal you to a man who has two World Champ wins you know so it was kind of tough.

I was listening to some proposals. It's like, oh, like that's so much money. Then you get the next one. It's like double the money and like, oh, okay, so that's actually possible. Then I just waited a bit, but, for me, it was more about the people because I got some offers, which were for the same amount of money, but I just knew that the people I'm going to be with, those are the ones I want to be with.

It's more important for me to feel comfortable in the team environment than maybe get a bit more bonus. I signed really early in the season last year already, so I was able to focus on this season. 2023 was the best season I've ever had. It was cool to ride with a super clear mind and be safe for the next season, especially with the situation we're in now that I feel like a lot of riders are struggling to even get a spot on the team or get more money than they had the season before. I feel like I had the perfect timing to sign really early in the season so I was safe and it wasn't an issue yet for the industry.

Sarah: At what point during the year did you have that contract signed?

Vali: I already signed in March. As a rider, there are always two sides, either you wait until you get really good results or you're like, okay, it's quite okay what I'm doing now, I'm going to sign with that kind of money. But yeah, for me, it was just like, get it done because I don't want to think about it when I'm in the middle of my World Cup season.Then maybe it stresses you too much, then you have crashes and then you doubt yourself and then people are like, oh, maybe that's not a good option.




Sarah: Do you think if you had waited with the amazing season that you had, you could have had more offers or more money on the table?

Vali: I don't think so. The offer I got was pretty sick for elite women. I'm really stoked how YT approached me the same way as if I would be an elite men's rider. I think it's a really good direction for women's sport to have those kind of brands in the industry. I would be stoked if more girls get the same chance as me because we deserve it.

Sarah: Why do you think historically women just haven't had those opportunities? I think there's probably some women who make good salaries. I can't imagine Rachel or PomPom or Tahnee is not making good money, or I'm hoping. What do you think needs to change so that more of you are making good salaries as downhill riders?

Vali: We get really good money already. In the top three for sure, everybody makes, I would say, 100K. But compared to a man in the top three, that's nothing, you know? That's something that needs to change. Obviously, it's a lot of money, and you can live a pretty sick life with that amount of money, and you can do whatever you want. But compared to the man, it's just a third.

Sarah: It's also a relatively short timeline that you can be at the top of your game, right?

Vali: Definitely, but it's also interesting, now my biggest competitors are 12 years older than me with Camille Balanche and Myriam Nicole. They're all like 33, 34. I'm 22, so yeah, good time for me now.

Sarah: You've got a long career ahead of you, so hopefully when you retire, you won't have to work at all anymore.

Vali: Yeah, I just need to be smart with investments, so thanks to my mom, she's on it.

Sarah: Oh, that's awesome. You recently just moved out from your parents' houses as well, right? So you're in Innsbruck now?

Vali: Exactly, yeah. I moved out a year ago already, but yeah, it's not really worth it because I'm never home. It's more like a big garage to dump my stuff and then sleep there overnight, wash my stuff and then go again. But it was really important to do that step and have my own space and be far away from my parents, but not too far so they can still come by sometimes.

It's just when you live that crazy pro life on the road during the summer, you do whatever you want and then you come back home. Then every time you leave or someone is coming with you, they're asking what you're doing. I was just not used to it anymore because I felt so settled in my biking life and then every time I came home, I was the daughter and I had to tell them whatever I want to do. I was sometimes a bit annoyed and I just couldn't handle it anymore. So I was like, okay, I love you guys, but I need to move out and start my own life. I feel like everything I did last year helped me to be a super happy rider during the 2023 season. It was the first time I felt free and I was not disappointed if I crashed because I knew everything I'm doing. I was so well prepared for everything and I was in such a good headspace the whole year that nothing could really throw me off track.

Sarah: That's great, because I feel like the first two years of racing elite, you kind of struggled with just being so upset at yourself when things didn't go your way. How did you kind of get past that just frustration and channel it into something healthy and make yourself happy?

Vali: It was just, I guess, the wrong kind of expectations on myself. I cared away too much what other people could think, even though I didn't know if they think that way. I guess it's part of growing up. You start learning that it doesn't really matter what people on the internet think. There are a lot of people who give comments, but at the end of the day, the only people that matter are the ones that are in your family and in your team. You set your goals with them and they exactly know how much effort you put in. Just learning that way was a hard two years, but I had to, and luckily I have really good friends around me that helped me.

Sarah: Yeah, because you kind of grew up really in front of the camera for your entire summer for like the past five, six years. Do you kind of look back to some of the interviews you've done, five years ago as a Junior world champion and realize how much you've changed in that time?

Vali: Well, yeah, I mean, still, even though I had two rough seasons, they were not bad, you know, I didn't get injured. I still got every season a title, so of course I crashed, but I don't know, like, I still believe that my career is pretty smooth.

Sarah: I think your results are super impressive. I was looking at them for 2021, 2022, 2023 and you only finished out of the top five once in that time. You finished sixth in your second race of 2021 on the new bike, new team. Your results definitely speak for themselves. I think it's more, it seems like you're saying, you're happier when you don't maybe finish on the top spot of the podium. Is that accurate?

Vali: Well, I think I just had realized that I'm racing against the best people in the world. It's not just a given thing that you show up at the World Cups as a first year elite rider and just smoke them, unless you're Jackson Goldstone and you can do it. But normally you have to take your time and just learn. Especially as a Junior, if you never fail, you just don't know how to process your feelings. I just had to learn to deal with my disappointment and not to bother anyone else if I'm in a bad mood. That's what I did the last two seasons. Now I feel like I know how to handle it. Even if I crash, it's not the end of the world because, okay, you race for the overall or you race for points and for sick photos and stuff, but at the end of the day, it's just riding bikes and you always have a new chance the next weekend. Yeah, just see it like that.

Sarah: You also won in your first full season of Elite, you won the overall and you had two podiums. You say Jackson Goldstone, but there's also Vali Höll!

Vali: Yeah, I mean, the overall was, there was a bit of luck involved. I'm pretty happy to have backed it up in 2023 because how 2021 turned out was just, you know, it was really bad for Myriam [Nicole] who crashed two times and I just managed to snag my two World Cup wins. I prefer to win if I do good and not because someone, you know, has really bad luck.

Sarah: Yeah, although it's part of the sport, crashing is going to happen.

Vali: Well, of course, yeah. But for sure, 2023 just tasted way better because I knew my performance was good.

Sarah: You were really consistent throughout the whole season. Let's talk a little bit about the support from the YT Mob that you're going to have. Like what was it that really appealed to you the most about that support team?

Vali: Just to have a team also in the off season, because I was quite free with the RockShox Trek Race Team, but there was no team training camps during the season.

I was lucky enough to have Cecile Ravanel and their team who allowed me to join their team camps and their off-season training camps. That was really good for me, but there was nothing really planned from the team. Then we met for the World Cups and that's when I saw, for example, Tegan [Cruz], always for the first time, more or less. We did one training camp during the winter every year to get photos and stuff, but it's just not enough if you want to be at the top in the Elite World Cup. You need to spend a lot of time on the bike and if there's snow in Austria, I can't ride the whole winter.

I need someone who organizes something to drive me out and ride in warmer conditions and just to have that environment helps me to be more professional. You have your month where you train in the gym, but then you're looking forward to the two weeks out in the sun and you do some productive stuff. The people on the team like Sian [A'Hern] and Oisin [O Callaghan] all want to be the best version of themselves. It's just amazing to have those people. But then you also have the people who just work for the team. It's the first time I have a team manager because before it was managed by John Dawson, but he has to handle the whole [SRAM] marketing. It's just too much work to have a team. It's cool to have people just dedicated for racing because that's what they live for, that's what they strive for. Everyone wants to make us do well in the World Cups and just to have those people around me, I think, is a good way.





Sarah: You're in California right now, are you at a training camp with the entire team?

Vali: Exactly, yeah, everyone is here. I have a new mechanic this season as well. So it's pretty cool, we collect some media and we just get to get to know each other because, Sian is from Australia, Oisin is from Ireland, so it's the first time we actually see each other and all the people from the company and from the team, the team manager, Greg my physio joined me from my last team. It's just good to have a really good time in California. It's my first time here, so I'm pretty stoked. I hope we get to surf one day at least.

Sarah: The birthplace of mountain biking, it feels appropriate that you should be there. Your teammates are Sian A'Hern, who's going to be racing against you, and then Oisin O'Callaghan, who finished off the season last year with a win in Snowshoe. What's the dynamic like so far? How do you work together? How's it been?

Vali: I mean, we're just shooting, so we're just pushing up the bikes and riding down. But it's amazing. Everyone is so unique and you can feel it how Oisin strives from the World Cup win. It's amazing that it can happen if you believe in it and work for it. Same for Sian, she had a really rough past with a big crash and then coming back into the World Cup and making her way back up.

It's also the first time for me to have a girl in the team, and I'm pretty stoked that more teams start to have more women in the team. I think we can work really well together, especially during training camps or at the World Cups to have someone to take a spin with, to go to the gym with. Just have people to hang out with who chase the same goal. It already starts like making breakfast or going out or do your lunch. It's not like with the boys, they're easy with burgers but maybe we girls we want to have something more healthy and then you feel better and it's better to have more people who think the same way so it makes life a bit easier.




Sarah: Your timelines are pretty different often when you're racing as well. Tegan was in junior last year when you were racing elite, so you haven't really had the person that you're like, okay, we're waking up, we're having breakfast together, we're going to go for a spin, we're going to go and ride the course. That should be pretty exciting for you to have somebody to kind of do all those things with.

Vali: Yeah, I hope I can help her a bit. I mean normally at the World Cups I do my own thing. I don't really follow someone, but I'm happy if someone wants to follow me. I rode a lot with Cecile's kids on the team like Lisa [Baumann]. I remember with Lisa, I followed her in Loudenvielle one time. I told her after the first practice lap, you're going to be on the podium. Then Loudenvielle was her first podium. I won and she got fifth and it was so sick. I was like more stoked for her to make her first podium. I love to share those feelings because I know how good it feels to achieve your goals and you just strive for it because you want to achieve it another time and feel the same way. I feel like a good dynamic is helping everyone.

Sarah: What's your relationship with Cecile Ravanel? Has she been at all of the World Cups? Do you see her in the off season? How does she work with you throughout the year?

Vali: She's doing all my training on the bike and all the endurance stuff and my week plan. I do have my own gym training crew in Innsbruck at the Base-Five. It's pretty sick. If you ever make it to Crankworx Innsbruck, you should definitely come by and go to the gym. It's pretty sick. Then Cecile is planning all my endurance and interval stuff and at the World Cups, she and her husband, they do my lines and we do track walk and we just try to find the fastest way down for me and it works pretty well.

Sarah: Was the Base-Five one of the main reasons that you wanted to move to Innsbruck?

Vali: Actually it was the first day I moved to Innsbruck, I went to the gym first before I even saw my apartment. This is a super cool gym and it's also the best coffee in Innsbruck, the crew is amazing.

Sarah: Why would you need to set up your apartment when you can just go to the gym and get the best coffee and a workout in?

Vali: Yeah, it's actually every time I go to the gym, I think I spend the same amount of time in the gym as I do in my apartment, so it's kind of sad but also pretty cool.

Sarah: Definitely. When you were kind of just starting off, I remember you saying that your dad traveled with you to all of the races and now you're getting your own apartment and having kind of more of a separation, but they still go to a lot of your races, right?

Vali: Not really, I kicked my dad out the first year of juniors when I got my first mechanic from SRAM with Matt. I think it was a bit tough for him because we always did all the kids races together and then suddenly once the cool part started he was not allowed to join me.

Sarah: Right? He's like, but I've been driving you all around the country for so long so that I would get to join you. If it was anything like my parents when I was racing, they want you to do so well and to be happy, but do you find it's just like an extra level of stress when your parents are there?

Vali: I feel like I figured it out pretty well to tell them what they're allowed to do at the World Cups if they show up. I mean, they've only been to two World Cups in the last two seasons because they're pretty busy with the Chalet. But I always tell them they're not allowed to come to the pits, only after the race. I don't want to see them before the race. They can come after the qualifier if they're already there, but they're not allowed to speak to me. When I told them the first time, my dad was really pissed. He was like, well, I can stay at home, I don't even need to come. I was like, that's not what I want - you can come, just don't go to the pit and sit around and look at us. Just do your thing. Take some time off, enjoy it, and then we'll see each other after the race. I think he learned how I want it now, even to give me that argument.

Sarah: It's a learning process for everybody. Changing mechanics, that's a pretty big change in downhill athletes' career life. What was it that you liked about your previous mechanic, Matt Gallean, that you're hoping to bring over to this new mechanic? I assume you have one mechanic just for yourself, right?

Vali: Exactly, yeah. Matt was my very first mechanic I ever had and it was the perfect dynamic. He exactly knows how I ride. I mean, he's seen my development through the junior ranks to where I am now and obviously working super close with SRAM. He will stay with SRAM and he's going to be my dedicated suspension technician from RockShox, as I'm staying with SRAM. It's pretty cool to have him still there at the World Cups and he's also going to do track walk with me because he just knows how to ride and he really helped me doing track walk because he just knows what I'm able to do and gives me confidence if I want to try something. My new mechanic is actually from my hometown, Saalbach. So it's the first time I have someone German speaking actually in the team. I'm pretty keen for that because it just makes communication a bit more easier. He's super keen. He's super, super smart.

We will find a really good balance between Matt, me and him. He's kind of similar to me. Like he's super quiet and, you know, gives some shit if needed, but he's super mellow. I think it's the perfect match for me. And he knows what to do and what not to do. Obviously the first race is always interesting, but he will learn really quick. I'm anyway not talking during the whole race weekend, so there's nothing to do wrong.

Sarah: Good thing we're getting you in January. So usually your team mechanic is the one that goes to the start gate with you so it's kind of the person who needs to know that no, Vali does not want to speak before her race.

Vali: Yeah, that's the first thing I told him, so he knows.

Sarah: He knows. Although I heard you do an interview with SRAM and you said that before World Championships in Les Gets, when you ended up winning, Matt said, "let's go" and for whatever reason, that ended up working out that day. So maybe there's some days where they can they can bring their own words to the table.

Vali: I think it's knowing when to say something and when not to. It's quite interesting that some athletes tend to have more people now at the start, their coaches and their mechanic, or some people that try to be super alone. I also feel like having less people at the start calms me more down. They're kind of your mental coach and the last few minutes before you drop in are quite crucial. If you have people around you that comfort you and give you strength, then it's the best thing that can happen.

Sarah: What does that like last half hour usually look like for you before you drop into your race run?

Vali: Well, I'm a person who loves routines. I think that's my German side. Everything needs to be on time. I start my warm up at exactly that time before I drop in. Then I sip on my Red Bull exactly after I finish my intervals. Then I go to the toilet exactly three times and all that kind of stuff. Obviously, if there is some delay and stuff, you have to handle it and luckily, it doesn't really bother me, but yeah I have my routine and it's kind of my way to feel less nervous maybe because I exactly know what to do. If I have more free time, you start thinking. I have my race playlist and everything is pretty dialled. I hope I can keep that routine for a bit longer.

I used to have my special handshake with my mechanic, but then my results didn't work out that well, so I was like, dude, we need to stop, this is not working anymore, so now every time we do something else. With my new mechanic, MJ, for sure we will find something funny.

Sarah: Is the team manager that you have now for the YT Mob, the same person who's been managing the team previously?

Vali: The YT Mob enduro team, yes. He's a German guy, but he's super quiet. People don't really recognize him that he's the YT team manager, which I find really cool that, you know, most of the time, the important people, they try not to be in public that often. I like that approach. I feel like it also suits me, rather be in the background and be quiet and when it counts, then you shine. But yeah, he's also really cool. I've never been in a team with that many German people. It's going to be good. Maybe a bit bad for my teammates because now I know how the Frenchies feel like when they start talking French the whole time and I don't get anything and now I do the same and I feel a bit sorry, but it's so much easier just to talk in your mother language for sure.

Sarah: Do you think that's part of the reason why YT feels like such a natural fit to you?

Vali: Probably for sure. I mean as I said, I started riding bikes and learned everything I know with their bikes. So coming back home is pretty special.




Sarah: I know you've talked in the past about how it's been hard to balance being a high performance athlete and being a normal 20 year old. Where are you at with that these days? Have you kind of been able to find that balance a little bit more?

Vali: I feel like I got quite boring. I'm not really that crazy. I'm not going out partying and I'm pretty mellow. All my friends strive for the same vibe. Go to bed early and go ski touring and just do a lot of sports but not really spend time much at the apres ski. I've found my people now where I fit in. It's not like going to school and everyone in school goes party the whole weekend and you have to train at the weekend so it doesn't really match because you can't feel sick and do your intervals, like this is not going to work. But yeah, as I got older, I feel like I changed a lot of people around me and I found my group of people I want to be with and it just really benefits my athlete life. I also started studying so I have something aside and I can also feel a bit smarter than when I sit on a table with people who study chemistry and geology and I'm like, yeah, I ride bikes. I can be part of the smart people now too.

Sarah: What are you studying?

Vali: I just studied business administration because it's the only thing you can really do and study online. All the other stuff is too advanced and you really need to spend time at the uni and do a lot of days there. But it's cool to get your head around something else and honestly it benefits you as an athlete as well because at the end of the day it's also business and you need to sell your product and you need to do wise decisions and you also understand now the industry side, like what's happening and the value you have. And yeah, maybe a tiny bit of advantage to know a bit more.

Sarah: Yeah, that's probably one of the most useful subjects that you could really study as an athlete I think.

Vali: Yeah, I guess so. Even though I feel like it's pretty sick if people like study geology because I'm always surprised how they how they think about it. Oh yeah, I want to study rocks and dirt. It's cool. I kind of do the same but in a different way.

Sarah: Yeah, maybe you'll know the race course better if you know what the rocks are exactly doing when they when the rain hits them or something like that! I know you said before that you're a pretty competitive person which I think obviously is super important for being a downhill racer. It's one of the reasons that you're so successful, but, we talked about mentoring those up and coming riders as well. What is the dynamic like when you're really competitive. It's a small women's field. You want to uplift all the women in the sport, it sounds like, but you also want to win. How does that dynamic play out every weekend?

Vali: Well, obviously it's not easy because there's only one winner, but at the end of the day, you can't control your competitors. I feel like now I'm really good friends with Nina [Hoffman], and obviously Nina and me, we race for the same thing. She got second in the overall, I got first, and we go together on training camps. Obviously, there is always a bit of who is going to sprint, how many watts did you do today and stuff, but at the end of the day, it's just funny, and we push each other.

You know, it's super respectful and I think that's the most important part. Everyone respects the other person and their personality and the way they are and that's pretty cool. I really love how true Nina stays to herself. She's super funny and super cool and doesn't care what other people do. Where I try to fit in and try to be cool and, I don't know, like, want to fit in into that thing I want to see myself in, where I feel like Nina is just living her life and you know it works out for her fine. I feel like you can learn a lot from other people and then obviously looking at the future, the girls are ripping and there are so many girls coming and looking up to us, but they also come after us.

I feel like for example in 2023 was the first time I was on the podium with Rachel and Rachel was the reason I started racing more or less, because I was so inspired. If I can be a tiny little part of someone, of a girl, starting to race World Cups and maybe even make it up on a podium and maybe even win podiums, that would be pretty special for me, just trying to influence other people and show them how cool our sport is, because I just see it in Austria, our sport is so tiny, even though now Andreas Kolb is vice world champion and I'm world champion, but nobody knows what we're doing and nobody knows us in Austria. But there is a lot of future coming because we kind of inspired them a little bit, so that feels pretty special.


Sarah: I wanted to talk a little bit about that race where you were racing against Rachel and she ended up winning. What was that moment like for you when you came down and you're on the podium with Rachel? She's won. She's made the perfect comeback. Was that an occasion where you were happy with your own run? Were you happy for her? How did it feel in the moment?

Vali: I was actually quite concentrated on myself because I messed up semi-final. It was the first World Cup with the new format and then I crashed again and I was like, oh come on, another season where I start with crashes, that's cool. Then I got fourth but only one and a half seconds back on the win so it was like super small margins and then Rachel won and that was insane. Nobody would have expected it.

I mean obviously she is the queen, why should you not be able to ride your bike the way you did before? I mean she wouldn't show up if she didn't know she would be winning, that's not her - she's only showing up if she's 100% sure that she has the speed to win a World Cup and she is super competitive so I know that she's thinking that way. So it was not it was not really a surprise for me when I thought about it a bit longer because she's the most professional. If you win that many races, you don't show up somewhere to get tenth, that's not how it works.

Obviously I was quite disappointed after Lenzerheide just because I crashed again and I was thinking way too much about that crash and that I was only one and a half seconds behind. Leading into Leogang was a bit tricky because Cecile was not there at the races and at that time nobody knew what was going up. But then we found out later in the season that she was pregnant, that's why she didn't come. But I didn't know and I had no coach there.

Sarah: So there's going to be be a baby Ravanel? I didn't know that!

Yeah, it's already there since November. There was a surprise for us. But it was quite early on so she didn't tell us and she didn't come. I was stressing out because I had no coaches at the World Cups, especially Leogang. I was freaking out and I might have had a little panic attack at the beginning of the week because just everything - not having a coach and home World Cup and in the past I had in Leogang was terrible with all the crashes and I was just freaking out a little bit. Then I had the strongest weekend ever in my whole life there. I was just working like a robot. I was riding practice so aggressively and I was going so fast already from day one on. I just wanted it so badly and then I did that perfect weekend where I won Quali, Semi and Finals and I won and then Rachel was on the podium as well and it's like this is amazing.

Sarah: It was the perfect comeback after Lenzerheide to have the perfect weekend, even without all the people that you would have wanted to have around you.

Vali: I think it's also good to experience that because there will be days or years where you won't have the people around you that you need and you just need to learn to do it without them. It was kind of cool for myself to realize I can actually also win if someone doesn't tell me where I need to go. I can just trust my abilities and do what I did and it worked out. I mean, I know what to do, it just feels nice to have someone to confirm it to you, but at the end of the day, you wouldn't be there if you don't know how to ride a bike, so it just takes a bit of time to realize it.

Sarah: Definitely. Yeah, it might feel like the person who's doing the track walk with you is telling you the lines, but it sounds like they might actually just be confirming that the line that you saw is correct, which is kind of reassuring more than they know where you'll ride. You do know yourself pretty well, it turns out.

Vali: Yeah, exactly. It took some time, but I feel like just growing up and getting older helps a lot. So if anyone is struggling early on, just wait until you get older.

Sarah: What's that look like 10 years from now?

Vali: Honestly, I was thinking about it and I don't know if I'm going to be racing World Cups when I'm 32. I'm surprised how the girls are still doing it. Some days I wake up and I'm so sore and I'm like, oh my god, I don't want to know how it feels like in 10 years time. But I get it. The sport is pretty amazing. The community is so cool. The travelling you get to do, the people you get to hang around with.

The possibilities you have with the sport is pretty cool. Obviously success is pretty addictive. So I get it.

Sarah: Absolutely. You've got two overall wins now. Rachel has six, and I think you've got eight World Cup wins, and she's got 39. Do you ever think about that kind of goals, trying to achieve a certain number of wins? Do you think you could ever go for her record?

Vali: I would need to race a lot of World Cups to get those World Cup wins. I feel like the overall would be a bit more achievable, I would say. But yeah, I mean, it's totally different times. Obviously what Rachel did is super, super impressive. But I believe that just the level in women's racing is so much higher now. There are six girls who can easily win the World Cup nowadays, where before it was only three and then even Rachel would have had to make a massive mistake to not be in the top three. I think just times changed. I mean, I have so much respect for what Rachel did. Just being so consistent and not having any mechanicals or crashes is insane, but I feel like now we are pushing so hard because the field is just getting so strong that mistakes can happen and you just need to be so dialled to make it down even to get on the podium. I like it where the sport is heading to. It's pretty exciting.

Sarah: What are the main things that you're focusing on to improve your racing in 2024? Are there some things in particular that you're working on or kind of just gradual improvements across the board?

Vali: The first step is to get fast on my bike, on the new bike. That's step number one. I kind of know what to do now at the World Cups and I just want to ride faster in general. I don't really have something in particular I want to work on because I feel like it doesn't really matter what kind of style of track we have. I'm caught up everywhere, I would say.

I'm just trying to progress it and allow myself to ride sections faster and just carry a bit more speed through. I feel like also the new format, I was not surprised because I am a strong rider and a strong athlete, but I was not really tired of racing two times a day, even if it was Val di Sole or Mont-Sainte-Anne. I felt super, super strong physically. I don't know, just allowing myself to go a bit quicker.

Sarah: Is it the same format this year coming up?

Vali: Honestly, I have no idea. The ESO doesn't really talk to us at all. I know most of the athletes want to change it. We did a survey and most athletes wanted to go back to the old format. Just also to have more people racing in finals because with the top 30 you just kind of kill our sport. Because if there is no proper European Cup or a race series where people can actually race on, then our sport will die and also the teams will have no money anymore because it just doesn't make sense.

It's really, really sad that the ESO is not really talking to us or listening to us because we would be open to work with them because I think that's the only way. I mean, they host the races, we are the product they sell. So why not have a good relationship. But it's kind of sad, even though I won the overall and the world championship last year, they never talked to me at all. I don't know, it's a bit weird. Like you sign up for the race, you race it, but you don't really know the people and it seems like they don't really care what we think about it. We'll see. I just hope everything turns out well, people will still watch our races or they will be able to see our races in the future too. Fingers crossed.

Sarah: Yeah, definitely. I know we're looking forward to seeing how we'll watch the races this year. What about, there were a couple women last year who went and did Hardline and then this year there are some women who are on the roster. Is that something, doing a Red Bull Hardline event, that you would ever consider?

Vali: I was invited for both events this year, but I don't know, just to go to hit maybe one jump and then maybe you get the feeling you can do the second jump but then you don't... It's like, there's a lot of risk involved. I mean, I also jumped quite a big jump for a movie project we did and kind of the freeride stuff. It is funny, but I mean Hardline is next level because it's also so technical. I got invited for the Tasmania one, but it's just too early in the season for me to say I would do it, I just want to focus on my new bike. Then also to fly around the world to do one jump is not really worth it in my opinion. I'm pretty sure the girls that go there, they will kill it and they will for sure do more than one jump.

But I just know myself, for me racing at the moment is a bit more important and I don't want to get injuries and then be a bit pissed about myself because it was a stupid decision. But for sure the girls who are going to it, they're well prepared and they know what they have to do, but for me it would not be the right timing.

Sarah: So maybe another year, who knows, right? I think I saw that Loic Bruni was on the list this year and it almost sounded like he didn't want them to ask him to go.

Vali: Yeah, who knows? Maybe they get tired of asking me because I always say no anyway... Which is a good excuse. I'm happy that Gracey got my spot, so she can do it first.




Sarah: I have a couple of rapid fire questions that I'd like to end on if you want to go through those now. So first question, strength training or indoor cycling?

Vali: Strength training

Sarah: Winning the World Cup overall or world championships?

Vali: Oh, it's a tough one. Like, you get so much more stuff when you win World Champs, but World Cup or World Championships, it shows how good of a rider you are.

Sarah: What's your favorite race course?

Vali: Mont-Sainte-Anne

Sarah: The race venue with the best after party?

Vali: I would say Val di Sole and Lenzerheide.

Sarah: Your favorite pre-race meal?

Vali: That's a tough one because I normally don't really eat something between the races. It's always something like dry bread with like peanut butter and jam most of the time. Yeah, it's tough. That's something I need to try for next year, nutrition at the races.

Sarah: If you weren't a professional bike racer, what job do you think you would you would have?

Vali: I think it would be a ski pro to be honest. I think it's good to do sports.

Sarah: Nice. The Austrian roots. Then all the Austrians would actually would know your name if you were a ski racer, right? What's your favorite animal?

Vali: Truly, yeah. An otter, they have pockets and they collect stones and they chill.

Sarah: Oh, I love otters. That's a good answer. How they slide on their bellies. I just love it. What's your go-to social media platform?

Vali: Instagram.

Sarah: And finally, beer or wine.

Vali: Wine.

Sarah: Awesome, thank you so much for your time today Vali, it's been really good chatting with you. Good luck with your training and getting up to speed on the new bike. I can't wait to watch you come May in Fort William. It's going to be here before we know it. Thank you!

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