Valentin Scherz, winner of the Capital ‘Cross Classic and the MAC Elite Championship series, is an 18 year old fast man from Switzerland that spent the past couple months going toe-to-toe with many of the top U.S. riders. Scherz (Pro Cycles-Scott-Newwork) took some time for a short interview on how his Capital ‘Cross Classic race went down, racing in Europe compared to the U.S. and his plans for future visits to the U.S.

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How did the Capital ‘Cross Classic course conditions and race compare to a typical European race?

Scherz: The conditions here are more or less the same as in Europe. In my country, Switzerland, the courses are known to be very technical, hilly and difficult, as yesterday or in Southampton. In the rest of the Europe—Belgium, Holland, Italy, France—the fashion is now fast courses, more like the most of the races here. So the riders are more riding together and there is more suspense. Until two weeks ago, the weather conditions were warmer here than in Europe in October. But now, the weather is the same.

The level of the riders is my big deal now! I think I progressed a lot this year. But I don’t exactly know where my level will be in Europe. I think that in the UCI C2 or C1, the level here is the same as in Switzerland. And in the regional races, like yesterday, it’s the same as in the regional races in my region too. So the competition level is good enough here for me.

That was an impressive ride. How did you feel about your performance? Did the day play out the way you expected?

Scherz: Thanks. I was feeling pretty good yesterday during the race. My technique and my ability to ride in the slippery turns were good, which is really important for me. I tried yesterday to ride every lap better than the previous one. In fact, the day played out better than what I was expecting. I was expecting a hard race. I spent the two previous days visiting Washington, walked a lot, stood up for long stretches, etc. I did one week of rest without training two weeks ago and I did only slow rides last week.

On Sunday, it was difficult for me to get ready before the race, to go out of the car to warm up, check the course etc. The conditions were the worst it could be: not cold enough to have frozen ground, but enough to get your feet freezing in the really cold mud. So I was not feeling 100% on the start line. But everything always changes just after the start-shot: you become a warrior and give all that you have. And then you see how fit you really are! My feelings on the bike were great, and the legs were good. Continue reading “An Interview With The Swiss Dude: Valentin Scherz”