Swedish National Cross Country Champion and World Cup Cross Country contender, Emil Lindgren, joined Kargo Pro MTB in November. He recently arrived in South Africa for the first SA Cup XCO event and this coming Sunday (15 March 2015) kick of his fourth Cape Epic partnering with Brendon Davids.
We caught up with Emil at the Lifecycle Expo to talk about racing in South Africa, the Cape Epic, bikes and the growth of the sport.
You recently competed in the first XCO series event in Port Elizabeth. What are your thoughts on the event and how have you found racing in South Africa?
I’ve been here for a couple of weeks now. Obviously, coming from Sweden where it’s been sub zero temperatures for the last three months, I struggled with the heat. The first day being especially tough for me. Two days before the race I didn’t even know if I was going to finish the race because it was so hot. I did end up finishing third in the first race, which was a very good race for me and the whole team. We finished in 2nd, 3rd and 4th and won the juniors. It’s bit of a change from winter but every day it’s getting better and I’m feeling alright.
You are the XCO Swedish National Champion and have great experience at the World Cup. How did the level or racing and the course in Port Elizabeth compare?
The course was really tough, very technical riding, which I like. It was tough coming from all the road riding I’ve been doing during the winter back home. The level of racing in South Africa is really good. It’s the same if you go to the US. Riders seem to struggle when they come to Europe because there are more people racing and the courses are different. I had hoped to pick up the win but third place was good enough for my first race. I’m feeling that I’m getting better everyday and I hope that the next race I can ride for the win.
The Absa Cape Epic is a very different format to XCO. What is your focus for this year and how does the Epic fit into that?
I’ve done the Epic three times before. I was on the podium with 3rd place overall in 2009. Since then I fell in love with the race. It’s a very special race and super tough. I tend to better by the day and the first long day is usually my toughest day. Brendon and I will try to do something good in the overall but we are mainly looking at stages. It’s going to be cool to kick off with the Prologue.
Emil in action shortly before the first round of the SA Cup XCO in Port Elizabeth. Keep a look out for Emil and Brendon in the Absa Cape Epic Prologue this Sunday. As two XCO specialists they’ve got their eyes set on the Prologue in particular. Image: Instagram
We hear you have some neat looking bikes with some custom tires?
Ya, it looks cool. We’re working with VEE Tires which are hitting the market strongly this year. I’ve tried the first prototypes and looks really good. There aren’t many brands that do what they’ve done, with special colours on and so. We have a good bike going in. For the Epic you need a full suspension and the Vipa fits the race perfectly.
You say the a dual suspension is necessary for the Epic. In cross-country are you seeing changes in the bike choices, specifically hardtail vs. dual suspension?
Emil will be running some custom VEE tyres done up in blue and yellow – his national colours. Pictured here: The standard Kargo branded Green and Red VEE tyres (and a hotly discussed Lauf fork on the VIPA showpiece).
There has been a huge change since I started as a professional. Both in courses and length of races. It’s now shorter and more technical. On the bike side there has been huge development. It’s going more and more towards full suspension bikes. Even if it’s 29er or 27.5, it doesn’t matter that much. I’d say that in a few years we are all going to be on full suspension bikes. Even probably on dropper seatpost. And the biggest change is that the bikes have gone from very light to actually bit heavier and more stable. Previously a full suspension could be below 9 kilos, now we’re seeing bikes that are 9.5 and 10.5 kilos. This is to last during the whole race. It has been a huge development. And on the suspension side, we’re riding bikes now which would have been a very good downhill bike 10 years ago and now we can actually pedal it up the hill. It’s a super cool evolution of bikes and I’m very proud to be part of the development on the Vipa and some components as well. It’s super fun.
In terms of electronic gearing and other intelligent features on bikes, where do you think things are going and what would you like to see?
I’m on a Shimano Di2 bike with Fox electronic suspension. It’s actually my first electric cable-less, “wifi bike”. I think it’s working great. I know a little bit of what the future is going to bring and my guess is that in the future we’re going to have a very smart bike. Give it between 5 to 10 years and we’re going to have a bike that does all the thinking, we’re just going to pedal. It’s going to be quite a spectacular bike.
In your home country Sweden, how have you seen changes in recreational and competitive riding?
It’s a massive change. When I was 16, I would see maybe 1 rider every second week, and knew who they were. Now in a town of about 8,000 there are over 100 recreational riders. We have also have huge mountain races, one with 12,000 starters. It’s basically a gravel road marathon, we average speeds of 35 km/h to win. The whole view on cycling has changed and I think it’s just the beginning where I live. It will help kids and older people to stay fit and explore.
Looking ahead of the World Cup circuit. Which events are you looking forward to and which not so much?
The World Cup is very complex scene. We only have good tracks on the circuit. The one I look forward to the least is Windham, NY. It’s actually quite a boring track. The one I like the best is Nove Mesto, Czech Republic. It’s a super track and the ambience is great with so many spectators around. It’s the world’s coolest race. But it’s not just the World Cup, there are some many events through the year and I’m also looking forward to the Pietermaritzburg MTB Festival in the beginning of April. I’m actually looking forward to the whole season to start.
