In an interview with german magazine mtb-news.de, Nina Hoffmann talks about herself.
Last weekend, the German biker took the second World Cup victory of her career (let's not forget that she won in Maribor in 2020). In Lourdes it went well but not very well: 7th on arrival.
I think the problem in Lourdes was only mental. I didn't have the confidence to push, I just went down. That's why this lag in the standings. For this race I tried to work mainly on the components: suspension and bike setup. We were at BDS (British Downhill Cup at Fort William, ed) two weeks earlier and I had four days to get used to the track and adjust the suspension. It gives you so much confidence and security. I've also done a lot of descents in general, and I've tried to be on the bike a lot: I also thank the team who, compared to previous years, have perfected me to do all of this. And then receiving Greg Minnaar's advice and suggestions is worth a lot: his experience is immense after 20 years on the track... it helps you a lot.
Then the whole weekend went well. It all started with a good workout. I could always rely on this, I felt good on the bike, I felt safe, I had no stress with the lines, I was just confident. I thought, "Yes, I will drive as I know how and it will work."
I have been working with Fred Abbou since the beginning of the season and the technical training with him has been fruitful. We had another session before I flew here three weeks ago. It was about steep: we discovered a big problem for me. We have worked on it and I think it has been one of the key sessions we have done so far. This has brought me so much on the track here in Fort William. I will continue to work with him. I've been with him a lot, but I haven't worked with him just technically - it's more of a mental thing.
The relationship with Greg Minnaar
I had a very interesting conversation with Greg Minnaar about racing philosophy and things like that. He told me how he approaches a competition and how he organizes his training. I keep these teachings inside me: his composure, his structured ways ... even though he slept during the training session yesterday morning :))
But then when he's working on the bike or the track, he's super fussy and precise. He has a great awareness of the means of him. The choice of lines is also interesting, because for me it is always a bit of a problem: I see three lines and then I think: “Woah, which one do you have to take?”.
Now I'm going to enjoy the season with the team! Every race is a new race and something can always happen or go wrong… and then suddenly you are somewhere else. But of course, what happened over the weekend and knowing now that I'm up to speed with the best, gives you confidence and self-confidence. Now I can take it with me in the season, in the next races, and even if things are not going so well, there is a new awareness ..
