Nina Hoffmann of the Santa Cruz Syndicate reasserted her dominance at Round 2 of the British Downhill Series in Fort William. Piloting a brand new and up to date model of the V10 DH Bike, still-to-be-released, Nina took the win in taste, hanging nearly two seconds into the 2022 World Cup Overall Winner, Camille Balanché. The win rounded out a constant weekend for Hoffmann, who took P1 in Saturday’s seeding run, too.
Looking again to this time final yr, we recall Hoffmann’s win on the 2022 British Downhill Series tournament in Fort William; that preceded her win on the World Cup DH Round in the similar location only a few weeks later. With Fort William set to host the World Championships this coming August, we will be able to’t lend a hand however assume issues are having a look promising for the German megastar. Will a brand new World Champion be topped on Aonach Mòr?
Speculation apart, we stuck up with Nina herself, to determine issues were going for her lately, and what her ambitions are for the season forward.
We additionally met with Nina’s mechanic, Ethan Jones – now not to take a look at her race motorcycle, which stays off limits for now, however to take a look at the motorcycle that Nina does reasonably a couple of extra miles on. For a lot of her coaching, she heads out on her Santa Cruz Bronson CC, a 150mm go back and forth motorcycle devoted to a mixed-wheel configuration. This is an up to date style of Santa Cruz’s do-it-all mountain motorcycle, whole with sag window at the non-drive facet and a Glove Box for the easy-access garage of snacks and path facet repair necessities.
Interview: Nina Hoffmann
Bikerumor: Congratulations on a powerful win on the British Downhill Series in Fort William! A super begin to the season, one may just say. How do you’re feeling the weekend went?
Nina Hoffman: It feels lovely lovely excellent! I like Fort William and I benefit from the monitor so much and that’s the reason most likely why I will be able to cross speedy. That was once nearly an excellent get started into the season and I wanna stay that momentum now going into the World Cups and onto Worlds!
Bikerumor: We noticed you juggling some rocks ahead of losing into your seeding run. Can you let us know a little bit extra about your heat up regimen and the way you get your self in the appropriate head house ahead of a race run?
Nina Hoffman: Haha, I like juggling – and taking part in some video games with my mechanic Ethan simply ahead of the beginning. Warms my mind up and will get me centered. Some respiring workout routines lend a hand me as smartly to seek out optimum focal point, particularly when I’m lovely worried. And visualizing the monitor is a superb device as smartly!
Bikerumor: What is your coaching appear to be within the run as much as the primary World Cup of the season in Lenzerheide?
Nina Hoffman: So much much less coaching now than within the wintry weather because the season is shut and you do not wanna get drained. Sprints and durations and light-weight fitness center workout routines involved in speedy actions and coordination stuff after which a large number of motorcycle time – both DH or path motorcycle.
Bikerumor: Do you’re taking phase in every other sports activities out of doors of mountain cycling, to complement your coaching possibly?
Nina Hoffman: I simply began to like operating once more, participated in an XC race in my place of origin lately haha. Also Motocross is unwell and is helping to get sooner at the DH motorcycle.
Bikerumor: Congratulations on finishing your Masters Thesis this Spring. Can I ask, what was once the subject, and are you able to let us know the way you juggled academia with existence as a certified athlete?
Nina Hoffman: My Thesis is set an audio hypnosis I advanced that will help you focal point ahead of a DH race get started. We examined it with about 20 individuals and it confirmed nice effects! I prolonged my research so much the final years, in order that made racing and college clean to deal with and I at all times labored simplest within the wintry weather at the research to focal point a 100% on racing in the summertime.
Bikerumor: Can you let us know extra in regards to the audio hypnosis, and do you utilize it your self?
Nina Hoffman: So to the audio hypnosis – it accommodates a leisure phase originally to get right into a hypnotic trance, then we visualize an optimum race day and attach this sense to a private cause to elicit it later ahead of a race. I’m about to submit a paper about my paintings, then everybody can learn thru it. And sure, I do hypnosis and meditation on my own.
Bikerumor: It isn’t any secret that your self and the broader Santa Cruz Syndicate race workforce are at the subsequent technology Santa Cruz V10. Did you play an element in its construction, and are you able to let us know a lot about that at this degree?
Nina Hoffman: The construction began already in 2021 once I wasn’t at the workforce but. So Greg did the foremost paintings for us haha. But we’re nonetheless gathering comments at the prototype body now as it is a in a position to race motorcycle.
Bikerumor: As I’m certain you’re acutely mindful, Fort William will crown the 2023 World Champions this coming August. How are you feeling about it, having had this kind of nice race run on the BDS?
Nina Hoffman: Definitely did not harm my self assurance! But you already know, it is nonetheless very long time to move till Worlds and so much can occur. I’ll give my very best that is evidently, however there are lots of different speedy women in the market.
Bikerumor: What are your total ambitions for this season?
Nina Hoffman: Top 3!
Pro Bike Check: Nina Hoffmann’s Santa Cruz Bronson CC
The Santa Cruz Bronson is Nina’s go-to path motorcycle. At 5ft 8″ tall, the Santa Cruz Syndicate athlete rides a medium in its supposed MX wheel dimension configuration. It boasts a 452mm succeed in and proportional period chainstays of 435mm, with a 160mm go back and forth fork supported at a 64.5° head tube attitude. Nina runs a 150mm drop Fox Transfer submit.
“Every ride in the woods is on this bike, also intervals when I’m on the road and don’t have my road bike with me. I ride it at home and take it to races and then ride enduro trails with it. It’s potent enough for proper rough tracks but also playful and light enough for flow lines and little XC rides”
Nina Hoffmann
To carrier its 150mm rear wheel go back and forth, the Bronson employs a VPP linkage by which the swingarm articulates in regards to the entrance triangle by means of two non co-rotating hyperlinks, the lowermost of which drives the surprise.
In the suspension division, Nina runs a Fox 38 Factory Fork with the GRIP2 damper, and the Fox FLOAT X Factory Shock. Weighing 73 kg, Nina’s most popular settings see 70 PSI within the fork with use of a unmarried quantity spacer. She runs the LSC at 9 clicks, HSC at 8 clicks, HSR at 5 clicks and LSR at 4 clicks – all from closed. The surprise is pressurized to 150 PSI, with the compression dial at 5 clicks from closed, and the rebound at 6 from closed.
New for this style yr is a sag window at the non-drive facet of the entrance triangle. Given that the surprise is definitely nestled into the seat tube partition, the small opening permits the rider to extra simply assess go back and forth utilization, one thing that may make surroundings the sag a bit of more straightforward than it should have up to now been.
The Bronson has two distinct geometry settings; Hi and Lo. A flip-chip at the decrease hyperlink, the place it connects to the bottom of the rear surprise, determines the motorcycle’s backside bracket peak and total dealing with. Hoffmann runs her Bronson within the Lo place, with a BB peak of 341mm. A miniature fender bolted to the again of the seat tube protects the surprise’s shaft from particles flung off the rear tyre.
For velocity regulate, Hoffmann will depend on the Shimano XTR 4-Piston Brakes, with 203mm rotors of the IceTechnologies Freeza flavour. These sandwich an aluminum middle between the metal braking surfaces, a middle that lovers out towards the hub in a bid to expedite warmth dissipation. Nina additionally runs finned brake pads for the exact same reason why.
Rounding out the cockpit is a Burgtec RideWide Carbon DH Bar with a 30mm upward thrust, measuring up at 770mm with the Burgtec grips. It is clamped through a 42.5mm Burgtec stem. Nina assists in keeping the entrance finish fairly tall with round 20mm price of spacers underneath the stem. The bearings of a Chris King NoThreadSet stay the entire meeting rotating easily.
“I like to keep handlebar width and cockpit in general the same. Also I wanted to ride a Mullet trail bike because of having a DH Mullet. Trying to ride same tires as well, basically make it as close to the DH as possible”
Nina Hoffmann
Nina’s Bronson rolls on a Reserve 30 DH Carbon Wheelset, laced to a collection of Chris King hubs, the rear of which has 72 POEs. Seated to those 30mm inner width rims is a collection of Maxxis tyres; a 29″ x 2.5″ Assegai within the MaxxGrip EXO+ casing, and a 27.5″ x 2.4″ Minion DHRII within the MaxxTerra DoubleDown casing.
Atop the 150mm drop Fox Transfer submit is an SQLab 611 saddle. Replicating the setup at the V10 DH Bike, she pushes 165mm cranks with Crankbrothers Mallet DH Pedals.
You can stay up-to-the-minute with Nina Hoffmann’s season through following her on Instagram. @nina.hoff96or through following her workforce @scsyndicate,
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