We continue our series featuring members of the UCI Athletes’ Commission. Today, artistic cyclist Flavia Zuber and cycle-ball player Patrick Schnetzer look back on their year: the highs, the lows and the memorable moments.
• Three-time UCI World Champion ACT4 (2014, 2016, 2017) • Highest UCI World Championships score.
• Five-time UCI World Champion (2011, 2013-2016) • Four-time overall UCI World Cup winner (2012, 2014, 2016, 2017).
Personal sporting highlight of the year
F.Z. Definitely the UCI Indoor Cycling World Championships in Dornbirn (AUT). We won the World Champion title in category ACT4 with the highest score ever achieved at a World Championships. This title is the third one for us in four years and it was the first time we were able to defend our title! The Championship was perfectly organised, so it was a great pleasure to be part of this big event.
P.S. Trying to defend the titles from the previous year and being part of the UCI Indoor Cycling World Championships in Dornbirn, Austria
Disappointment / bad moment of the year
F.Z. Breaking my finger and having to undergo surgery. It happened in the last training session before the "big" summer break while trying some fancy new tricks for our new artistic cycling show. Due to this accident we lost almost two very important months of training and preparation for some competitions.
P.S. Losing the final at the UCI World Championships in the last 35 seconds
My biggest surprise of the year
F.Z. My election to represent indoor cycling on the UCI Athletes’ Commission. There was strong competition and honestly, I did not expect to win. This is also why I am now very motivated to give my best, and I look forward to my new tasks.
P.S. The feeling of playing at a UCI World Championship in my home country
Anecdote of the year
P.S. A UCI World Championship at home is one of the most impressive experiences an athlete can ever have.
My cycling hero of the year
F.Z. Wilhelm Telly He was the great mascot of this year’s Swiss cycle ball team at the UCI Indoor Cycling World Championships. He was always good-humoured, and unstoppable in cheering his team on.
P.S. Nadja Thürmer and her sister Julia. I am very proud of my girlfriend Nadja and her sister winning the UCI World Championships (artistic cycling pairs Women) for a third time in a row, perfectly completing their careers.
Other cycling discipline I would like to try
F.Z. I think I would go for trials. It's very impressive to see how they can jump from one obstacle to another without any apparent fear of falling, although the heights are incredible. They must have excellent balance, and this could be one point where I could profit from my sport.
P.S. Track cycling, because of the speed
My favourite cycling race/competition of the year as a competitor
F.Z. My favorite competition of the year is the Trickcycling Masters. At this evening event the best of the best artistic cyclists compete against each other and are then directly compared with each other using a conversion factor. This calculation makes it very interesting for the spectator but also for the athletes to see how good we are in comparison to other disciplines.
P.S. The UCI Indoor Cycling World Championships, because it is the biggest competition and to win is the dream of every athlete in indoor cycling
My favourite cycling race/competition of the year as a spectator
F.Z. I love to visit the Indoor Cycling Junior European Championships. it is always very interesting to see how the next generation is progressing.
P.S. Also the UCI Indoor Cycling World Championships, because all the friends from indoor cycling are taking part and there is no comparable competition in regards of the number of spectators
My sporting ambition(s) for 2018
F.Z. The coming year is a big one for indoor cyclists, especially for artistic cyclists with two new big events. One goal of my team is to participate in and win the first Elite European Championships. We are also looking forward to being part of the first artistic cycling UCI World Cup series. Our biggest and most important goal is to defend our Swiss and UCI World Champion titles.
P.S. Defending the titles we won in 2017 and qualifying for the UCI World Championships to win back the title we lost in 2017.