With a staggering 10 Elite XCO world titles, plus Junior, U23, and Team Relay world titles, nine overall World Cups, 36 individual World Cup rounds, three Cape Epic wins, and an Olympic title to his name, the Swiss flyer Nino Schurter is rightly considered the greatest cross-country racer of all time.
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After one of the longest Elite XC careers on record, he bowed out of World Cup racing just a couple of weeks back on home turf, by racing his last Elite XCO World Championship in Switzerland, and his farewell World Cup race on his home trails of Lenzerheide.
We spoke with him about his career, and on saying farewell to the main stage of mountain biking.
ORCC: At the end of 2024, you decided to go on for one more year. Has 2025 lived up to your hopes, and was it the right decision?
Nino Schurter: To be honest, 2025 was at some stages of the season difficult; but with winning the Cape Epic, and then a great season finale with the Worlds and Lenzerheide World Cup both in Switzerland, it was the right decision to continue.
I could not have dreamed of a better place to say goodbye than Lenzerheide (he lives nearby). It was a very emotional event.
ORCC: How would you describe your 2025 season, and when, how & why did you decide that this was the time to stop at this level?
NS: The idea of calling it a career for XCO racing came mid 2024, with the 2025 season schedule being released. I felt that Lenzerheide, my home turf World Cup, would be the ideal time and place to say goodbye. Over the course of the 2025 season, I could feel it’s the right time to finish my career.
ORCC: The sport has changed a lot during your career – what have been the biggest changes & impacts for you personally, and are the pressures, the expectations, the risks & rewards getting more every year?
NS: The sport has changed and evolved in many ways – and that’s a good thing. Equipment is by far not the only thing to mention; I feel the sport in general has become more specific, and athletes have to make the right choices in when to be in top shape and where to perform at their best now.
It’s difficult to be on top and competitive in both XCC and XCO from April to October. And besides the racing and training, there are a lot of requests with media and sponsors to fulfil. But I don’t see this extra pressure or work in any negative way at all. The sport did grow a lot; therefore, it became more demanding and competitive for us athletes. That’s evolution.
ORCC: Early on, was there a particular breakthrough moment or time when you realised this could be a long-term career?
NS: Not really. Early on, I had the eye on the prize from one season to another. But winning the bronze medal at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, at the age of 22, that sure sparked the fire in me to become an Olympic Champion one day.
ORCC: What races, achievements & accomplishments mean the most to you when looking back?
NS: That’s a rather difficult question to answer. Obviously, the Olympic Championship title in 2016 and 10 world championship titles stand on top, as these are the most important victories.
The most emotional one, I would say, was the world championship title in 2018, winning in front of my home crowd at Lenzerheide. I rate this higher than the Rio Olympics win, where only a few of my many family members and fans were there.
I see my career as a mountain biker, with what I achieved over two decades being the biggest accomplishment.
ORCC: What have been the toughest and lowest periods along the way?
NS: Luckily, there have been only a few. The most recent is my last Olympics in Paris, where I was hoping for quite a bit more for what I invested in this goal (finishing 9th).
ORCC: The Olympics – how life-changing was the 2016 win?
NS: It sure was a milestone in my career. One that is set in stone for the rest of my life. Sport is a fast-paced world. Once one star retires, new stars are born. But Olympic Champion, you remain this for the rest of your life. It’s something everybody across the world, and from outside of the sporting industry, will respect as a great achievement.
ORCC: The longevity, and given the evolution of the sport, what do you think allowed you to stay on top for so long?
NS: There are many pieces to the puzzle that made my career successful and last this long. If I have to say the number one reason, that’s the love for the sport.
I always enjoyed training and racing and everything that came with it.
ORCC: What advice would you give to a 16-year-old Nino?
NS: Keep having fun on the bike. The serious life as a pro will come soon enough.
ORCC: How did it feel for you riding your last World Champs and World Cup on home ground?
NS: I did not expect it to be this emotional. Right on the start line, the emotions got me, and the focus to race against the best was gone.
Even though my performance was far off what I’m capable of doing, it was still a very special race, and one I’ll never forget. There was a strong vibe from all of the fans, and even from my competitors – like Matthieu van der Poel.
ORCC: What comes now, and how serious will any racing be to you going ahead?
NS: I’m first looking forward to settling down a bit, and will take my time to set new goals and plans, as this last year of racing has been hectic in many ways.
After some time off, I’ll communicate what’s next. But I retired from XCO racing, and not from cycling in general. I still have it inside me to compete in events like the Cape Epic or some other long-distance races. Perhaps even a gravel race, who knows? The racing blood is still in me.
ORCC: What will your role with the SCOTT-SRAM team be moving ahead?
NS: One part of my professional life as a mountain biker is being involved in product development, which I’d like to continue. With SCOTT, SRAM, RockShox, and other brands. I’d like to be part of developing great new products – as we did in the past. I will also take the role of an ambassador for those brands.
ORCC: Looking at the young riders and racing style now, can you see a new Nino out there, and do you think it is likely that anyone will ever stay at the top for so long as you did, or do you think moving to road racing will be the way ahead for young riders now?
NS: Hopefully, the new dominant guy – if there will be one – will not be a second Nino, but be a personality of their own. The sport has become a lot faster living, and I doubt that careers now will last as long as mine did. And yes, for sure, the road is taking away the super talents, as there is just a whole lot more money to make on a WorldTour pro team.
