Elite athletes Gerhard Kerschbaumer and Martina Berta are part of the Torpado factory team led by former professional Mauro Bettin.
In 2020, Ursus has once again associated its name to Torpado MTB, giving birth to the Torpado-Ursus team, an all-Italian partnership that has already “forced” the two Veneto-based brands to make room on their wall for new trophies.
We’re talking about the most successful team in Italy, with two national XCO titles earned in the past year. A reign that Team Manager Mauro Bettin hopes to extend for a long time, counting on the contribution of his most representative champions.
The team
The 2020 Torpado-Ursus team, unveiled at the end of February, can count on two Italian jersey champions, as mentioned above.
- Gerhard Kerschbaumer is the most anticipated athlete on the team. This mountain biker from Verdignes di Chiusa graduated in 2018 as the Italian XCO elite champion for the third consecutive season. This is not surprising for an athlete who had already proven his talent as an under-23, winning titles at the European and at the global level, as well as participating in the London 2012 Olympics.
“Geri” will be called to the difficult task of confirming himself at his levels, working hard to stay in the group of the world’s top three riders for 2020. - Martina (NB correggere ita “Marina”) Berta trains like a champion. Professionals designated the Valdostan biker as predestined when she was still at the youth level, as she secured the title of Junior World champion. After an unlucky chapter in France, which made her fly under the radar for a while, Martina went back to racing in Italy and managed to earn the Italian champion jersey.
2020 is her first year as an Elite, a category in which Martina will have to prove that she is able to compete internationally, following her stage win at the Lenzerheide World Cup in 2019.
- Nicola Taffarel is the profile chosen by Bettin for the Under 23 category. Already in the national team, this youth from Vittorio Veneto will aim to stand out by competing at a high level among young athletes in Italy.
- Manuel Capra and Martin Mina will compete in the Juniores category. The two will have the opportunity to grow, following in the footsteps of a champion like Kerschbaumer. It will be important for them to take advantage of the opportunity to improve their experience and technique, finding a spot in the challenging MTB landscape.
The MTBs of the Torpado-Ursus team
The Torpado-Ursus team will have two Torpado bikes available in 2020. The first one, the Ribot-X, is a Hardtail model, while the second one is more devoted to the XCO discipline. The Matador X is the full-suspended top-of-the-range model, according to Torpado. Both MTBs can count on specialized racing equipment. Of course, the wheels are branded Ursus: for the TorpRiders, we have developed the high-end Kodiak wheelset: uncover its secrets by reading this article that we have dedicated to it.
The objectives
The conditions for the new season were the best. 2020, before the Coronavirus Emergency, was the year of the Olympics, a crucial target in particular for Kerschbaumer. A medal was within the reach of the South Tyrolean champion who now will have to prepare, especially mentally, to aim for the podium in 2021.
In addition to the Olympic adventure, the team had plans to gain international visibility, aiming for podiums in the World Cup as well as the World podium. At a national level, however, both Berta and Kerschbaumer were called to reconfirm their national jersey.
Right now, away from competitions, riders are training individually from home. The challenge for them today is to remain in condition, trying to stay on top of their training in anticipation of competitions reopening once again.
Conclusion
Torpado-Ursus: the Italian XCO champions race on Ursus wheels. In this article, we have introduced the Torpado-Ursus team a little better. We have associated our name with a world-class MTB team, which includes the two absolute champions Gerhard Kerschbaumer and Martina Berta. We did this in order to support the Italian MTB movement, as well as for the chance to constantly improve our products via the feedback of some of the best riders on the planet. While you’re waiting to see the Torpado-Ursus team on the track once again, check out their wheels!
KODIAK
