Team DaVinci-Specialized 2013

ANNIKA LANGVAD JOINS FORCES WITH LENNIE KRISTENSEN & TEAM DAVINCI‐SPECIALIZED

Annika Langvad has signed on with Team Davinci‐Specialized for the 2013 after racing two seasons with Team Fujibikes Rockets. Team Davinci‐Specialized is run by manager and owner Lennie Kristensen – a former European Champion, Tour VTT winner and podium regular on the XC mountainbike scene in the nineties. In 2000 the strong Dane switched to the road and finished his career on Team CSC in 2004 with a 2nd place at The Tour Down Under. Davinci‐Specialized is a small Danish team who partners with Specialized Nordic.

Annika Langvad started her carrier in 2008 and has achieved remarkable results since then. In 2011 and 2012 she was crowned MTB marathon world champion. She has also been a two time World Cup podium finisher with a 2nd in Dalby Forest and 3rd in Windham in 2011. Despite of her outstanding career, Annika Langvad still has much to learn. She hopes to gain knowledge from Lennie Kristensen ́s years of experience in the field of MTB as well as from the rest of the team who all have either raced at elite level themselves or worked professionally in the field for years.

After Lennie Kristensen ended his career as a professional cyclist, he opened the Davinci Bicycle Shop in 2005 in the heart of Copenhagen: “I’ve always had the dream of establishing my own team. So two years ago I put together the semipro Davinci‐Specialized Team. As a rider I often thought about how I would run a team to try and get the riders to perform their best”. Talking about his new star rider Lennie says: “Annika has lots of good qualities and is obviously the type of rider that will raise the bar for us. I also think she has a lot of potential yet to be fulfilled and that the people involved in the project are right for helping Annika move forward. When the chance came to work with her I had no doubts”.

Annika Langvad has known Lennie Kristensen for years and has been a regular at his shop: “I gained a lot of experience riding for Team Fujibikes Rockets but I am looking forward to the opportunity to be part of a small Danish team which is based right in my neighborhood. I have found a comfortable environment here.

There is a good structure, where I can have a strong impact on the team. Among the team members there is good chemistry and we know each other well. I believe that will lead to success”. Annika further elaborates on the deal: “Having Specialized on board means that we will have a set‐up with the best gear in the game as well as the best possible back‐up and service at the races. I really can’t underline how important a factor this is. I’m really looking forward to working with all the people at Specialized”.

Commenting on her 2012 season Annika is not shy of admitting the difficulties she faced: “I only started racing mountainbike in 2008. Before that I didn’t do anything remotely related to sports at the level I’m at now. Things went really fast and I now realize that 2011 was a dream season where nothing could go wrong. In 2012 I faced several broken ribs and was not able to compete at the Olympic Games. All the sudden 2012 was a year where things were completely upside down and I struggled. However, most importantly I was able to prove to myself at the Marathon Worlds at the end of the season, that 2011 was no fluke. I once again captured the World Champion Title. I know, I can compete with the best. Now I’m fully focused on the 2013 season, where my main goals are the mountainbike World Cup races, the World Championships and eventually the Time Trial World Championship on the road as well”.

The team’s first official race will be the Andalucia Bike Race which Annika will use as preparation for World Cup season.