Hugely successful team SCOTT-SRAM MTB RACING will see new arrivals for the 2025 season as young talents Emilly Johnston (Canada) and US National Champion Bjorn Riley join the squad. The up-and-coming talents will join a team rich in experience, with three standout Swiss riders—10-time UCI World Champion Nino Schurter, Swiss National Champion Filippo Colombo, and Andri Frischknecht— all extending their contracts until 2026.
Veteran Nino Schurter will continue leading the team after 20 years of UCI World Cup racing and 36 series wins, the latest coming in 2024 in Val di Sole, Trentino (Italy). The Swiss legend will be hoping to carry some of his form from last season into a home UCI World Championships in Crans Montana and a UCI World Cup round on home roads in Lenzerheide.
Nino Schurter said: “I'm incredibly proud to be entering my 23rd season with SCOTT-SRAM. This team is much more than just a team to me - it's a family. Together we have already celebrated many unforgettable experiences and I look forward to many more adventures with my teammates.”
His fellow Swiss and current National Champion Filippo Colombo has also renewed his contract, as he targets a first-ever Elite UCI World Cup win following a strong and consistent year which saw him finish third overall.
Filippo Colombo said: "I am super happy to continue my journey with the SCOTT-SRAM team. The past two years, the support and professionalism have been amazing. Deciding to stay with this incredible organization is an easy one. I am eager to give my all in the upcoming seasons and excited to welcome the new athletes. I am confident that we will create a winning formula.”
The team will be bolstered even further in 2025 with the signings of young, up-and-coming talents Emilly Johnston and Bjorn Riley, both aged 22. The pair will undertake their first year of Elite racing after a successful spell at U23 level with Trek Future Racing Team, based in Austria, where both riders demonstrated their potential with some strong performances.
SCOTT-SRAM Racing Team Director, Thomas Frischknecht said: "With Emilly and Bjorn we have two great talents as part of the team for the future. Both are very talented and ready to take the next step in their careers. The whole team is keen to support them in their further professional development in MTB racing.”
Bjorn Riley, from Boulder (Colorado, USA), finished last season with two UCI U23 World Cup victories in Les Gets (Haute-Savoie, France) in both the Cross-country Short Track (XCC) and Olympic (XCO) distance, as well as multiple podium finishes across the season. Even more impressively, he won US National titles in both XCO and XCC in July, beating Elite-level riders to claim the prestigious US jersey. In signing for SCOTT-SRAM Riley now takes a step up to competing among the Elite.
Bjorn Riley said: "I’m excited to learn from my incredible new teammates, soak up their experience, and push myself to new limits. Competing at this level has always been a dream, and I can’t wait to see what I’m capable of achieving with such a supportive and inspiring team by my side.”
Riley will be joined by fellow new recruit Emilly Johnston, from Canada, who also enjoyed a standout year in 2024. She won the U23 XCC UCI World Cup in Crans Montana (Switzerland) on one of the most physically and technically challenging courses, and earned nine podiums across the U23 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series season to finish second overall. A bronze medal at the U23 UCI World Championships capped off an incredible year for the 22-year-old from Vancouver Island.
Emilly Johnston said: “I'm beyond excited to be joining my dream team in my first year as an Elite. I have such an incredible opportunity to learn from the best riders and staff in the world and can't wait to make the most of every moment."
From new arrivals to departures: Kate Courtney (USA) is leaving SCOTT-SRAM Racing after six years with the team. She won the UCI World Cup overall series at the end of her first season with SCOTT-SRAM and also took a silver medal in the team relay at the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in 2021. The team paid tribute to the American’s “unforgettable spirit” and “positivity, determination, success and endless fun” in her long spell there.
SCOTT-SRAM Racing Team Director Thomas Frischknecht said: "Six wonderful years together with Kate are coming to an end. With her great personality, she brought so much to the team and will always have a spot in the SCOTT-SRAM family. We will never forget the time we spend together as a team. Her positivity and outstanding results will stay in our very best memories. It's time to say goodbye and we wish you the very best for your new chapter in racing."
As well as signing new athletes and extending contracts for its racing legends, the team has also renewed contracts with key partners SRAM and RockShox until 2026, alongside further long-term partners MAXXIS, Syncros and Cornercard, while SCOTT has further renewed its commitment to the squad.
For more information on SCOTT-SRAM’s plans for the next year, click here.
