Claudio Caluori – the interview
Claudio Caluori is one of the hardest working people that I know. Seemingly always upbeat and positive, he somehow manages to juggle a million–and–one jobs…team manger for Gstaad–Scott, owner of track design and construction company Velosolutions, Red Bull go–to man, Crashed Ice racer and a load more…and all with a smile on his face. He’s an ex–World Cup downhiller and Swiss National Champion too, husband and father…he’s got it all going on.
From Dirt Issue 136 – June 2013
Words by Mike Rose. Photo by Hansueli Spitznagel.
Who is Claudio Caluori?I’m still trying to find out. Hopefully somebody who will give back something positive to the world.
Where do you live?Jenaz, in the Swiss Alps.
What’s your job title?Worker bee.
What do you do?Run the Gstaad–Scott team, build trails and pumptracks with Velosolutions, skate down Red Bull Crashed Ice tracks, try to find time to still ride my bikes.
How long have you worked for Scott and Velosolutions?I founded Velosolutions with two friends of mine in 2004. Scott has been a team sponsor since 2009.
How did you get the jobs?I invented them!
What’s the worst job you’ve ever had?Tough question…I probably never had a really bad job.
Where’s your favourite place?Behind.
Where’s your favourite place to ride?Above.
When are you happiest?During.
What makes you angry?Stubborn, conservative people (like the ones who are against a new gun law in the US, or people who try to block solar power systems).
What makes you happy?Seeing kids smiling on the pumptracks we have built. Riding bikes or skiing with my kids.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?It’s too early in the morning to answer such a hard question.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever given?Don’t have expectations.
What are your extravagances?Hats…maybe soon a Tesla Model X, if I can afford it.
Who do you admire?Modest people.
What’s the most important thing in your life?My wife and kids.
What’s your greatest fear?That I won’t learn.
What was your luckiest escape?There were so many…I can’t pick one.
What’s the first thing you do in the morning?Drink coffee.
What’s the last thing you do at night?Eat chocolate.
What would be your dream meal?Just a good old veggie burrito at Taco Surf, Pacific Beach, San Diego.
What things do you always carry with you?Swiss Army knife.
Do you have any regrets?Maybe sometimes in my life it would have been OK to just give 100% instead of 120%. It would have been easier for the people around me too.
What’s the most important lesson that you’ve learnt?Don’t have expectations.
If you could have dinner with three famous people (dead or alive) who would they be?Eddie Vedder, the Dalai Lama and Jesus.
Who is your favourite rider?Noel Niederberger.
What’s your favourite bike product of all time?The freewheel.
What’s your least favourite bike product of all time?Brakes.
What’s your favourite motto or saying?Pin it!
What saying do you use too much?Hät si au gseit (that’s what she said…)
What bike are you riding at the moment?Scott Voltage.
What was the last magazine you read?Something about solar power.
What are you listening to at the moment?Pearl Jam, probably since I was 16.
What one thing would you change about yourself?A bit less ambition, a bit more of a relaxed manner.
What are your weaknesses?I can’t say no.
What does the future hold for you?If I manage to get a bit more organized, then hopefully more time with my family!
What does the future hold for mountain biking?Every town to have at least one pumptrack, just like they have playgrounds now. The skill level of Sam Hill or Brendan Fairclough is going to be the ‘average’. Football on TV is going to be replaced by mountainbiking. That’s why football fields are being replaced by pumptracks. The Tour de France will be a little side act to the Downhill World Championships. Roadies will have to fight to get a few seconds of TV time in between the big stories about the downhill pros. Downhill pros are allowed to have a harem…in each race town obviously. And since the pros have to prepare for the races, once again it’s the team managers who have to do all the hard work.
How would you like to be remembered?As somebody who found a way to give something back, doing what he loves to do.
Are you a fan of Claudio Caluori? Let us know in the comments!
DIRT MOUNTAIN BIKE | NEWS
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Pro riders pay tribute to Stevie Smith
Greg Minnaar wins men’s Fort William World Cup
Loic Bruni to miss Fort William and Leogang after training crash
MONT SAINTE ANNE 2016: RACHEL ATHERTON WINS WOMEN’S
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