Emilie Siegenthaler

How does FOX contribute to your success?
FOX gives me the opportunity to focus on my riding, without being worried that my bike doesn't work well. They are really listening to your suggestions and try to set up your working tools as perfect as possible! Thanks to Christophe and Eammon by the way, you rock!!!

Tell us about your bike/vehicle setup.
My bike is a complete prototype, the SCOTT voltage DH. It's the same frame design as the voltage FR, but the geometry has been adapted to downhill racing with more travel (200mm), a slacker angle and a lower bottom bracket. I ride a Factory Series 40 203 FIT RC2 fork (purple spring) with the 2011 cartridge, and a Factory Series DHX RC4 shock. Components are: Shimano saint group, FSA gravity (parts), DT swiss wheels, prologo saddle, E13 chainguide, and schwalbe tires.

What else is in your garage?
Mostly bikes: SCOTT voltage dirt bike, a SCOTT genius 10 for XC riding, and a SCOTT CR1 road bike for training. Otherwise my snowboard and skies... Oh, and let's not forget my car: a brand new VW caddy 2.0 TDi.

What's your training regimen?
I like to do different stuff: running and XC riding for endurance, XC skiing in winter... I'm quite often at the gym all year, but I like to be as much as possible on my downhill bike though... so much fun!

Any major injuries, and how did you recover?
I broke my left hand twice, but it was at the end of the season so I had time to do rehab and recover completely.

What's your typical pre-race/event meal? Guilty pleasure?
Oh no, I'm someone that can't really eat before a race run... I'm too nervous to handle the food. I just eat breakfast in the morning and a fruit 2 hours before the run, try to drink a lot, that's it! Guilty pleasures come after the race!!! =)

How do you determine which races or events to enter each year?
My focus this season are on world cups, so we decided which races would be good to prepare for the main events and where I need some weekends off to train or be at home a little bit.

What motivated you to get started professionally?
My dad was a racer too in the nineties. He transmitted me the biking virus and I started to do XC races in 1998. I was quite successful but I started to have health problems in 2006, so I stopped racing. Then I discovered downhill racing, and fell in love with it!

What separates you from other professional athletes?
Well first of all I'm not professional, I'm a student part-time so that's one of the big differences... I would like to be a good person, I would like to be someone cultured, open minded, and that's why I try to have a lot of domains of interests outside my sport. A big part of my life is sport, but sport isn't all my life!

What would you be doing if you weren't a professional athlete?
I would probably be finished with my studies already... maybe art, design, engineering studies? Whatever it would be, I would give 100 percent doing it, that's for sure!

What's the best thing about being a professional athlete?
Travelling around the world, meeting new people, making new life experiences... Just doing what you like to do the most for a living!

What other sports are you interested in?
I like every kind of sport. I try to have the largest sport culture that I can... Athletics, skiing or snowboarding, judo, basketball, football, climbing... I absolutely want to try motocross next winter... braaaaaaaaaap!

Any advice to the readers dreaming to turn pro?
Just focus on your chances, trust yourselves enough to think that whatever is possible! There is something for everyone out there, you just have to find your way!

What are your favorite magazines and websites?
Scott11racing.com, Dirt Mag, and some french bike magazines (Vélo vert & BIKE).

Favorite movie quote?
It's not from a movie, but from a show (The L Word): "Maybe she's a spaghetti girl" - Jodi "A spaghetti girl?" - Bette "Yeah, straight until wet" - Jodi Genius!!

Who is your hero?
I don't think I have a "hero." I admire a lot of people for their actions, for their personalities, their strenghts and differences: Tara Llanes, Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, Harvey Milk and more... I feel very inspired by them.

Are you a Mac or PC? PC

Top 3 bands The Fugees, The Roots, Bob Marley and the Wailers

Greatest strength Being real

Most frustrating challenge A hard sudoku