KOSPRO SUPPORTS SAMU KAUPPINEN ALSO IN 2023!

Read below about Samu's last season:

"Hi, I'm Samu Kauppinen. I'm a 17-year-old downhill cyclist. I'm in my second year studying at Mäkelänrinne High School on the sports line. We have been collaborating with Kospro Oy since 2022.

Last season started in February with a training camp in Spain, where I was able to improve my riding skills and fine-tune the new equipment. From there, it was a good start to the actual racing season in Croatia, where the European Cup round took place. I secured 6th place there.

After the race, I returned to Finland for a while to go to school and train until the season continued in May in Slovenia, at the second round of the European Cup. Due to the challenging weather on the race day, the track was very difficult, and my result was not as expected due to my fall. Fortunately, I avoided major injuries.

In early June, I left for a longer, six-week trip to Austria, Slovenia, and Norway. The trip included a couple of European Cup races, the Crankworx Mountain Bike Festival, the European Championships, and my first World Cup event. The tracks were very varied and quite different from each other, so I gained a lot of experience and skills. My race results ranged from good to less good. At best, I reached third place in the third round of the European Cup.

             Photo by: Man Down Media

In the last race of the trip, I fell during practice, injuring my wrist. I bravely participated in the time trials, but due to the pain, I decided to withdraw from the main race the following day. Back in Finland, an X-ray revealed a small fracture in my wrist. Consequently, the doctor prescribed a wrist brace for a few weeks and a lot of rehabilitation. Fortunately, the accident happened at a time when I didn't have to miss any other races.

In August, I flew for the season's last race trip, which lasted three weeks. The program included the World Championships as well as the final World Cup and European Cup races. I achieved 39th place in the World Championships and 4th place in the last European Cup race. In the final World Cup race, my split times looked good until a small mistake in the last sector led to a crash. Time was lost, and with it, my chance at the final. On the bright side, it was encouraging to see that my speed and skills are enough to compete for final spots.

Returning home and back to school felt a bit challenging after an amazing summer. With less riding due to winter conditions, I have been able to continue my effective cross-training. The schedules for the next season's races have been published, and plans for participating in them are already underway. Collaboration arrangements for the next season are also becoming clearer. 

Looking forward to summer!"

Samu