🏞️ Vir objave I Original source: mtb.si

Po naključju naša najbolj udarna mladinka v krosu na verigo takoj po evropskem prvenstvu, kjer je osvojila eno zlato in eno srebrno kolajno.

Maruša na pravkar zaključenem evropskem prvenstvu na Portugalskem:

🔗 EP Melgaço: Maruša Tereza ubranila naslov v kratkem krosu
🔗 EP Melgaço: Vrhunci kratkega krosa mladink v videu
🔗 Maruša Tereza Šerkezi srebrna na EP v olimpijskem krosu
🔗 EP Melgaço: Dirki mladink in mladincev v videu

Marušo je v verigo povabila Tjaša Sušnik.

Maruša Tereza Šerkezi

• Vzdevek: Doma, če sem OK, me kličejo Rezika. Če kaj ne štima – odrezavo – Maruša.
• Kraj: Kamnik
• Starost: kmalu 18
• Pripadnost klubu / plemenu / ekipi: Šerkozavri, Cube Next Generation
• @marusatereza, www.marusatereza.com

Tjaša: V zadnjih letih si se preizkusila tudi na cesti in lani postala državna prvakinja še v cestnem kolesarstvu. Kako resne namene in ambicije imaš v cestnem kolesarstvu? Boš ostala zvesta XCO in ali morda razmišljaš, da bi se preizkusila tudi v enduru ali DH?

Maruša: Cestno kolesarstvo mi je zelo všeč. Gre za popolnoma drugačen način dirkanja kot v XCO – bolj taktičen, daljše proge in manj tehnično. Zato se v prihodnjih letih zagotovo vidim tudi v tej disciplini. Všeč mi je pristop Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, ki se je preselila na cesto potem, ko je v MTB dosegla vse, kar je lahko.

Kar se tiče endura in DH – mislim, da bom ti disciplini prepustila drugim.

Videti je, da ima oče velik vpliv na tvojo športno kariero. Je še vedno tvoj trener in kako kako bi opisala vajin odnos v luči kolesarstva, je strog trener?

Res je, oče je moj trener zadnja štiri leta. Najina komunikacija je dobra, veliko se pogovarjava in usklajujeva glede treningov, zato so zelo raznoliki – kar mi je všeč. Zelo pomembno pa je, da znava ločiti trening od doma. Kar se zgodi doma, ostane doma – in obratno. Včasih je to težko, a nama za zdaj uspeva.

Sedaj dirkaš za CUBE Factory Racing. S katerimi področji se sedaj, ko si v tej ekipi, bolj ukvarjaš oziroma kaj novega si se naučila ob prestopu v ekipo?

Najprej – finančna varnost. Dobim vse, kar potrebujem za kakovosten trening: opremo, priprave, potovanja, celostno podporo na dirkah. V ekipi imamo vrhunske serviserje, tehničnega trenerja, fizioterapevta … Sem v razvojnem programu, kar pomeni, da nas ne pritiskajo z rezultati, ampak nam omogočijo, da izkusimo čim več različnih situacij in se iz njih učimo. Ekipa je res super, vzdušje je sproščeno in motivacijsko.

Poleg tega, da si vrhunska športnica, si dijakinja Gimnazije Šiška in kmalu te čaka matura. Se boš potem povsem posvetila kolesarstvu ali bi si želela nadaljevati s študijem?

Letos me čaka matura, tako da z mojim šolskim koordinatorjem načrtujemo, kako to najbolje izpeljati. Verjetno bom med izpiti izpustila del sezone, da se lahko popolnoma posvetim maturi.

Za naprej pa … še ne vem. Morda si vzamem eno leto premora od študija in razmislim, kaj si želim. A izobrazba mi veliko pomeni. Po končani športni karieri si želim lepo in stabilno življenje tudi na drugih področjih.

mtb.si: V domačem pokalu v krosu uspešno proizvajamo že zelo mlade gorske kolesarje in kolesarke. Kakšni so tvoji prvi spomini na dirke?

Maruša: Začela sem v kategoriji U13, torej pri enajstih letih – kar je po današnjih merilih pozno. A ravno to mi je prineslo dodatno svežino. V prvi sezoni sem imela več DNF-jev kot uvrstitev – vedno sem padla ali imela tehnične težave. A iz sezone v sezono sem napredovala in predvsem razvila strast do športa.

Ljudje se me še danes spomnijo po oranžni čeladi, kolesom s sprednjimi trdimi vilicami, Camelbakom na hrbtu in rožnatim krilcem. 😄

Začetki

Te je kdaj zanimal še kakšen drug šport?

V mlajših letih sem trenirala plezanje in plavanje. Zanimiv se mi zdi tudi triatlon – obožujem vse tri discipline – in tek na smučeh. Všeč mi je pa tudi plezanje v hribih, kamor naju z bratom pelje oče. Predvsem zaradi strahu, s katerim se soočaš v veliki steni.

Za tako rekoč vse vrhunske gorske kolesarje so odprta mesta v cestnih ekipah. Na državnem prvenstvu v cestnem kolesarstvu si bila tako rekoč odpadnica v dresu MTB ekipe. Kakšne so možnosti, da kdaj zares stopiš na cestni oder?

Mogoče takrat, ko bom začutila, da sem v gorskem kolesarstvu dosegla vse, kar sem si zadala. Moj največji cilj naj za zdaj ostaja skrivnost. 😉

Gorsko kolesarstvo ima posebno mesto v mojem srcu. Zato bom verjetno še nekaj časa kombinirala obe disciplini.

mtb.si (standarna): Tvoj popoln dan na kolesu (kje, kaj, s kom)?

Maruša: Intervalni trening z bratom, nekje na gorskem prelazu. Občutek po takem dnevu je neprecenljiv.

Tvoj popoln dan brez kolesa?

Druženje s prijatelji, dobra knjiga, sprehod s psom in kakšna dobra serija.

Kaj bi počela, če ne bi nihče izumil gorskega kolesa?

Verjetno bi trenirala triatlon ali tek na smučeh. Aktivnost imamo pri nas doma v genih. 😉

Povej kaj o svojem najljubšem kolesu.

Trenutno vozim kolo CUBE (gorsko in cestno). Odlično vzmetenje – odzivno, a še vedno dovolj mehko. Z eno besedo: popolno.

Tvoje prvo kolo?

Uff … spomnim se samo, da je bilo rdeče in imelo zastavico na zadnjem “prtljažniku”. Ja, Kekec je bil. Kekec za Kekca 😂

S kom bi najraje furala? Komer koli na svetu (ali v vesolju), živim, mrtvim, namišljenim …

S Pauline Ferrand-Prévot. Brez dvoma.

Najboljši nasvet, ki si ga kdaj dobila / ali nasvet, ki ga lahko daš drugim?

Vsak padec te naredi močnejšega – če po njem vstaneš in nadaljuješ.

Tvoj padec, ki si si ga najbolj zapomnila? Tudi, če si ga v resnici nisi …

Za zdaj (trkam!) še nisem imela hujših padcev. Le nekaj prask in odrgnin. Delava pa s trenerjem veliko na tem, da sem čimbolj stabilna na kolesu in da je moje telo v celoti fizično stabilno. Kolesarji pozabljamo na roke in trup.

Tvoja glasbena želja oziroma glasbeno posvetilo bralcem mtb.si?

Trenutno mi je res všeč pesem Ordinary (Alex Warren).

Naslovna fotografija Simon Hofmann za Cube

Here is the full English translation of my text done by ChatGPT Version 1.2025.203

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On the Chain: Maruša Tereza Šerkezi

By coincidence, our most striking young female cross-country rider on Na verigi right after the European Championship, where she won one gold and one silver medal.

Maruša at the recently concluded European Championship in Portugal:

🔗 EP Melgaço: Maruša Tereza ubranila naslov v kratkem krosu
🔗 EP Melgaço: Vrhunci kratkega krosa mladink v videu
🔗 Maruša Tereza Šerkezi srebrna na EP v olimpijskem krosu
🔗 EP Melgaço: Dirki mladink in mladincev v videu

Maruša was invited to Na verigi by Tjaša Sušnik.

Maruša Tereza Šerkezi

• Nickname: At home, if I’m OK, they call me Rezika. If something’s off – curtly – Maruša.
• Hometown: Kamnik
• Age: Almost 18
• Club / tribe / team affiliation: Šerkozavri, Cube Next Generation
• @marusatereza, www.marusatereza.com

Tjaša: In recent years, you’ve also tried road cycling and last year became national champion in road cycling as well. How serious are your intentions and ambitions in road cycling? Will you stay loyal to XCO, or are you perhaps considering trying enduro or DH?

Maruša: I really like road cycling. It’s a completely different way of racing than XCO – more tactical, longer courses, and less technical. That’s why I definitely see myself in this discipline in the coming years. I like the approach of Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, who moved to the road after achieving everything she could in MTB.

As for enduro and DH – I think I’ll leave those disciplines to others.

It seems your father has a big influence on your sports career. Is he still your coach, and how would you describe your relationship in terms of cycling – is he a strict coach?

Yes, my father has been my coach for the past four years. Our communication is good, we talk a lot and coordinate about training, which makes them very varied – something I like. It’s also very important that we know how to separate training from home. What happens at home stays at home – and vice versa. Sometimes that’s difficult, but so far we’re managing.

Now you race for CUBE Factory Racing. What areas are you focusing on more now that you’re in this team, and what new things have you learned since joining?

First – financial security. I get everything I need for quality training: equipment, training camps, travel, full support at races. The team has top mechanics, a technical coach, a physiotherapist … I’m in the development program, which means they don’t put pressure on us for results but allow us to experience as many different situations as possible and learn from them. The team is really great, and the atmosphere is relaxed and motivating.

Besides being a top athlete, you’re also a student at Gimnazija Šiška, and soon you’ll be taking your final exams. Will you then fully dedicate yourself to cycling, or would you like to continue your studies?

This year I have my final exams, so my school coordinator and I are planning how to best manage it. I’ll probably skip part of the season during the exams to fully focus on them.

As for the future … I don’t know yet. Maybe I’ll take a year off from studying to think about what I really want. But education means a lot to me. After my sports career, I want a nice and stable life in other areas too.

mtb.si: In our domestic cross-country cup, we successfully produce very young mountain bikers. What are your first memories of racing?

Maruša: I started in the U13 category, so at eleven years old – which by today’s standards is late. But that gave me extra freshness. In my first season, I had more DNFs than finishes – I would always crash or have technical problems. But from season to season, I progressed and, most importantly, developed a passion for the sport.

People still remember me today for my orange helmet, bike with rigid front forks, Camelbak on my back, and a pink skirt. 😄

Beginnings

Have you ever been interested in another sport?

When I was younger, I trained in climbing and swimming. I also find triathlon interesting – I love all three disciplines – and cross-country skiing. I also like climbing in the mountains, where my brother and I are taken by our father. Mainly because of the fear you face on a big wall.

For virtually all top mountain bikers, road team spots are open. At the national road cycling championships, you were practically an outsider in an MTB team jersey. What are the chances you’ll ever truly step onto the road scene?

Maybe when I feel I’ve achieved everything I set out to do in mountain biking. My biggest goal will, for now, remain a secret. 😉

Mountain biking has a special place in my heart. So I’ll probably keep combining both disciplines for a while.

mtb.si (standard): Your perfect day on a bike (where, what, with whom)?

Maruša: Interval training with my brother, somewhere on a mountain pass. The feeling after such a day is priceless.

Your perfect day without a bike?

Hanging out with friends, a good book, walking the dog, and watching a good series.

What would you be doing if no one had invented the mountain bike?

I’d probably be doing triathlon or cross-country skiing. Activity is in our family’s genes. 😉

Tell us about your favorite bike.

I currently ride a CUBE bike (mountain and road). Excellent suspension – responsive, yet still soft enough. In one word: perfect.

Your first bike?

Uff … I just remember it was red and had a flag on the rear “rack.” Yes, it was a Kekec. A Kekec for a Kekec 😂

Who would you most like to ride with? Anyone in the world (or universe), living, dead, or imaginary …

With Pauline Ferrand-Prévot. No doubt.

The best advice you’ve ever received / or advice you can give others?

Every fall makes you stronger – if you get up and keep going.

Your most memorable crash? Even if you don’t really remember it …

So far (knock on wood!) I haven’t had any serious crashes. Just a few scrapes and grazes. My coach and I work a lot on being as stable as possible on the bike and making sure my body is physically stable overall. Cyclists tend to forget about arms and core.

Your music request or dedication to mtb.si readers?

Right now, I really like the song Ordinary (Alex Warren).

Cover photo: Simon Hofmann for Cube