Design & Innovation Award 2015, Meet the jury: Valentina Macheda
The highlight of the cycling industry calendar is happening right now, bikes and kit are being unloaded in a Castle in South Tyrol, ready to be tested by our expert jury. Our mission is to award the world’s most innovative products and technologies, and joining us will be a select jury of six of the most skilled, influential, and analytical minds from the cycling industry.
Our fifth jury member is an accomplished female racer, and makes up half of the popular Italian ‘Life Cycle’ race team. Often found shredding the trails around the Ligurian coast with her partner Manuel Ducci, she is an ever smiling face on the international circuit. Super fast on a bike and passionate about women specific products, she brings a new perspective to the jury. It is time to introduce Valentina Macheda.
Anyone who has been to an Italian SuperEnduro will have witnessed first hand the success of the Life Cycle team! This passionate collective from San Remo are a group of dedicated bikers with a clear goal in mind: to promote and to develop Mountain Biking in the west coast of Liguria. Valentina followed the Enduro World Series circuit this year, bringing a unique women’s perspective to ENDURO Mountainbike Magazine and finished 13th overall.
Valentina will bring many things to the jury, with the riding skills to push products to the limit she will be essential in the testing process. However, where her feedback will be most valued is in the Women’s Specific category, where her vision, style and experience will be instrumental. With more and more women getting into the sport, products that are designed both for form and function, and meet the specific needs of female riders will become increasingly important. The industry is slowly learning that the ‘pink and shrink’ approach is not enough and we are seeing great developments in the female sector.
Travelling the world during the racing season with limited access to spare parts, she really needs and has to rely on the parts on her bike to enjoy some of the world’s finest single tracks to the maximum. This is why she highlights the reliability of products that can do both withstand a tough Enduro World Series as well as last a whole season.
Find out more info about the Design & Innovation Award 2015 and the other 5 members of the jury on our micro-site: dia2015.enduro-mtb.com
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