While one might think that winning the Olympics in your sport of choice would be the only thing you need to achieve a life of fame, fortune, and acclaim, it appears that charmed life hasn’t panned out for Jenny Rissveds. Despite her incredible accomplishments culminating in an Olympic gold medal, Jenny has faced serious challenges such as a sponsorship disagreement with the Swedish Cycling Federation that resulted in her missing the 2017 World Champs, and losing both of her grandfathers within a short period of time. “As a result, Jenny faced mental issues holding her back from racing for a good part of the 2017 race season,” according to a press release from Scott Sports.
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Rissveds has not fully recovered from those challenges, and with the 2018 season starting soon, “she has come to the conclusion that it is better for her to first fully recover and then think about a comeback as opposed to trying to fulfill obligations that she can’t keep up with,” according to the release. Consequently, Jenny has resigned from the SCOTT-SRAM race team. She informed Thomas Frischknecht, director of the SCOTT-SRAM team, and he released her from her contract immediately.
“The whole mountain bike scene and in particular the SCOTT-SRAM Team is tremendously sad about what has happened to Jenny,” said Frischknecht. “In order to get healthy again and to be free of any kind of obligations I not only respect Jenny’s decision, I believe it is the best way for Jenny to find her way back to a balanced life. I truly believe she will be back at some point and I hope that we can help her on her journey. Our team’s door will always be wide open for Jenny to come back whenever she wants to.”
”I am very thankful for the years I have had with Thomas and the SCOTT-SRAM Team,” said Rissveds. “They have provided me with unique and vital support. Without Thomas and the team, I would have never done what I have been able to do on the bike over the last few years. I also want to thank SCOTT Sports for their un-wavering support and belief in me, especially throughout the last year. I would love to stay a part of the team but to be part of a team you need to contribute and unfortunately, I am simply not able to do so at the moment. It hasn’t been an easy decision, but I am convinced this is for the best for all parties involved and that this will provide me with the best conditions for coming back, better and stronger than ever.”
With impressive wins that include the 2016 Rio Olympics, the U23 World Championships in 2016, and the U23 World Cup in 2015, we hope that Rissveds will fully recover and we’ll be able to see her talent shine on the world stage once again.
