Nina Graf is the newest member of Trek-Unbroken XC!

Nina Graf, Trek-Unbroken XC’s newest rider, is on a perpetual quest of self-improvement. She finds motivation in everything: the good days, the bad days, the well-defined accomplishments — top 10s, podiums, wins — and the more nebulous ones. She just had the best season of her career at 27 years old, taking three World Cup top 10s including a personal-best seventh-place in Andorra, finishing ninth at World Championships, and winning the first Elite German national championship of her career.

Her secret seems to be that she’s always having fun. 

“The fun part is racing, for sure, but I also love the training process, getting better in form, improving day by day. That’s also motivating me.” Graf says. “And then, for sure, I’m a really competitive rider. Even playing cards, it’s crazy. I’m always competitive [laughs].”

To illustrate the point, Graf sends over a photo of her taking part in her first bike race ever at just three years old — sun shining, determination on her face, her mother running beside her (you can scroll to the bottom to see it.) She says her parents didn’t get her into the sport. She hopped on a bike because she needed to do what her big brother was doing.

Riding bikes was an activity for the whole family. It’s still a source of joy, even in the cold winter months. Offseason training in Germany isn’t for the faint of heart, and that may explain why Graf is one of the hardiest riders on the World Cup circuit. Nothing seems to faze her: Not the Olympic stage, not the ever-fiercer competition, and certainly not a bad day.

“Not every race is good. Or sometimes, like two years ago, it was demanding coming back from injury, because the results were not there. But then you give it some time, and then it’s so good when you just love to ride your bike, you know?” Graf says. “I’m not only riding my bike because I love winning. I just love mountain biking.”

Graf is ready to make some noise for the new-look Trek-Unbroken squad in 2026. She sat down for a Q&A about her approach to racing, goals for the season, and love of baking and economics. The following transcript has been edited for clarity and length.

What attracted you to Trek-Unbroken? It’s not the only big team on the circuit.

Graf: For me, it’s important that it’s not just racing. For sure, it’s a lot about racing, but it also depends on what’s next to the race track. And I feel like Trek has a perfect mix of that, of being really professional, but also having that aspect of knowing that athletes need a good space around them to perform.

Have you had a chance to interact with your new teammates and get to know them a little better?

Graf: Not yet. Just a bit of talking.

But it was funny in the last race this year, in Mont-Sainte-Anne, I was doing some laps with Gwendalyn [Gibson] and doing the race. And then at the finish line, she came to me and gave me a hug and said, ‘Oh yeah Nina, next year we’ll be racing together.’ 

It was a really successful season for you. You had multiple top 10s and a personal-best seventh-place World Cup finish in Andorra, plus a German national title. Do you have a favorite highlight or memory?

Graf: I had an amazing start in Brazil, finishing for the first time in the top eight — first time top 10 in a World Cup, actually. And then I felt like, ‘OK, that was a really good start, but let’s see what happens in Europe,’ because Europe is always something different. 

But then I just kept going to beat my results. I felt like I was in the flow. And also winning the German title — the first one in the elite category, actually — was so important for me. And I was so nervous for the race. 

And, yeah for sure Andorra was my personal best. And also World Champs [finishing ninth]. I can’t really pick one out. The consistency was, for me, a big goal, and to achieve that was really good for myself. 

Why’s that?

Graf: Last year with the Olympics was such a special year, but it’s so exhausting for the mind to focus on one big race and performing there. And afterwards, I felt so tired. So this year, I was like, ‘OK, Nina, just keep it good, on a high level, but nothing crazy so that your mind and your body are still in a good shape at the end of the season.’ I got a bit tired at the end, and the last two World Cups were not how I wished [laughs]. But I would say I gave it all I had.

How you described the Olympics seems to be something a lot of athletes deal with. It’s a ton of pressure, and afterwards it can be hard to recover from both physically and mentally. 

Graf: Yes. The Olympics were so great. What did I finish? 16th or something like that. [Ed. note: Correct!] Nothing crazy. But I feel like either you are at the Olympics racing for medals, or your goal is just to be there. And it was my first Olympics, so my goal was just to be at the Olympics, soaking it all up and learning for the next Olympics. And it was in Paris, so it’s three or four hours by train from my home, and a lot of friends came by and so on. So we also did some partying after the Olympics for two days, and it was amazing. 

So it was a great week, and then coming home, I got married that same week. So it was a really crazy seven days, I can’t tell you.

And then I don’t know. I didn’t really realize that I was tired mentally because I was on a high. And then I was in a training camp for Worlds in Andorra for three weeks. And then two days before Worlds, I was sitting there and saying, ‘I don’t know what I’m doing here.’ 

I felt like I was in a bubble and didn’t know where to go. I didn’t feel like I had a strong goal. I wanted to finish top 10 or top 15 or I don’t know, but it didn’t feel like I had prepared for that race, even though I had spent three weeks in a training camp. It’s crazy what’s going on with your mind after such a big race.

My goal was finishing differently this year and learning from that. And I mean, that’s the best you can do, learning from the past years.

It seems like you do a particularly good job of that. Every year it seems like you find ways to get a little bit better, which is especially impressive in a sport where the competition and the racing is constantly getting stronger and faster. How do you think you’ve been able to sustain that steady improvement?

Graf: Yes, every year it gets harder. And it’s funny, because at the beginning of the season last year, I set my goal as finishing consistently in the top 10. And then I was sitting before the first World Cup and looking at the start list, and was thinking, ‘Oh shit, how many riders can actually make the top 10?’ It’s crazy.

But in the race, I don’t think about that, because we are starting all at the same line. Every race is new. Everyone is trying, but no one is fixed.

And I don’t know, I really love to improve myself. The fun part is racing, for sure, but I also love the training process, getting better in form, improving day by day. That’s also motivating me, you know? And then, for sure, I’m a really competitive rider. Playing cards, it’s crazy. I’m always competitive [laughs]. 

I feel like every season motivates me more, and I’m always a bit hungry for better results. After this year, now I’m facing that podium finish, and that’s so motivating.

Setting well defined goals seems to really drive you. So what does success look like in Year 1 with Trek?

Graf: For me, goals are important because they keep you going on the hard days. When it’s cold outside — like right now, it’s freezing cold — or bad weather, then you need the goals, because you need to know why you are doing it. 

But as I said, my big goal is chasing a podium spot. And I feel as prepared as can be with a team around me like I never had before. I’m not stressed about it because goals are for chasing, and you never know when they will happen. They don’t have to happen at the first race. They can also happen at the end of the season, or at the middle, or we don’t know. But I know that I have the best surroundings. So I think they can happen. 

But success, for me, is not only the results. A big success is how I improve over the last year. Sometimes you don’t see the success only in results, but it counts like in the results, and sometimes it’s so much more. 

Have you had a chance to get familiar with the bike? Obviously it’s something very different. What were your first impressions?

Graf: I have to be so careful, because I’m not allowed to show anything on socials. I have to be careful when I do a selfie [laughs], but I love it. 

With RockShox Flight Attendant, I never have had that. So on the first ride, I had to stop a few times to make adjustments and get used to it. So it’s good to have the bikes now to have the time without any stress to get used to it. But I’m really loving it.

Yeah, I imagine transitioning to Flight Attendant would take some time.

Graf: The bike is doing stuff on its own, so you have to trust it, first of all. When you’re going downhill, you have to trust that it will open the shock. My heart rate was 10 times higher the first time [laughs]. 

But now it’s good. You have so many options you can choose. It feels good. It’s easy. You don’t have to do anything.

But also I’m really happy that it’s November right now and I can test it, and I have still a few months to go to the first race.

Changing gears a bit, what might people be surprised by or would like to know about you off the bike? 

Graf: When I’m at home, I always love seeing friends and my family. This is the hardest point for me being so often away, because I’m really someone who loves playing games in the evenings, and spending time with friends. Basically, when I’m in Freiburg, I do that a lot. 

And also, I love to bake a lot, and it’s good that I have my husband, because I can bake as much as I want and he always eats it [laughs]. I love baking. It’s so relaxing for me. 

I love other sports, but when you train so much, I’m too tired. I’m a winter kid, so I love skiing. I also love cross country skiing and mixing that into my training schedule. I love hiking in the offseason, and I love just going outside. 

And when I find time, I’m studying. I’m hoping that I’ll be finishing my degree when I’m finishing off my career so that I have my bachelor’s. I’m studying economics.

What drew you to economics?

Graf: I did an apprenticeship as a bank clerk, and I learned a lot about finance. And economics, it’s so important for our environment and for our life. Not many people know a lot about what’s going on behind all the little shops and so on. But also, all over the world, with the big picture economics, how our countries are reacting to each other. And I really love mathematics. So yeah, I just like to know more about the system.

What are you most looking forward to next year?

Graf: For me, it’s my first time in a factory team. You can imagine. I have the best support as I have never had before. So that’s really exciting. And getting to know the new teammates. I really look forward to the first team camp, racing with them there and chasing the goals for myself and for the team. And yeah, improving again.

And I’m really curious about the first World Cup in South Korea. It’s a completely new culture, so this is really exciting. But then I’m also really looking forward to the European World Cups, where I know what awaits me [laughs]. 

Finally, tell me about this photo:

Graf: It’s my first bike race. So everything started there. I was two or three years old. It’s pretty early to start racing bikes, but it was not because my mom or dad told me, ‘Nina, you should do that.’ It was because my older brother did bike racing, and I was always like, ‘Ah, what my big brother is doing, I also want to do.’ I really wanted to race bikes, and it was fun, and somehow I’m still doing it. 

It is a big family sport for us. We always did it together. So for me, bike racing is so much more. It’s not just about the result. For me, it’s also the places it takes me, and also the training rides and so on. I really love its freedom, and it’s good to look back on why you started. 

Did you spend a lot of time riding bikes as a family?

Graf: Yeah, we did it a lot. All our holidays were with bikes. Also now I love to go for bike rides with my friends, doing it together and having a good time outside. That’s why I love mountain biking. Not every race is good. Or sometimes, like two years ago, it was demanding coming back from injury, because the results were not there. But then you give it some time, and then it’s so good when you just love to ride your bike, you know? I’m not only riding my bike because I love winning. I just love mountain biking.