‘It’s hard to listen to a Swiss complain’

Professional mountain biker Ariane Lüthi has lived in South Africa for eight years. As a woman, she says, she has had to fight harder there than in Switzerland. The 35-year-old from the Bernese Oberland, who holds university degrees in sports, media science and history, thinks that a lot of Swiss who have never travelled don’t appreciate how much Switzerland has achieved when it comes to societal issues.  swissinfo.ch: When and why did you leave Switzerland?  Ariane Lüthi: I emigrated to South Africa at the end of 2010. Two months before leaving, I took part in a mountain bike stage race where I met my ex-husband. He was able to give me a contract to join his new mountain bike team as a professional. I emigrated to South Africa for love and the opportunity to turn my passion into my profession. swissinfo.ch: Was it a one-way trip or are you planning to come back one day? A.L.: When I left Switzerland and got married soon afterwards, I thought I'd probably stay in South ...