The BIKE Junior Team was pleased to welcome a few new members last year, including Paulina Lange and Elias Hückmann (both U17). In this interview, the two tell us how they got into cycling, what their greatest successes were and where you can find them when they're not on their bikes. We also wanted to know what goals they are pursuing in cycling and how all the stress affects their school performance.
BIKE: How did you get into cycling and mountain biking and when did you realise that you were pretty good?
Elias: When I was 6/7 years old, I looked with my parents to see what sports clubs there were in the neighbourhood and that's how I got into mountain biking. I thought it was pretty cool straight away. Even in my first competitions (regional cups), I was always at the front right from the start.
Paulina: My siblings were already riding, which is how I got into mountain biking. I really enjoyed my first races from U7 or U9 onwards. That's why I stuck with it.
BIKE: Do you ride other disciplines besides cross-country?
Paulina: I occasionally ride a small marathon, but really only XCO.
Elias: In winter I ride the German Cyclocross Championships, but otherwise only cross-country.
BIKE: How did you come to join the BIKE Junior Team? Was there any kind of scouting?
Elias: I was asked by team boss Bernd at a race whether I would like to ride for the team.
Paulina: Bernd also asked me, I think he called us.
BIKE: What are your goals with the BIKE Junior Team and what are your individual goals? Do you want to become a pro one day?
Paulina: I've always dreamed of becoming a professional. My goal is to get through the junior teams well over the next few years and then see what else I can do.
Elias: My goal is definitely to turn pro, otherwise I wouldn't be training so much. Over the next few years, I also want to get to know team life and gain new experiences with the team.
BIKE: You are riders in different age groups. Does that mean that everyone rides for themselves in the end or is there also a team classification?
Elias: In the races, everyone rides on their own. However, there was a team relay at the last European Championships. Max, Paulina and I rode for the BIKE Junior Team. The race rankings, i.e. what counts, are individual.
BIKE: Do you feel any kind of pressure to perform? Especially when a race doesn't go as planned.
Paulina: Of course you're disappointed when things don't go the way you expected. But then you have to keep your head up and go full throttle again at the next race.
BIKE: What's it like with the pressure to perform? If things don't go well for a long time, you're probably out, right?
Paulina: If I have a bad race, I don't immediately think: "Shit, now I haven't done well in two races, I'll soon be out of the team!". If things don't go so well for a while, you just have to keep at it. But you don't get kicked out straight away.
Elias: Bernd and the whole team try to support and motivate you. He doesn't say: "Colleague, next time you're out if you don't drive well!". That's why there's no great pressure to perform.
BIKE: Elias, you and Max are in the same age group. Is there competition between the two of you?
Elias: I don't feel any great competitive pressure. We tend to support each other in races. For example, we had a race in Switzerland at the beginning of the season and we rode together almost the whole time and pushed each other. I think we allow each other to be successful, especially when one of us has a better day than the other.
BIKE: Your sister Lucie also rides for the BIKE Junior Team. How is your relationship with her? It's sometimes difficult at that age...
Elias: In general, it's fine. I also train with her from time to time. But not as often as I used to, because the intervals and performance are too different.
BIKE: Generally speaking, what does a normal week look like for you with training, school, etc.?
Paulina: I go to school, come home, eat something, go training, then do something for school or maybe with friends. If there's a sighting at the weekend (national youth sighting), I usually travel there on Friday.
Elias: After school, I eat something and then have a chill-out phase where I don't actually do anything until the afternoon. Then I usually go to the gym. In between, I have time to do my homework or study a bit. I usually go to the races on Fridays.
BIKE: Do you train every day and do you have a competition every weekend?
Elias: This year, the number of competitions is limited. Last year, I think there were almost twice as many. I don't train every day either. I have one or two rest days during the week. On some training days, only mobility or strength training is on the programme. You can also do the sessions flexibly at 8.00 pm in the gym.
BIKE: What does training look like for you? What do you train and do you train as a team or individually?
Elias: The training is individual, simply because we all live in different places. I do a lot of basic training, intervals and technique. That's the most important thing.
Paulina: I also usually have one or two rest days during the week and mainly train foundation, intervals and technique. Especially on weekends when there is no competition, you can also do a lot of foundation training.
BIKE: What does a race day or weekend look like?
Elias: I'm actually always on site on Fridays. I take a look at the course and generally familiarise myself with the terrain. On Saturdays, for example, there are so-called preliminary competitions in the national junior classification, such as slalom, time trials or a technical parkour. You have to watch that too, although these preliminary competitions are not so important to me personally. I attach much more importance to XCO. If the race is on Sunday, I do a pre-race on Saturday to prepare my body for the next day. On race day, I usually sleep in, eat something, warm up and then ride the race.
BIKE: There have been quite a few competitions on the programme in the last few weeks. How many do you have in total this year?
Paulina: I'm taking a bit of a break over the summer holidays. To be honest, I don't know how many competitions there are in total this year...
Elias: This year, we are all taking part in five national junior trials. I did a test race at the start of the season to see what form I was in. Then, as I said, I did a race in Switzerland with Max and then the European Championships and the race in Maribor (where the EYOF took place). So I should have done about nine races.
Paulina: I think I have two or three more. I also did the race in Switzerland at the beginning of the year, but then went to South Tyrol and Switzerland again. There were also a few other smaller races in my neighbourhood. So that was probably 13, 14 or even 15 races in total.
BIKE: What about breaks in general? Is there such a thing as a standardised summer or winter break or do you all have different days off?
Paulina: It's a bit different for everyone. As I said, we all live quite far apart, so I might be racing in a fortnight and Elias might not. Generally speaking, there's less going on in the summer holidays.
BIKE: Elias, last week you were at the European Youth Olympic Festival and won silver for Germany. So are you also a national rider?
Elias: Yes, exactly.
BIKE: How did it come about? Were you invited or how can one imagine that?
Elias: You will be observed at the national junior races. Of course, the overall ranking and the race results are also important. The strongest male and female rider from the U17 at the time are selected. For the men, that was me :-).
BIKE: So there is no German team, just one rider per gender?
Elias: Exactly, in mountain biking one rider is invited at a time, i.e. one male and one female. In road cycling, on the other hand, three male and three female riders are invited.
BIKE: What does it feel like to ride for your own country?
Elias: It is of course a very good feeling to ride for Germany and wear the German jersey. It was a huge honour for me because you can only take part in the EYOF once, as it only takes place every two years.
BIKE: Are there any other races that you do for Germany or do you do all the others for the BIKE Junior Team?
Elias: The remaining races are for the BIKE Junior Team. From the U19 level, if there is a national squad, you will ride for Germany at the European Championships or World Championships if you are nominated.
Paulina: But there is also the TFJV (Trophée de France des Jeunes Vététistes), where you also race for Germany.
BIKE: If you look back on everything you have already achieved in mountain biking, can you say what your greatest success was?
Paulina: For me, it's definitely the two third places at the German Championships. Two top 10 results at the European Championships were also pretty cool and I'm also happy about the individual results at the triage. For example, the Double victory with Lucie last year in Gedern.
Elias: I've had my biggest successes in the past two weeks: European champion and silver at the EYOF. But of course the title of German runner-up and top results in the BNS are also part of it.
BIKE: Elias, you were "only" European runner-up last year. You've just mentioned that you were also German runner-up and won silver at the EYOF. Did it annoy you to always come second?
Elias: Yes, definitely. The European Championship title is another upgrade on the second place. But of course I was also very happy about the silver medals and am extremely proud of them.
BIKE: A completely different topic: Your bikes are sponsored by BULLS. Are other materials and accessories also sponsored?
Elias: Ultimately, everything you need is sponsored. So all the equipment, such as helmets, shoes, but also spare parts.
BIKE: Is all this sponsored by the team or do you also have personal sponsors?
Paulina: For us, everything has actually come from the team so far, and we all have the same material.
BIKE: What about prize money and bonuses? Do you get money for a successful race?
Elias: There is already prize money at the national junior races. This usually amounts to 50 to 60 euros. But once there was also 80 euros. At races like the European Championships, however, there is no money for us. As far as I know, the bonuses then come in the higher age groups.
BIKE: Away from cycling, what do you do when you're not on the bike? Paulina, I've already seen that you do cross-country skiing.
Paulina: Yes, exactly. That's actually my second big thing. In winter, I'm on my cross-country skis all the time - at least when there's snow here. But I also go scooter training in summer, because I really enjoy the variety.
BIKE: What do you enjoy more? XCO or cross-country skiing?
Paulina: I can't say for sure, but I think I tend to favour cycling.
Elias: I mainly spend my free time with friends, but I also enjoy riding enduro and downhill in bike parks. I particularly enjoy the variety.
BIKE: We mentioned the subject of school earlier. Does your school performance suffer because you spend so much time training and competing or is it easy to reconcile?
Paulina: That's actually really okay for me. Especially when there's a competition at the weekend and I'm already travelling on Fridays, my friends take the documents with them. But of course we would have more time for school if we weren't cycling.
Elias: This year it was a bit daft because I only had my main subjects like economics, English and German on Friday and not on any other day of the week. Because of the competitions, I didn't feel like I was at school on Fridays. But in the end, I was always able to catch up on my studies and didn't have any lower grades than in previous years.
BIKE: One final question: When is your next race coming up or are you taking a break now?
Paulina: The next, bigger race is the last sighting in Bad Tabarz, sometime in September (the XCO race of the Fifth BNS in Bad Tabarz takes place on 24 September). I haven't planned what else I'm going to race until then. Probably one or two smaller races to prepare after such a long break. Otherwise, this is the last big race of the year.
BIKE: Many thanks to both of you for your time and good luck for the fifth national young riders' competition in Bad Tabarz!
The questions were asked by Lukas Niebuhr
Lukas Niebuhr
Working student
