Helen Grobert's last public post on her social media pages was on 18 March. "Last ride done", the 26-year-old wrote under the picture she posted on Instagram from Stellenbosch, South Africa. A few days earlier, she had achieved her best World Cup result to date: 4th place in the cross-country elite! The significance of her words back then would only become clear later. Helen Grobert hasn't ridden in a major mountain bike race since then, although she was obviously in top physical condition.
Yesterday, on 12 June 2018, the reigning German runner-up once again addressed her "bike family" on Instagram. Unfortunately, with a sad message for the German mountain bike sport. Alongside the photo of her smiling happily into the camera with her younger sister Hannah, she announced her retirement from professional cycling. Health reasons were responsible for the fact that she would "no longer be cycling for the foreseeable future". Her "body and mind" urgently needed "a break". That was all we learnt.
Helen Grobert thus ends the weeks of mystery surrounding her break from competition. Neither she nor her family, nor her employer, the Cannondale Factory Racing Team, have made any concrete statements on the matter. It remains to be seen whether Helen Grobert will ever return to the professional sporting stage and when.
Sebastian Brust
Editor
