Life as a professional athlete demands a lot from mountain bikers. The cross-country discipline requires not only riding technique and fitness, but also the right mindset. High training volumes and numerous races throughout the year require a great deal of stamina and determination. School-age racers also face completely different challenges. How compatible are A-levels and a career as an athlete? We asked 17-year-old Paulina Lange and 14-year-old Benjamin Huber to answer these and other exciting questions. Both are competing in the extremely successful BIKE Junior Team to the starting line of international XC youth races. Team manager Bernd Sigl also let us take a look at his cards and reveals what makes young athletes tick.
The cross-country discipline is becoming more and more demanding. The earlier kids start, the sooner they can learn the necessary automatisms and develop tactical skills. It is only over the years that the wheat is separated from the chaff. As is the case everywhere in cycling, at some point the hard-working kids with the right physical abilities and the willingness to put in the effort end up further and further ahead. - Bernd Sigl, Team Manager BIKE Junior Team
Profiles of young talents
Paulina Lange
She is about to graduate from high school and still wants to give it her all again in her fourth season with the BIKE Junior Team. Paulina Lange already has two bronze medals at the German Championships and two top ten finishes at European Championships to her name. This year she is competing in the U19 category.
- Age: 17 years
- Age group: U19
- Size: 169 cm
- Weight: 57 kg
Benjamin Huber
Benjamin Huber's first year with the BIKE Junior Team was immediately crowned with success. Last season, he not only finished fourth at the European Youth XC Championships in Sweden, but also became German Cyclocross Champion. For 2025, the thoroughbred cyclist from Rosenheim wants to attack in the U17 class.
- Age: 14
- Age group: U17
- Height: 187 cm
- Weight: 67 kg
Underage professionals
It's like talking to a World Cup athlete. Training plan? Of course! What does it take to win? Discipline, perseverance and self-confidence! Benjamin Huber is just 14 years old. However, he talks about his fitness routines as if he already had 15 years in the professional camp behind him. He briefly interrupted his session on the roller for our interview. "The guy is a real bike nerd and soaks up every detail like a sponge," summarises his team manager Bernd Sigel. Benny was already racing cross-country in the U7 class, emulating his big sister.
Team colleague Paulina Lange was also born into a mountain bike family. She also spends a good 14 hours a week on her bike. In addition, she does up to four hours of strength training and cross-country skiing in the off-season. Other young people only devote that much time to their smartphones. Paulina has her A-levels coming up: "I have to study in the evenings. Every training session brings me closer to my goals." She has her eye on the big ones. Her role models go by the names of Evie Richards and Matthieu van der Poel.
Teamwork makes the dream work
Paulina and Benjamin ride for the BIKE Junior Team. There they follow in the footsteps of many internationally successful cyclists, such as the German elite champion Leonie Daubermann or the Cape Epic winner Georg Egger. Since its foundation in 2010, the youth team has been one of the best in Germany. At the level that Paulina and Benny have already reached at a young age, a team is indispensable. Not only from a financial perspective. With around 20 race weekends a year plus training camps and team camps, the community of close-knit families is a huge advantage.
In addition to contracts and target agreements, personal relationships also create commitment. "Changing teams shouldn't be like changing your pants," says Sigel. If a lull in motivation does occur, the close contact with the racing drivers of the same age helps to get through it. When Sigel calls, the first question is always about health. The second is about school. Only then is it about cycling. "If the youngsters don't perform well in the race, the reasons almost always lie outside of training," says the manager.
A-levels? I can manage that too. An XC career would be the dream. - Paulina Lange, BIKE Junior Team
The key to success
Even adults are rarely as reflective as the young racers. Paulina is not only talented, but also hard-working. In the past, she has occasionally struggled in the start phase of competitions, sometimes lacking the "killer instinct" to put her own stamp on the race. Timing the pre-race training session earlier and working with a mental coach have brought progress. Benjamin sometimes has to be slowed down by his parents so as not to train too much. The 1.87 metre tall ninth grader has a biological advantage of around two years and an extremely strong motor. However, tall teenagers can struggle with their own lankiness. That's why Benny always asks for riding technique training and knows that coordination development must be a key element.
His classmates don't really understand what cross country actually is. Downhill and bike park yes, but riding uphill? Many young people are sceptical. Paulina's peer group is already a few years older. Friends admire her self-control during the exam phase. For her, training is also a chance to clear her head. Unlike the World Cup pro, she still has to go to school.
Jan Timmermann
Editor
