From The Heart of Mazovia

 

Which region can be so lucky to be represented by the best continental team in Europe? The Polish region of Mazovia in 2020! Mazowsze Serce Polski came on top of the rankings in 2020 and has the  ambition to do the same in 2021. You won't have to travel to Warsaw to see the men in red. They will also race in France, Belgium, Holland, Denmark, Turkey, the Balkans, Hungary and off course in Poland itself. Let's get to know them already a bit before you meet them!

 

Victories in Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Serbia and Bosnia. The team was a powerhouse in South-Eastern Europe last season. There were only few races left last year on the calendar and the team took their chances with both hands. In 2021, the team will try to keep setting new step forwards, targeting good results in other parts of Europe as well. The national Tours of Denmark & Hungary are the biggest races on the scheldule so far. 

 

The Squad

Pawel Bernas and Alan Banaszek are the most famous names in the squad for a few years now. Pawel Bernas already has experience on the World Tour level and Alan Banaszek has been one of the most talented Polish sprinters for a few years now. 

 

Mazowsze Serce Polski also signed a few new riders for 2021 that could bring the team to a higher level. Piotr Brozyna is the new GC rider of the team. He grew up in the Polish mountains and has already achieved many good results in Central-European riders despite his still young age. The Budzinski brothers come from the mountainbiking scenes. Marcin and Tomasz will discover their level on the road this season too. Marceli Bogusławski will target the prologues this season. The new young riders will also find a new road captain in Adam Stachowiak. Filip Prokopyszyn had many good results on the track and in 2021 he'll also do road cycling on a higher level.

 

A noticable rider in the squad is Karol Domagalski. In 2019, he had a very bad crash. His life was in danger and he even went in coma.  He came back to cycling very quickly and found the motivation very soon despite the horrible consequences of the crash. His goal : Winning the stage where he had his accident.

A big family

You might know the family companies in your region but Mazovia even has a family team. Team Manager Dariusz Banaszek has two sons in the team. Adrian and Norbert also have a cousin in the team. Alan is the son of the brother of Dariusz Banaszek. Marcin and Tomasz Budzinskiare twins and Tobiasz Pawlak is the son of sports director Wojciech Pawlak. 

The Mazowsze Serce Polski team seems to be ready for making 2021 an even better year now with developing talents and good transfers. We will still have to wait the outcome of their races but they are once again of the favourites to be among the best continental teams in the world again.

 

Column Doris Schweizer #1

 

Hi, 

I`m Doris Schweizer and I`ll write for cyclingbottle about being a pro cyclist and my life around it. Pro cyclist? Well, I also have a fulltime job besides what my competitors call their profession and that`s where I`ll start my first blog. Life balance, life lessons and happiness.

Most of you know me as one of the best domestiques, a „badass“ racer or as one of those who spoke up against Campana. I`m a 5-times National Champion, but I don`t like to speak about my achievements, you can ask google if you want to know. In 2017 I disappeared for a year from the racing scene to rebuild myself both physically and emotionally from a burn-out and a severe head injury. That`s when I made the decision to not return as a full-time pro cyclist. I closed this chapter without any regrets – I lived the „dream“ to its fullest but my desire for independency and freedom of opinion weren`t compatible with this business. 

I found out I wasn`t made to live the life of a full-time athlete! Don`t get me wrong, I know I was gifted with enough talent, dedication and passion, I had it all. But as a Worldtour-rider you are not supposed to help the mechanic, the soigneurs or the staff. I really struggled a lot with this – those little things (which mean a whole lot to me) drove me crazy in my mind, like really crazy. 

I surely was living a dream, it just wasn`t mine, and it almost destroyed me. A devastating realization. I wanted to make my happiness and health a priority. 

 I am currently riding for the US-team „Illuminate“ and I am a fulltime shiftleader for a fastfood company. Yeah I know that`s a pretty big contrast. I love that.

Combining professional cycling and fulltime shiftwork means you have neither weekends nor days off – not even thinking about a holiday! 

It means you have to train in the dark (either early morning or late night) or in the cold because you can`t go to trainingcamps in the warmth. 

In 2020 I rode about 25`000kms and spent around 900hrs on the bike. That`s about 18hrs/week on top of working 40hrs/week. From time to time I ask myself why I am doing this... Isn`t it torture? Every single time I could say from the bottom of my heart: because it makes me happy! The most beautiful gift life can give you!

When I signed for „Illuminate“, it felt like an environment where I could give back to this sport and to society while having the chance to pursue my dreams all in one! I am very excited for what 2021 has to offer – it surely will challenge us!! I am more than ready – even tough I have no idea when this pandemic plans to let the season start...!! 

 Interview Lisa Brennauer

Time trial worldchampion, German champion, winner of la Vuelta and podium spots in cobble classics. It seems like an unusual combination  but Lisa Brennauer did it all in only a few years. The 32 years old German rider is one of the best time trial riders of her generation and her sprint and stamina are more then decent as well. This will be her 3th season for the Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling Team, where she will be one of the leaders again. The Bavarian rider shares her experiences and tells about her feelings during those big moments. Let's relive them once again together with her.

 

This season you managed top 10 spots in every classic or championship and you finished twice on the podium of a big cobble classic. Did you ever feel better during your classic campaign?

Well it’s hard to say. Usually all those races are in a completely different time of the year, but what I know is that when they took place in 2020 I definitely felt ready.

This season was short but intense, was it hard to adjust or did it make it easier for you to keep a strong form for a longer period of time?

It has been different, especially mentally, because every race was directly a World Tour race or a Championships race, plus you had to time racing and recovering very well to be at the best possible shape on the highlights.

You've won La Vuelta for the second year in a row. Do you believe that this race could grow to a second grand tour and do you think that it would be good for women's cycling?

I think it’s a race with great potential to grow to a grand tour. At the moment it’s still pretty short with 3 stages, but it’s going to be exciting to see how this race will develop.

This year you became the German national champion. How does it feel to wear the German colours every race?

It’s very special to be national Champion. It’s of course the races, but it’s also every single day that you open the wardrobe and put on this beautiful jersey for your training ride. It’s a great motivation every day, reminds me about achieved goals, future goals and has helped me a lot in the lockdown times as well.

In 2014, you became almost worldchampion in the road race. How many times did you think about that sprint afterwards?

I thought about it many times. What if…, but then I also realised that I still became second when I thought I wouldn’t make it anymore. Then I look back to this whole week where I’ve been the most successful athlete of those World Championships and that things turned out the way they had to. I had become World Champion in those Championships twice and it made me happy, that’s what counts. It’s not about another title or another jersey, it’s about being happy. 

You became worldchampion in the time trial in the same year. Can you tell me how you experienced that ride and the year in the rainbowjersey?

It’s been a great ride. I knew the circuit so well, I knew every corner, every little bump and I had a clear strategy how to approach the race. It’s just been a question about whether this day would become my day. I knew I had the power and mind to be able to go for a medal. I remember the minutes waiting for the last rider Ellen van Dijk to cross the line to have this last confirmation that I had really won this race and I still get goosebumps thinking back to those moments. I enjoyed every ride in my rainbow colours, every training, every race. It’s been the best award for all the hard work to achieve this.

 

Which races did you enjoy the most so far in your carreer?

I love the spring classics, the roads, their brutal character, the enthusiasm of spectators.

You've been in the sport for over 10 years now. Do you feel that things changed since then? How do you see the future?

Women’s cycling has developed a lot from when I entered the professional side of the sport until now. The infrastructure of teams, the strength in depth to mention first, but also races are getting more visible on tv and online. There’s progress in all means but it’s also still lots of potential for future development.

What are your goals for 2021?

Of course, it’s the Olympic Games that are in the focus of my 2021 season, but there are many beautiful steps along the way. The spring classics are my first big goal, National Championships and World Championships are always highlights. I’m looking forward to it.

Thanks for the interview, Lisa!