Interview Ricarda Bauernfeind

She only needed 13 race days to show that she's Germany's next big thing. Ricard Bauernfeind is one of the revelations of the first half of this season. The rider of Canyon//SRAM Generation finished 5th in the prestigious Thüringen Ladies Tour  where she almost won a stage. Strong performances in France & Spain added further value to these results. She turned 22 years old this year and is part of a new project in the sport. She tells you more about the team and herself through the nice chat that we had with her.

Your Spring campaign has been very succesful with many podium spots and even a victory, did you expect this yoursself before the season or are you also suprising yourself in the past months?

I didn't expect all these results. It was a big surprise for everyone in the team. We had a really good race calendar where we could learn and develop from race to race.

You're combining cycling with studies at the university. How do you manage to combine both on a high level?

For me it is always important to have a backup next to cycling. So i continue with my studies. I like my subjects so it's not that hard to motivate myself for university. Of course sometimes it's stressful but if you divide your time well, both is possible.

This season you became part of Canyon//SRAM generation. Can you tell us more about the goal of your team and how do you experience it yourself?

One of the goals of the team is to give riders from underrepresented countries an opportunity to race and to develop. The focus is not only on performance side but also on the personal side and how they can contribute to the team. For me it was also a new experience to meet riders from other continents but it's a really good learning process for everyone, because we are all different types of riders and everyone can learn from each other and support each other - on and off the bike.

You have 13 race days this season so far, where can we expect you racing in the second part of the season?

At the moment we have german championships and after that i'm racing the u23 European championships (ITT& Road race). After that i'm racing with my team in slovakia and hungary and we also do some stage races in France and Italy.

You consider yourself as a climber, do you see yourself as a rider for the hills classics or would you like to focus on the grand tours in the future too?

I'm not sure yet. But i think longer climbs suit me better than short ones so maybe the longer tours or some of the stage races in the Basque country in Spain... but we will see in the future. 

 

 

You were coaching yourself in the past years. How do you prepare your training methods? Did you do a lot of research or do you mainly use your instinct?

I already knew a lot from school and my studies about training. So i combined everything: my own experiences, my knowledge and also my instinct. But i decided every training very spontaneous so if i didn't have enough time because of university i did just a short hard zwift training. This season however, I have a coach who sets my training.

Do you follow a certain preparation during race days? Do you have certain habits or do you like to cheer yourself up by music for example?

In training i always listen to music, but on races it depends. Before a race i'm always quite nervous so i'm very concentrated, focused and sometimes in my own bubble.

What is the most beautiful aspect of the sport for you?

I love the feeling of giving 110% in the race. If you have a team around you i can work even harder. Beside the races themselves, cycling is a beautiful sport. You discover so many new places and get to know many new people and friends.