MTB News: From May 17th to 19th, 2019, the Mercedes-Benz UCI Mountain Bike World Cup will be in Albstadt. Ronja Eibl, who has been cared for and trained by Bernhard Mast-Sindlinger since her school days, is also a beacon of hope in German mountain bike sport and a local hero. In an interview between the training camp on Gran Canaria and the preparations for the Abitur, the ambassador for the 2020 World Cup spoke about her goals and expectations, but also about setbacks.
Ronja, would you have thought that you would be able to hit the ground running in your first U23 year?
No. I didn't even know where to put myself. Sure, you think about it and compare yourself to those who moved up from juniors a year earlier, but it's all vague. That's why I wasn't expecting that much. Of course, I was all the happier that it went so well.
Did you increase the training workload from 2017 to 2018 or where did the boost in performance come from?
I would say that I have made a leap in performance. You can already see that in tests, although, to be honest, it doesn't mean that much to me. But I put less pressure on myself in the youngest year and didn't have to expect as much from myself. I think that helped too. Otherwise we did a lot more basic training because it was about adapting to the longer race distance. As a result, I didn't get the lactate up as much.
You speak of expectations. What did you have for 2018?
I already had specific goals in mind, and you have to have them. A target agreement is made with the BDR (Association of German Cyclists). But I never handed them in 🙂 Something always came up and then I forgot about them. I found her again recently. I have to say, I underestimated myself a lot 🙂
... and for 2019?
Sure, now I would like to be consistently in the top five (in the U23 World Cup) and aim for the World Cup podium. The same applies to the European and World Championships and defending my German championship title in the U23s. These are lofty goals, but they are not impossible to achieve. I need the encouragement. But let's see, not everything has to work out.
Ironically, at the home world cup in Albstadt, you had one of your few negative experiences in 2018.
Yes, that was very frustrating. I was so excited for this race. So many people came because of me, I was very excited it was going so well and then something like that happened. And it wasn't even my fault.
The other side of the coin Top-class sport, that remarkably fast lap at the World Championship relay race in Lenzerheide, did that put you under pressure for the individual race?
Phew, no, not really. Of course I was happy, but above all it gave me more security. I usually think a lot before championships.
Especially in national and international title fights, things often went wrong with you in the past...
Yes. Illnesses, defects, falls. I don't know if you can attribute that to championships in general. Maybe it was just a stupid coincidence, but my coach thinks that I often put myself under too much pressure.
And are you in better control now?
At least I've learned not to panic if something doesn't go as I imagined during the preparation. From experiences like for example in Haiming the year before. Everything went wrong the day before and the race was still good. Being relaxed is simply more beneficial.
Are you generally the type who thinks a lot?
In hindsight rather not, more before. I think a lot, especially in the spring. Even now. Others have raced before and I wonder if I can keep up.
You now have to deal with the Abitur exams.
Yes, but I think I can do it 🙂 Don't expect too much from the first races. In terms of training, I haven't had to give up so far, but I suspect that mentally I'm still lagging behind.
That is often underestimated.
Yes, but then the Easter holidays will come and I will have some distance. There is still enough time until the World Cup in Albstadt.
Key word: Mercedes-Benz UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in Albstadt. What are your plans for May 19th?
I definitely don't want to have a defect and finish on the podium. In terms of profile, the track suits me and I have a home advantage, even if I don't train on it very often.
Are you also looking forward to the 2020 World Cup in Albstadt?
Yes, that keeps coming up. I'm happy that I can do the World Championship as a home race. Who can? It would be nice to get a very good result there, maybe even for the (U23) title. I think that I will also prepare differently for it. Usually at the beginning of the year I'm still bobbing around 🙂 , then the training is different.
2020 is also the Olympic year. You are already being traded as one of several candidates. Is that an issue for you?
Yes, yes. The national coach has already spoken to me about it. It's all about getting two grid positions. It would be cool if I could experience it, it will also bring something for the future. But to be honest, I don't even know the criteria for me as a U23 driver.
You beat Elisabeth Brandau twice in September.
Bundesliga races should not be rated too highly in this context. I can be very fast when it comes to a climax, but I know that Lisa (Brandau) and Adel (Morath) can also be super fast. I'm still a long way from the elite.
At the beginning of this year you switched from the local team Gonso-Simplon to the professional team Corendon-Circus. Won't you be in the shadow of Dutch superstar Mathieu van der Poel?
I think that's mainly an advantage for me. When the focus is 90 percent one person, I can do my thing in the background. In my first year in a professional team, that's definitely good for me. But I am very curious how this will all go.
You have also made yourself available as an ambassador for the 2020 World Cup. Do you like being the center of attention?
I can't even answer that. I've never really been the focus of attention. Maybe I would get used to it, but it can certainly be annoying.
Let's hope we didn't annoy you too much and thank you for the interview.