Considering herself as a climber, 21-year-old Ricarda Bauernfeind also showed she has a burst of speed after she took home a bronze medal from a bunch sprint at the German national road championships in 2021. Competing on the track at a junior level, Ricarda has coached herself for the last three years while focusing on her university studies.

“When I was racing in the junior class it was always my dream to become a pro cyclist, but I felt like I was never really good enough to do the next step. I decided to focus more on studying at university and do some races just for fun. The last three years I didn‘t have a coach and I planned my training myself alongside my studies and trained alone. In 2021 I could achieve many good results so I thought maybe it is still possible to have a career with cycling. Now here I am!”