What has changed since Tokyo… and other frequently asked questions

I’m a bit late to the party in sharing this, but I thought I’d give a little insight into my life and everything that happened since Tokyo by writing down the replies to some of the “frequently asked questions” that I got over the last few months. Here we go:

What has changed in your life since Tokyo?

Everything ;) . I actually went from being a full-time researcher in mathematics (with cycling as a hobby) to being a professional cyclist. It wasn’t an easy step to take - and actually in the first weeks after Tokyo I still thought I could continue to lead my life as before. But then I realized how much time and energy all the media and sponsor business would take up, and that I would either have to “disappear” and not exist as an Olympic Champion or instead embrace the new opportunities that have opened up. I chose the latter.

Do you miss mathematics?

Sometimes yes. Sometimes I feel like I’m not exercising my brain enough now ;) . But I view it as a temporary situation. It is a unique opportunity to train as a professional athlete as I can do right now. The Olympic gold medal has opened so many doors, created valuable new contacts that allow me to learn many new things in sports and I’m super curious to explore all this and become even faster. There is still time for mathematics after my active career as a cyclist, in one way or another, perhaps PDE, but perhaps something completely different like mathematical modelling of physiological processes.

What role did mathematics play in your preparation for Tokyo?

I don’t think you need complex math to write a training plan ;) . But the scientific mindset was crucial in my whole sports career. Cycling can be a rather old-fashioned sport. Some people in powerful positions don’t really have a clue. Being critical and not believing everything and everybody is extremely important and this “healthy skepticism” allowed me to devise my own training plan and race strategy that worked for me.

Was it a childhood dream of yours to participate at the Olympic Games? Or was it more of a spontaneous decision?

Neither. My “career” in endurance sports started about 10 years before the Olympic road race in Tokyo. It didn’t cross my mind at that time that I might ever compete in the Olympics. I focused on smaller goal and took it step-by-step, from local races to national and international races… Until finally the director of the Austrian women’s national team approached me in 2019 and mentioned that the next Olympic road race had a course profile that might suit me and asked if perhaps that might interest me… And so the seed was planted and I think there wasn’t a single day between that moment and July 25, 2021, where I didn’t think of the Olympics. I went all-in.

What went through your head over those last 40km all alone in the front? You seemed to be in a lot of pain, how did you deal with it?

I was in a lot of pain, that’s true, but mentally it actually wasn’t much harder than some of the training session I had done in the lead-up to Tokyo. It’s one thing to suffer on your own far away from witnesses with only yourself to judge your effort, and it’s something completely different when you are riding on the biggest stage in the world fighting for Olympic Gold. It makes it kind of “easy” to squeeze out every last bit of energy… During this excruciating last hour in Tokyo I thought of all the people who had helped me, my family watching in front of the TV, and tbh also some of the people who had doubted me and didn’t want me to be on the start line. I also thought of all the hard training sessions I had done before the race, and how this was the moment to harvest the crops and make it all worthwhile.

What are your next goals?

I have been silent about my next racing goals, for several reasons. One reason is that I first needed some time to reflect for myself what I want to do with my life. Actually during the weeks after Tokyo, when all the pressure was gone, I rediscovered the love for sports in a way I hadn’t felt for a long time. It was like going back to the roots, realizing that even without pressure to perform, I just love to challenge myself, overcome pain and fear, I love the process of improving and becoming the best/fastest version of myself. It became clear to me that I wanted to continue my active career as a cyclist and use all the new opportunities that had opened up. However, I also had to organize my new life as a professional cyclist - look for sponsors, deal with the media, set up my network of support (mentors, physio, mechanic, manager etc.), organize my racing bikes and kit etc. I’m still finalizing this process, but I am really happy about the way things are going and looking forward to some (really!) exciting goals with a super fast setup. I will continue to be vague and say that some of my goals will involve a lot of climbing, and some of my goals will rather be about flat-out speed and aerodynamics. At any rate, in the end I want to be on the start line in Paris 2024 :) .

The view just 50m from the doorstep of my new home in Valais/Wallis, Switzerland. It’s an absolute paradise for cycling and I only have to be careful not to end up with overtraining ;) .