Helen Weber

Please introduce yourself briefly (name, age, place of residence)

My name is Helen Weber, I am 17 years old and come from Warmbronn, a village near Stuttgart.

Who else belongs to your family?

My parents, my big brother and his girlfriend, actually all who are very important to me (including my bike of course;) ).

What is your profession? What do you like about it?

At the moment I'm still going to school in the 11th grade, but that's usually enough for work 😉.

What do sport in general and mountain biking in particular mean to you?

I basically love exercise. Going to your physical and mental limits is really hard, but it's also a great feeling to go beyond yourself! In addition, sport helps you in many areas of life, you are more disciplined, you have better stamina and you know the feeling to fail sometimes and then to get up again and continue. The special thing about mountain biking is that it is never the same. It doesn't matter how often you've ridden a trail, a change in the weather, and you have to take other things into account and adapt your riding style.

Is there anything else for you other than work and mountain biking?

Yes, I would find it a pity if there were only the two things that define me. Sure, besides sports, school and exams there is often little time, but I still like to go out with my friends and generally try to take the important things that become adults with me. And if I still miss something because I have training, that's not bad for me either, because biking is just my passion.

What memories/experiences have you had with MaXalami?

Fortunately, I haven't needed them in cross country yet, but Maxalami definitely saved my day on some enduro tours and even in competitions.

How do you manage to harmonize your training with work and family or friends?

Normally it works quite well. Of course I have to plan better, but my friends and family support me. Besides, the amount of training I do is not that high, otherwise I wouldn't be able to do it while I'm at school. One thing I have learned in any case is that sometimes, when everything gets too much, it's better to reduce the training time a bit and listen to your body, otherwise you'll be sick in bed for the next week. But that's of course (especially for athletes) incredibly difficult, I'm still practicing;)

How many hours a week do you work and how many do you train?

I have 34 hours of school + study, homework, presentations, etc. per week. When it's not holidays I train between 9-14 hours a week.

Do you adapt your diet to your sport and what do you pay attention to?

Basically, I adapt my diet to my training, but I don't forbid everything I feel like doing. I like cooking very much and eat vegetarian, because that's what I feel most comfortable with. Of course, there are a few things like iron and proteins that I pay more attention to, but if you deal with them it's no problem.

What does a typical day during the week look like for you?

6:20 a.m.: get up, have breakfast
7:45-15:40 am: School
16:00-17:00: a little bit entspannen😊
17:00-19:00 hours: Training
19:00-20:00 hrs: learning etc.
20:30 h: dinner
21:00 h: Blackroll, stretch
22: 00 o'clock: go to sleep

What do you remember most about the past season?

I remember the German Crosscountry Championships because I just felt good in the race, even though I wasn't right at the front:). My job at Tacx on the Eurobike and my victory at the Scott Enduro Series in Leogang.

What are your goals for the 2020 season?

To improve myself in all areas, i.e. strength and endurance as well as technique, to stay healthy, so that I can move forward again next season in the MTB Bundesliga.  I also want to gain more experience in Enduro racing.

Helen, thanks for the interview. We wish you a successful season!