Riding in the bunch was a new experience for me. I know how to fight for position in getting onto the singletracks but in a mountain bike race we are not a group of 150 riders where all of them are on a high level and racing aggressively which makes the bunch a scary place to be honest.

My teammates joked that I can’t be scared because I am used to crazy downhills on rock gardens and all, but I said the rocks front of me don’t move like riders in a bunch. Another thing is that mistakes on the MTB are almost always your own fault. In road racing so much more is happening out of your control and you have to be focused and wide awake all the time. It’s way longer in kilometers but shorter in hours [than marathon racing]. It’s a big difference but I am adjusting to it.