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5/29/2018

I washed my face, placed my Adidas glasses in my hair and waited for my name to be announced
“And the second place - Maaaleeenee Deeegn, Ghost Factory Racing”
I went out in the spotlight and found the 2nd step of the podium. Got an applause that made a warm river of happiness running through me and waited for them to continue;
“And today’s winner - Sinaaa Freeeeeei, Ghost Factory Racing”.
Sina entered the stage, and with a smile on my face and a glimpse of frustration in my eyes I looked at her standing on the top of the podium. Both Sina and I went all out those last 100 meters to win. But Sina draw the longest straw with just a few centimeters. Damn. But damn that girl is good. Or more accurate; Sina was 10 centimeters better than me that Saturday in Nove Mesto.

Let me take you a few weeks back. I entered round 2 of the World Cup in Albstadt as current leader. I never experienced this before, having the no. 1 on my numberplate and being called up to the startline with all eyes on me. I was quite surprised how easy and uncomplicated it felt on the startline. I didn't know how I would react so I was ready to deal with everything my mind could come up with. But I’m pretty sure there was a reason why it felt so easy; Just as I found my position on the line Sina rolled up on my side. As we stood there in our white kits (World Champion and World Cup leader) we were not just 1 and 2 in the ranking we were teammates and we were ready to fight that slippery course, together. The start gun went off and 4 laps, of sliding around, later I rolled over the finishline in 3rd spot. It felt so good to stand on that podium one more time. Ones the doping control was finished Sina and I went out to find some lunch together and talk about the crazy race. A race she won btw.

We almost flew right into our team manager, Tom, and gave him a double high five, followed by a big hug between us.

Nove Mesto came close quickly and suddenly race day was upon us. After last weekend's race we were still sitting 1st and 2nd overall, with close points between the top three. So it was for sure an exciting race ahead. The track in Nove Mesto, was compared to the previous years, made a bit shorter and therefore faster. Beside the forest-part there was a longer flat asfalt section where Sina and I had talked about how we possibly could help each other out.
Shoulder by shoulder we stood again on the startline, gave knuckles to each other and the race started. In the race we kept contact all the time and tried to control the race as much as possible, and help each other when we could. After 4 laps of that we entered the last lap. Sina was in my wheel, it was only the two of us left out there and we both tried to put the hammer down. But we were so equal. Our wheels was constantly side by side. It hurt so bad, but on the same time it was so much fun. . So when we entered the stadium for the last time Sina was in second position and me in the front. The sprint started and we attacked with everything we got, pushing the bike in front of us as we made it to the finish line, only to find out that Sina crossed the line a few centimeters in front of me. We almost flew right into our team manager, Tom, and gave him a double high five, followed by a big hug between us. Sina had her quiet, but proud smile on and I, of course, started to talk about what just happened and how amazing that was, as we walked together to the podium.

No doubt we both wanted to win that sprint, but a good thing about cross country mountain biking is that it's a fair sport. The best on the day wins. It take's power, mental strength, preparation, skills and luck. And we both know that, so when I win, Sina respects it and she is happy that I made all those things come together and vise versa. So when I said there was a bit of frustration in my eyes, don't take it badly, it is what makes sport fun and whats set my soul on fire. Motivation is the word.

You know the saying that real queens fix each other's crowns? I stick to that

By pushing each other's limits and being each others biggest rivals - we rise and grow, because we rise by lifting others.
So I'm more than happy to have my biggest rival as my teammate. We're having a great time on and off the bike, and that is for sure something special. I don't take it for granted that Sina and my relationship is this cool. It's a relation that goes both ways. We make each other better.
You know the saying that real queens fix each other's crowns? I stick to that

..But it's not like me and Sina hasn't been out in the battlefield before. In 2014 as juniors we raced against each other in every race, and I'm not even kidding when I tell you that we had the exact same sprint finish that year, and it turned out.. exactly the same way .. Hah
We laughed quit a bit about that. (scroll down to see a bit down the memory lane)

For those who asked me this weekend, and what actually got me inspired to write this - how it is between us? Respect, fun and good sportsmanship are a pretty good combination.
Oh girls just wanna have fun'

Find us!

Thanks for reading

/Malene

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Diæt Piloten

5/11/2018

2 Comments

As an athlete one of the key points is progress. Everything we do, we try to do better than yesterday and the hunt for those last percentages is a never-ending challenge. Which is part of the charm of pursuing sport. That's the primary reason for my work with the Danish nutritionist, Anne Louise, who owns the company "Diætpiloten". It's separated into two sections; one for 'lifestyle changers' and one for the performance orientated.

Fibre rich bun with cheese and an egg is my fav breakfast, atm.

Du er i god form, men mangler det sidste for at sætte flere personlige rekorder, have mere energi til træning og restituere bedre.

Du har måske ret godt styr på din kost, men er i tvivl om den helt korrekte sammensætning for at kunne yde det optimale til træning og konkurrencer.
Dét kan jeg hjælpe dig med! Udover kosten i det daglige får du også hjælp og vejledning i, hvordan du skal tilrettelægge dit energiindtag under konkurrencer.
Fra /
diaetpiloten.dk

Preparing my recovery shake, with SponserSportsFood and cow milk (0,1%)

Nutrition is a part of being an athlete and fueling the body right can make a difference for our health, feeling and performance. Working with my nutritionist was more for me than 'just' a foodplan. Anne Louise was looking at me as an athlete and therefore we also talked a lot about how to optimize my performance on my bike both hydration, energy, supplement and refueling wise.
Her expertise and knowledge was really helpful to me. Before I started to work with her I didn't care too much about fueling during my rides fx, she taught me how important the right amount of energy and fluids are for my everyday performance. So during my off-season (October-December 17') we worked in all the new, or improved my current, fueling habits. We started off in the beginning of October, with a look inside my body using a body-scan and digged into my eating patterns. Really interresting to see and follow the progress thru the scans. It's crazy how much the body reacts on what we do with it, and as I went to Diætpiloten once a month it was so obvious to see the connection between my body composition and the training & fueling I had done. Pretty motivating to continue the work.

A few scoops of SponserSportFood 'competion'

But how much work was it really?

Well, I don't think there is an athlete who doesn't care about what they're eating and especially in sports where fitness and our weight/power ratio has such a big importance. So I was used to consider what foods made it to my belly before Diætpiloten, but having professionel back up to help me taking the right choices was definitely a game changer. I think the nutrition area is an area where you often can improve and find new good things for you, but one of my main criteria was that it shouldn't be to hard or to difficult. I don't want to change my life for a strict diet plan. I want to be able to go out with friends and not be too complicated. Also considering that I spend so many days abroad on hotels where you don't know the menu.

With that in mind Anne Louise made me an easy plan with a lot of choices and possibilities. But most important was the proportion of the different categories; carbs, fats, proteins and vegetables. Or it was actually plans with a "s", because my workdays have so much diversity that one plan cannot suit them all, as I range from rides between 1h and 5 hours. So she made three, A, B and C.
The plans included my 3 main meals and the nutrition goals for each of them. Plus good ideas for my snacks both healthy and the ones for the sweet tooth.

Danish rye bread with a tuna salad

What difference did it make?

The program was for me enriching (if that's a word, but my mind/body got richer..). And I became a better athlete, which was the whole point. Knowledge is power, you know. And I got stronger, pretty important. Muscles which replaced fat made me faster, a good diet can give your body the right compounds to make a fitter you. I know I sound pretty enthusiastic, but this post is not paid or anything, I really just recommend you to search for more knowledge on the topic if you, like me, is a bit unsure if your actually fueling the right way.
And I still go out with friends, eat unhealthy stuff and so - it's just a balance as everything else - it's not about what you do occasionally it's about what you do consistently.

Spinach, mushrooms, capsicum

Salmon, carrots, potato, zucchini, pesto

And what about that body-image?

I just want you to remember there is not such thing as a perfect nor a wining look, we all look different, different sizes and shapes, and that's alright. We can train and eat the same but the two of us will never look the same.
I try to eat as an athlete because I have a deep desire to be a good athlete, it's not to be skinny. I prefer my body way more when it's in off-season shape and I'm a bit more soft and round. I only try to care this much because it's my job and my passion to be a mountain biker. To emphasize, my nutrition program was from the beginning never about becoming 'skinny' - it was about becoming a stronger Malene. And I think that's the best approach to have when you're looking at how your fueling your body.

I just want you to remember there is no such thing as a perfect nor a wining look, we all look different, different sizes and shapes, and that's alright. We can train and eat the same but the two of us will never look the same.

If you have any questions, please let me know, and I will try to give you a good answer.
But first of all - eat what makes you feel good! And if you like me are curious and have the time, try out a nutritionist. For the ones living in Denmark, my recommendations would obvious be Diætpiloten.dk.

Og til de danske læsere, her er et par links til Anne Louise's forskellige platforme. Hun er lige pt. på barsel, men hun er tilgængelig som din diætist igen i starten af 2019 - indtil da deler hun stadig gode råd og opskrifter.
diaetpiloten.dk
https://www.instagram.com/diaetpiloten/
https://www.instagram.com/diaetpiloten_performance/

Thanks for reading!
/Malene

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