My best advise to an ‘under 17’ rider?

I recently got asked this question by a girl; what would be your best advise, to a young mtb rider? I had to answer straight away. So I told her to believe in herself and trust her path. Working hard for dreams to come to true will always takes you places, no matter if the place is exactly where you thought it would be. But since I answered, I continued to think about it. What is my advise? ​

Where was I when I was riding in the under 17 category? Well I know I was in school doing the day and I rode a lot of mtb, with my local mtb club, after. Being 14-16 there was a lot going on inside of me and I think it’s period where you slowly start to take your steps into a more independent life. I remember spending a lot of time with friends and hangout almost every afternoon. But I also remember spending the evening, after they gone, with light on my bike, in the forest, riding trails with another good group of friends.

I started to race the best race series in Denmark when I was 15 and I got a lot of 2nd places. I never had what it took to win. Coming in second all the time started a fire in me, that’s forsure, and therefor I decided (in cooperation with my mtb-club) to get a coach to structure my training. And that next winter -wow, so much happened. Not that I trained a lot, but the structure I suddenly had, made a big difference and I went on to win the races that season instead of coming in second. At my last year in U17 I also went to the Youth European Championship in Graz, where I really got a taste for the international racing.

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That year I really started dreaming. What could I do in junior? The World Cup? The national team? oh, the whole thing made my belly go all butterflies. As I moved into the junior category I also finished my last year at the primary school (I was 16). Therefor I spent quite some time showing moves on the dance floor and I did live more of a ‘normal’ student life. 

As I progressed into the Junior cat, I got a feel of what the life in the mtb world was like, I travelled a lot with the national team and I had some really good junior years. With a really nice balance between, racing, training, school and social life. Which I think, looking back, was one of the key factors to my later success. 
Now that was a lot about me, but what about you? or your daughter or son?

A picture of me and my dad before the start at a German Bundesliga. You have to know how to braid your daughters hair :))

Well it kind of comes back to what I answered, when I got asked ‘live’ the first time.
Trust yourself.
Take one year at the time, just be in the moment, and do what feels right, now.
Keep the student mindset. Never stop learning.
Remember to go dance.
Hard work pays off.
Opportunities will come.
Trust your path.
You don’t have to win now, to become a champion later.
Enjoy and have fun, riding bikes is awesome.

/M