Our new enduro reporter
Raphaela Richter reports from EDR

Raphaela Richter gives us insight into the Enduro World Cup

. Raphaela Richter is Germany’s fastest female enduro mountain biker. From now on, the German champion gives us exclusive insights into her life on and off the race track. As a roving reporter, she’ll tell us about all the 2023 Enduro World Cup races. To kick off Raphaela’s Enduro reports, we asked her a few questions.
Raphaela Richter
Raphaela Richter is Germany’s fastest enduro racer. From now on, the German champion blogs for us after every race of the new Enduro World Cup (formerly EWS). The reports are exclusively on bike-test.com to read.
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After the feedback on the reports from the Speed Company Racing Team from the marathon world were consistently positive, we decided to also set up a blog for fans of enduro sports. One phone call was enough to motivate Raphaela Richter, the reigning German Enduro Champion, to report to us in blog form after each Enduro World Cup. To kick off the new series, we asked Raphaela a few questions.

You sweat, you get dirty and you get hurt. Mountain biking is a rough sport. As a young woman, what fascinates you so much about biking?

I always have to smile when I hear that question. Even when I was still working as an optician, many customers told me that this sport was not for a petite girl. Honestly, I think that’s totally silly. Why should something, just because you get dirty doing it, be reserved for men? I love to move through nature with my own physical strength. And I love to push my body to its limit. Mountain biking is the perfect way to combine these two factors. I grew up with two big brothers on the race tracks of Germany. There was really no room for clichéd princeling in my youth. And I don’t miss it either.

So you could say that your pro contract with Ibis was a dream come true for you?

Definitely. I’ve always had sponsors. Early in my career I was supported by Radon and then later by Santa Cruz. But then it’s something else again to be on the road with a professional team. Since I’ve been with Ibis Racing, I can concentrate fully on racing. Before, I had to work 40 hours, do my training and organize all the competitions. You can’t concentrate 100% on racing. But that was always my goal. I want to know how fast I can go biking when I fully concentrate on it.
Enduro Worldcup with Raphaela Richter
All Eyes on Raphaela Richter. In the Enduro World Cup, the Bayreuth native is one of the fastest ladies. In 2019, she could even climb 2x on the podium of the EWS.
Raphaela Richter MTB
Raphaela Richter is 26 years young. She quit her job as an optician two years ago to devote herself fully to enduro racing in the jersey of the Ibis Racing Team.
German Enduro Champion Raphaela Richter
The black-red-gold striped sleeve on the champion’s jersey is worn proudly by Raphaele. In the interview, she reveals that it is not enough for her to be Germany’s fastest. This year she wants to take off internationally again.
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You have just become German champion in enduro again. Is that enough of a confirmation?

The title gives me confidence and of course some confirmation. But my focus is now fully on the World Cup. There are simply still a few women in the world who ride faster than me. So there’s still something to come. In 2019, I finished on the podium of the Enduro World Series twice. And that’s exactly where I want to be again this year. It’s just an awesome feeling to be one of the fastest women in the world. When you stand on the podium at a World Cup you know that you really squeezed everything out of your body. In races with small starting fields for the women, I always secretly compare myself with the men. I think that comes from the time when I was on the road with my brothers. I always look at how much I was behind the top guys and ask myself: Where did they make good time? That always motivates me to keep going to push my personal limits.

You were also in the Downhill World Cup already in the top 10. Do you still have ambitions there?

It was a mega experience when I rode to 6th place in Leogang 2019. I’m also proud of my medal from the 2018 4-Cross World Championships. But if you want to be in the top of the world, you can’t be Hans Dampf in allen Gassen. I’ve realized that by now. I like the mix of endurance and riding technique best in enduro. I want to test my limits in this discipline before I get back on another bike. The level of the ladies is now so high that it demands my full attention.
Raphaela Richter Ibis Racing
Raphaela loves big jumps, nasty rock gardens and especially technical trail sections. The claim “mountain biking be a rough men’s sport” finds the sister of two big brothers totally silly. Check out our big enduro test for the hottest bikes on the market.

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What exactly is your plan for the 2023 season?

Thanks to my sponsor Ibis, I have the privilege of being able to fully focus on the sport for another year. As a team, we have already competed in the first two World Cup races in Tasmania. With an 8th and an 11th place it didn’t go 100% optimal for me. But I noticed that my fitness and my skills on the bike are basically on a very high level. In Downunder, the two pieces of the puzzle just haven’t come together yet. I tweaked a few details to be well prepared for the rest of the World Cup season. In 2023, my full focus is on the Enduro World Cup. I will perhaps ride the one or other race away from the World Cup, but then more as preparation. And I’ll be completely honest. I’m totally happy that I can share my experiences from the Enduro Worldcup with the public with my blog here on bike-test.com.
Raphaela Richter Blog
See you next time. Subscribe to our newsletter below in the footer and never miss any of Raphaela’s Race Blogs again.

More about Raphaela Richter

. The Bavarian Broadcasting Corporation has made a really high quality documentary about 5 German female mountain bikers. In the 10-part report Raphaela is featured several times and not only talks about her motivation to race, but also shows what she really has on the bike. We tip our hats!
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About the author

Ludwig

... has spent more than 100,000 kilometers in the saddle of over 1000 different mountain bikes. The essence of many hours on the trail: Mountain bikes are awesome when they match your personal preferences! With this realization, he founded bike-test.com to assist cyclists in finding their very own dream bike.

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