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.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.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..