After a long winter of intense training, I traveled to Portugal and Spain to compete in the first selection races and test myself against international competition for the first time.

The highlight of this year’s season took place in the sandy forests just east of the Polish capital Warsaw. The weather was extremely warm and dry, not only during the World Championships, but also in the weeks leading up to them. This meant that the sandy ground became even deeper and slower to ride on than it already was. This was also the biggest difference compared to the preparatory competitions we held in June in directly adjacent terrain.

The last few weeks have been very intense. I travelled from one Bike-O event to the next and tried to squeeze my 80% workload in between. The intensive phase began in Poland in mid-June.

I can look back on a fantastic European Championships in Lithuania. My form, the organisation, the terrain: all this contributed to an unforgettable European Championships! Even though the expectations for international competitions in Lithuania were already high due to the previous editions, everything was surpassed once again. And I myself was finally able to make the long-awaited leap into the top 6 and bring home a diploma.

The temperatures are rising, the first flowers are blooming. Spring is on its way, and with it the first races of the 2025 season. Here I take a brief look back at my winter training, my current level of fitness and an outlook on which races are coming up this season.