Video: In Between The Races with Mona Mitterwallner
In Between The Races is back for another season of insight into the world of cycling that you don’t often see.
We’ll be following along for the travel days, training days and rest days, and discovering how riders relax and reset after one race, and prepare for the next.
Every rider and team has a unique way of maximizing their performance, and it’s not all about tough gym sessions or long hours in the saddle. In Between The Races brings you the downtime, team spirit, personal quirks and funny moments of life outside the tape.
In this episode, we’re with Mona Mitterwallner.
Mona is in her first year with Cannondale Factory Racing, a legendary team with a colourful character. It’s a big step for a rider, who after just one year in the U23 category, made the step up into the elite ranks and into one of the biggest and best-known teams in the World. What it’s clear to see is that this young rider has a mature head on her shoulders, and is benefitting greatly from the experience and expertise around her.
Hit the play button to see how Mona is growing in confidence, taking time to appreciate the rewards of her hard work, tackling the technicality of race courses and dealing with the pressure of being one of the most talked-about riders at the World Cup.
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Like the speech she gave at the dinner table. She talked later about how the team felt like a second family, but the way she formally stood up and gave a speech thanking everyone in platitudes just seemed off. And then they politely applauded. That doesn’t seem like a family dinner to me. Of course this could be an English skill thing, or it could have been staged for the cameras but it fits with the impression she has given elsewhere. Like the podium photo of Bec pouring champaign into a shoe. Mona was in the background staring at the act in utter, visceral shock and horror. I won’t speculate on what was actually going through her head, but it suggests she’s never really out of Very Serious Person mode.
This isn’t a criticism or a problem necessarily. Mainly it’s an observation. We all have our own personalities and formulas for success. Maybe hers is being a Very Serious Person 24/7. But I find it hard to really view her as a person instead of some kind of racing machine. And I have to believe it’s a huge burnout risk in her career.