Love. Not fulfilment of duty
Almost conspiratorial. Far away from all distractions. Snowed in. This is how our riders for 2023 celebrated their first team meeting together with the support staff. Four days to discuss procedures, go through the race planning, welcome newcomers and simply “sit together” very closely.
A warm welcome in frosty temperatures outside. A team meeting that may not have taken place in the tidy perfection of a well-designed hotel, but did not offer hotel rooms in which to hide. Self-cooking, sharing bathrooms, everyone pitching in.
Back to the Basics. Sometimes it only takes an old farm to bring everyone very close together. And to get back to the basic idea of why we are actually passionate about cycling. Because we know: our riders give up a lot for the sport and the team, make compromises, because cycling as a vocation only works with a lot of dedication. Therefore, it seems all the more important to create freedom and joy, to offer a home and opportunities in the team.
For 2023, the Pushbikers are focusing on continuity, growing together and trust. And so the majority of the road team from 2022 remains, supplemented by selected newcomers such as track specialist Roy Eefting, whom we have already introduced. For him, it was straight from the Bavarian Forest to track and criterium races in Australia, from extreme winter to summer.
From a small town in Upper Bavaria out into the world. The 2023 race planning was discussed with each other, the riders were involved. So there will be some new destinations for the pushbikers next year, new adventures where they want to prove themselves. The goal? Sure : “No, honestly, you always want to win races”, as Patrick says in the Pushbikers film. But also: to experience cycling in its diversity and to experience and share great moments together.
“… was first of all a very instructive one in my eyes. As this was my first real UCI season, I was able to gather many beautiful, but also painful experiences. Not to repeat the latter is my drive for the coming season. I’m glad that the core squad is also going into the coming racing season and has been further developed with interesting riders. In this constellation, I would like to see the Pushbikers even more successful and explore new paths with a lot of passion.”
