A look at our five Pushbikers female riders for 2025 immediately reveals: with Laura and Sarah Kastenhuber, we have two sisters on the elite team. They are a duo who understand each other intuitively, sharing interests and experiences. Always a package deal? Without a doubt, these two show that cycling is not just an individual sport, but can also play a special role within families — especially between siblings.
Both sisters received interdisciplinary training at their local cycling club, gaining experience on both the track and the road. Sarah has already raced for the Maloja Pushbikers FEM women’s team, and later became part of the Spanish pro team Sopela Women Team, with whom she also rode the Vuelta a España Femenina. Her younger sister Laura has won several medals in recent years at the German Track Championships in both the individual pursuit and points race. What unites the two sisters: cycling has been a core part of their lives since early childhood. You could almost say: their lives are unimaginable without cycling. When asked which three people they would most like to invite over, they respond without hesitation: “As long as they’re cyclists – there are always cool stories then.” And when asked, “What would you do right now if you could?” – their answer is: “Hop on a plane and go ride in the sun.”
Full of life, carefree, and ambitious – that’s exactly the spirit in which Laura and Sarah set off for Australia in February. Not exactly around the corner for a 2025 season prep. What their journey Down Under was all about? You can find out here.
A TRAVEL DIARY BY LAURA & SARAH KASTENHUBER.
The story begins with a simple question: “Why don’t you go to Australia for a pre-season training camp?” It was during the dull, grey days of November that Pushbikers team manager Christian Grasmann planted the idea. What followed was a six-week trip from Melbourne to Sydney and Brisbane, during which we took part in three rounds of the Australian Provelo Superleague – and found true friends along the way on our road trip.
The small travel group boarding the A380 from Munich to Melbourne consisted of us – sisters Sarah and Laura. We are 22 and 19 years old and have already raced all across Europe. Our father, Alex, is a former professional cyclist who competed in races all over the world during his active career. “Cycling will take you around the world,” he used to say. Inspired by his words, we began planning. Since both of us are taking a gap year after finishing university and school, it was the perfect time. Our travel companions were two different bikes: Laura chose the Argon 18 Sum to have the ideal setup for fast training rides and even faster races. Sarah wanted to add a bit of Outback gravel experience to her training and therefore went with the Krypton, which she could convert with road wheels.
Time flew by – from the day we booked our flight to the moment we said goodbye to Germany for quite a while. After 22 hours of travel, we safely arrived at our first destination: Bendigo. There, we had the chance to stay with an Australian family who had already been a second home for Christian and many Pushbikers riders over the years. As a result, we were immediately and warmly integrated into the town’s social life – because even before we arrived, everyone already knew that two German girls were coming to visit for two weeks.
During training, we were able to experience the Australian lifestyle just as we had always imagined it – fortunately without any dangerous animals. For two weeks, we had sun and heat, which “forced” us to head out early in the mornings with our bikes. Early grouprides were the norm – just the two of us or together with local cyclists. In return, we saw hundreds of kangaroos by the roadside or even hopping right across the road in front of us.
What lay ahead felt like something straight out of one of those cliché road trip movies – almost too perfect to be true: hours of driving, singing our favorite songs at the top of our lungs, and probably more coffee stops than we’ve ever had while cycling. Our rental car was packed to the brim with all our bikes and bags, but somehow, over time, we became true Tetris masters when it came to packing.
From Bendigo, the first long drive up to Sydney for the opening race weekend awaited us – and all of it on the “wrong” side of the road, since Australians famously drive on the left. With the Harbour City Grand Prix, we slowly found our way back into racing after the winter break in Germany, and with each race, our excitement for the next one grew – along with our enthusiasm for the 2025 season, for which Australia was just the beginning.
Away from cycling, we blended in with the tourists and explored the surroundings. From a rainy Sydney, we continued on to Coffs Harbour, where we really felt the change in climate: from sunny, dry Bendigo to rainy Sydney, and then to humid New South Wales, where the forests felt more like jungles.
The second race weekend was the legendary Grafton–Inverell race. A very special highlight for us, as our father had competed in it himself a few years ago. After a rather long race—110 km for the women and 230 km for the men—we moved on to our next and final destination: the Brisbane area, where we got to experience the beautiful beaches of the Gold Coast. The Q-Tour was probably the highlight of the Provelo Superleague finale, especially the 90 km queen stage with a 2 km uphill finish. It was a real pleasure to race alongside all the international girls!
Over the weeks, we found a perfect rhythm of training, racing, and sightseeing. During our last few days together in Australia, we tried to fit in as many adventures as possible – but the absolute highlight of the trip for all of us was the legendary Australia Zoo near the Sunshine Coast, where we got to pet koalas and kangaroos! We will never forget how soft their fur was.
When people ask us about Australia and our time there, one key insight stands out: this country is all about its people. And the people we had the chance to meet made our time there truly unforgettable.
Photos I Dion Jelbart I Auriol C Photography I Richard Scriven I Kobe Henderson I privat