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In the first of a new video series from Magura, we meet XC rider, Anne Tauber and get to know more about her journey from speed skater to elite mountain biker.
Following her first ever mountain bike race, it took Anne Tauber a mere 4 ½ years to achieve a podium finish at the Cross-Country World Cup in Stellenbosch. Now, she is firmly established among the world’s top names in mountain biking.
Magura
In the new #whostopsyou video series, Magura will tell five unique stories – from a Downhill World champ to cross-country athletes, and even a cook.
A Change of Heart
Anne’s athletic career is one of a kind, filled with twists and turns that no one could have predicted. What do we mean by this? In her youth, Anne divided her time between school and speed skating. She initially practised the national sport of her home country, the Netherlands, to all official Olympic distances of 5,000m and below. However, over time she noticed that she was better suited to longer distances. During this time, she often spent her summers training on her bike. Frequently bored by the long stretches of road, she sometimes left the asphalt in search of more interesting terrain. Fate dealt her a major blow when she was diagnosed with glandular fever at the age of 18.
Discovering a love for MTB
After her recovery, her bike was supposed to be her ticket to get back into shape. Cycling in summer, followed by an ice-skating marathon in winter. But then the bike began to win her over. Today, she talks about how much she enjoys cycling and the sense of freedom it gives her. She took part in her first cross-country race in Zoetermeer in 2013.
In terms of results, the race did not go well for Anne. However, though she had no real idea what she was doing, had only the most basic equipment and little to no cross-country expertise, she had the time of her life. Thus, she decided to invest in some better equipment and discover the discipline of cross-country racing for herself. She continued to spend her winters on the ice. She placed sixth in the Dutch Championships in summer 2014 and competed in the U23 World Cup in 2015. Looking back, she describes her first World Cup at Nové Město as a turning point in her career. When she first saw the trail, she was gripped by pure terror. She was convinced that she would not be able to master such a challenge.
The Next Chapter
Anne enjoys taking on new challenges and pushing herself. This in turn also complements her playful instinct and ensures that, when she wants to achieve something, she can be very determined. Maybe these two characteristics in particular are key to defining her style of biking. When not racing, she gives in to her playful side, embracing opportunities for variation and freedom. On racing weekends, she keeps a clearer head, remaining focussed and taking a more structured approach to anything that comes her way.
Maybe this is the reason that she is able to relax when mountain biking. In any case, mountain biking has opened up an entirely new world for Anne – one filled with the buzz of racing, travelling and success. It is a world with great freedom, but also with its own structure. Not that she hasn’t had to work hard for her success. She has consistently confronted her challenges and didn’t let her initial pursuits on the ice stop her from taking her professional sporting career in a completely new direction.
Follow Anne on Instagram here.
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