Headlines are usually led by the big names, but there’s more to cycling than those taking the plaudits on the podium.
In a new series for CyclingTips called Spotlight On, we hope to highlight some of the riders further back in the field who are putting in big performances, whether it be developing young riders or domestiques pulling a huge turn on the front of the bunch.
German rider Ricarda Bauernfeind is the first rider to go under the CyclingTips spotlight this season.
The 22-year-old from Ingolstadt, Germany, is making her WorldTour debut this season for Canyon-SRAM after bossing it last season on the team’s development squad.
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As a first-year WorldTour rider, she is already delivering with 15th overall at the Setmana Ciclista Valenciana before riding to 16th at Strade Bianche at the start of March. At Strade, she was the second-best Canyon-SRAM rider, behind Kasia Niewiadoma, and was in a group containing top stars Grace Brown (FDJ-Suez) and Amanda Spratt (Trek-Segafredo).
The results back up what was an emphatic debut season as a professional with the Generation team, which ended with her taking bronze in the U23 time trial and road race at the worlds.
Until last year, Bauernfeind was a relatively unknown name in women’s cycling but her rise to the top has been swift since she made her breakthrough. The 22-year-old’s path toward the pro ranks was not straightforward but it showed her to have a level head on her shoulders that prevented her from going in too early and getting swamped.
Bauernfeind graduated from the junior ranks after the 2018 season. While she had posted some promising results, such as two podium finishes in the junior road race at the national championships alongside riders that would step into the pro ranks the following season.
Rather than make that jump along with her peers, Bauernfeind decided to focus on her studies while she continued to grow as a rider. She gained a degree in education and focused on indoor riding to keep her fitness levels up.
“At the time, I didn’t think I was good enough to make the pro peloton and be a full-time pro cyclist. So, I went to university instead. I kept riding, using Zwift as my main training as it was the best way to combine studying and training. I coached myself and did mostly Zwift races and a few national races,” Bauernfeind said.
As her studies came to a close, Canyon-SRAM launched its search for riders to fill out its first-ever development team. While the primary aim was to give riders from underserved nations a chance to race at a high level, the team was keen to bring on some Germans and Bauernfeind was one of the eight that got called up to race.
After not feeling ready for professional racing as an 18-year-old, Bauernfeind quickly showed that this was not the case in 2022. Before she got to Australia for the world championships, she’d racked up a string of top performances, including a podium finish at the Ruta del Sol behind Arlenis Sierra and Mavi Garcia and the CIC-Tour Féminin Pyrénées.
“In 2021, I read about the new development team, Canyon-SRAM Generation. I saw it as an opportunity to get back into racing in bigger races on the road and to see how I could progress,” she said. “Five years ago, I dreamed of becoming a WorldTour rider, but at the same time, I recognized that I wasn‘t ready for it. I did other things, and I studied at university. Having a world tour contract in my hands shows me that I made the right decision.
“Canyon-SRAM Generation allowed me to learn how to race. I raced in higher-level races with more riders in the bunch. I was encouraged to be brave and try new tactics in a race. As a team, we learned how to be professional cyclists and how everyone can grow and learn different things from each other.”
Going into the 2023 season, Bauernfeind is one of the most exciting young prospects in the women’s peloton.
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