Trek-Travelgirl: Steffi Marth in an interview

Mar 12, 2018

Versatility shapes the life of the professional rider ( Trek Bikes ). You can read exactly what that looks like and what led you there in the detailed interview here. The downhill expert, who loves to travel, has experienced a lot on mountain bikes and has already visited countless dream areas for bikers. No wonder that the ex-World Cup racer knows what she's talking about. At home in Brandenburg, she likes to train on BMX tracks and pump tracks, using her dirt bike . In Utah and before that as a racer, the downhill bike was her preferred riding device!

Steffi Marth Interview 2018 with Liquid-Life

Hi Steffi! The last two years have been full of events for you as a professional biker. What highlights and downs can you highlight for our readers?

The last two years have been really turbulent . In 2016 I had great results in the races and felt better than ever. Unfortunately, I overdid it a bit at the German 4X Championship and had a bad fall while I was in the lead in the final and suffered pretty complicated fractures on my left arm and hand. Since then I have had many operations and rehab and am now well on the road again. However, I have finished racing for the time being and am now dedicating myself to other bike adventures and organizing many bike camps and riding technique courses.

As with many professional bikers, injuries and the comebacks afterwards play a big role in your career. Based on your experiences, what tips can you give for such situations in life?

Every fall is a setback and, in addition to the injuries, of course also mentally. I think you should just start again slowly and take your time getting back to your old strength, otherwise you'll be flat again. The most important thing is always the feeling of safety on the bike, otherwise you won't ride well. We know from sports psychology that athletes often come back stronger after setbacks because they know what it feels like not being able to play the sport after an injury.

In addition to or after their active time as a racer, many well-known drivers position themselves in other ways, for example through adventure reports. Which niche or niches suit you particularly?

In addition to racing, I have already done many other activities such as camps, photo stories, travel reports, journalistic work, etc. and am now doing even more of them.

Do people still often ask you about your appearance in the Cyclepassion calendar? Critical voices at the time said that women in bike sport had to be attractive in order to be successful - how do you see this in retrospect?

I think it was just an opportunity that I took advantage of and I thought it was a great experience. Of course I still get asked about it sometimes, but mostly in a positive way. I definitely don't regret it. Of course, attractiveness sells, but you still have to work very hard and be good on the bike to make a living from biking. It's not a must to be attractive, I think it's more creativity that counts.

Making sponsors happy is part of your job, acquiring them. What methods do you use to divide work, who takes a lot off your plate so that you can concentrate on traveling, training and racing?

Yes, it really is a lot of work to acquire and maintain sponsors. I do it all alone and only sometimes get help from my mechanic with the bikes, otherwise it's a one-woman show with travel, organization, training, etc. ...

You are together with the well-known MTB photographer Nathan Hughes and are also increasingly behind the camera. How did this come about and how do you see your future as a photographer?

I learned a lot from Nathan, but I was also interested in photography before. I think it's great how you can express so much with still pictures , usually more than with moving ones. Each viewer can put a little of their own ideas and emotions into the images. I will continue to take photos from time to time, but I don't see a future in it for myself. I love being in front of the camera too much for that 😉

More and more bike professionals are living out their creativity and presentation to the outside world as MTB YouTubers. What do you think about it and who do you like to watch?

I have to honestly admit that I hardly watch any YouTube videos at all. But that's less because of interest and more because I generally don't watch much TV, films or videos - I just can't sit still for that long . I now also make a lot of videos with my GoPro and cut short edits under a minute, so maybe a few people will watch it. I enjoy it and I like to share brilliant bike days like the ones I recently had here on La Palma.

Guiding and running bike camps have been part of your job for a long time - what do you like about it and where do you see disadvantages in this job? Do you want to do more of this in the future or concentrate on other activities?

I really enjoy guiding and teaching people some driving techniques because it gives me so much back. When you're racing or doing something in the media you always have to be happy with yourself, because hardly anyone says that you've done something well or that it helps or inspires someone. With guiding there is something different, I do something for others and less for myself. Besides, for me, biking is the most beautiful thing in the world and if I can make a few people understand the fear of falling and the fun of biking, then that's it it's basically a life's work! I will continue to do camps and focus primarily on my special topics such as airtime camps and bike & art retreats.

At the end of his World Cup career, Josh Bryceland had concerns about the sustainability of his lifestyle as a racing professional? How do you think about aspects such as your own climate footprint?

I think it's hard not to leave a climate footprint these days, no matter what you do. From all sides we are somehow damaging the environment, but I think that only everyone can do their part in everyday life . That's the same thing I was just talking about... when you're racing you're just doing something for yourself, it's actually selfish in a certain sense. That's why I really understand Bryceland's statement and think it's cool how he deals with it. For this reason, guiding and coaching is good for me, because aside from the big industrial side of mountain biking, it's still about sport, which is basically a good thing.

Mental aspects are also important to you as a competitive athlete and as a camp leader. What tip do you have for our readers who have stress blockages in the field?

My main tip is to get security. It doesn't help to force your way through situations because you think you have to or someone tells you it's okay. You have to gain self-confidence with small and simple exercises in slow steps . This works well in a parking lot, on a curb, or at a practice area. As soon as you feel unsafe and your adrenaline and stress levels rise, you should take a step back. Back in my active racing career, when I sometimes felt sick and the adrenaline was running high, I didn't ride or jump in many things and instead chose the safe option. For me, the biggest danger factor is insecurity, so it's better not to play with it but to slowly reduce it in advance and always drive in the comfort zone and build in small, doable tasks/challenges.

E-bikes are the trend in the bicycle industry. What experiences and opinions do you have on the topic?

I have an e-bike and have gone on longer tours and even the e-bike challenge in Willingen and it was always a lot of fun. I am definitely positive about the e-bike movement, but you have to see where it goes. Especially when it comes to conflicts about sharing trails with mountain bikers and hikers, you simply have to find solutions quickly. It's the same with the technical requirements, because in order to get an e-bike up the mountain quickly you also need to get it back down safely. For experienced mountain bikers , e-mountain bikes are definitely a great asset and great fun.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

Still on the bike with a lot more experience and some exciting projects related to outdoor sports and biking.