With strong willpower, ambition and a smile on her face
Since Filomena discovered her passion for cycling at the age of three in April 2011, she has been constantly on the move on two (or sometimes one!) wheels. After some serious training, Filomena was then equipped with enough strength and stamina in February 2016 to ride her bike for the first time from her home in Koppl near Salzburg (712m) up the Gaisberg mountain (1288m). With a lot of motivation, she then competed in her first mtb race in June that same year in the U11 age bracket and came in second.
In the first year in the U13 bracket, things started for real. Filomena tried to compete in every race in the Austria’s Youngsters Cup. There were ups and downs, good and bad days. Some courses suited her very well, others not so much. To prepare in the best possible way for her second U13 year in 2019, she started competing in a Cross Country race in Vienna in mid-January. This was also the Austrian Championship competition, but only for the U17 age group. Despite the challenge of having to race against older riders Filomena ended up sixth out of ten participants. Well prepared, the Cross Country season started with a first place finish in Langenlois.
The big goal, however, was the race for the Austrian Championship in Windhaag. She had already had a strong race on the course the previous year and the preparations were going well. The race took place at a perfect time: one day after her 12th birthday. So it was the perfect time to give herself a present. Cheered on by Tour de France devil Dieter “Didi” Senft, she was able to execute a passing maneuver and left her competitor behind, winning the Austrian Championship in 2019. As it turned out, this was also the last opportunity. One year later, foreign starters were no longer permitted at the ÖM. Fortunately, in the Covid-19 year of 2020, there was the German Championship in Gedern. Spur of the moment and without purposeful preparation, Filomena finished in seventh place out of 32 participants in her first U15 year.
Unfortunately, the year 2021 is still all about the Covid-19 pandemic. Nevertheless, is has started perfectly for Filomena as her two “aunts” Caroline Bohé and Lisa Pasteiner give her support and share tips and tricks with her.
EMILY'S HIGHLIGHTS
2022
3rd Bayernliga XCO in Waldaschaff U17
3rd Bayernliga XCO in Waldkirchen U17
2021
1st AreaOne Race in Willach XCO U15
3rd Austria Youngsters Cup Petzen XCO U15
1st Bavarian Championship MTB Marathon
2020
1st XCO Petzen
2019
1st Austrian Championship XCO U13