Did you think there and then, this is doable for me?

So in the beginning, you know, you start and you never know how your legs are going to feel.

So when I jumped off the bike, they weren't feeling good and I was a bit worried.

But then as soon as I started running here on Ali Drive, I was feeling better and better and it was the best I ever felt coming off the bike here.

So that felt like a win already.

And it was also the first time that I felt like I have control over my performance where the years beforehand here on the island, it was like a real struggle from the beginning.

And yeah, I think yesterday I ran five minutes faster than ever before here.

But do you think that we're seeing more and more top-level athletes dropping because the competition is just getting that good?

We know you can ride.

Yeah, well, of course, you always try to reflect and try to find solutions.

But I think that's always not that easy also.

I mean, I gave everything I had on that day, that's for sure.

And I constantly told myself during the race, don't worry about being in the front and kind of doing the work, even though the work wasn't as good.

But still, because I really felt like, you know, I'm the defending champion.

Obviously, the girls behind me, they probably think, yeah, she can do it.

How do you map it out inside your head when you take on this 180 kilometers?

We know you can ride.

Yeah, well, um, of course you always try to reflect and try to find solutions, but I think that's always not that easy also.

I mean, I gave everything I had on that day, that's for sure, and I constantly told myself during the race, "Don't worry about being in the front," and kind of doing the work, even though the work wasn't as good, um, but still, because I really felt like, you know, I'm the defending champion.

Obviously the girls behind me, they probably think, "Yeah, she can do the work." So I knew it was on me, and I also tried to think of my race, you know? I don't want to, to just sit in and then maybe even lose more time, so I did feel like I wanna at least give everything I have on that day, even if it wasn't that much.

So of course, um, so honestly, I don't have, like, a clear solution.

I just feel like I wasn't at 100%.

I don't know if it was the lead-up or, you know, maybe something you pick up in race week, you know? There's so much going on and, um, you never really know what re- what, what happened at the end.

How do you map it out inside your head when you take on this 180 kilometers?

So, yeah.

Yeah, I mean, at the end it's still that you need to, like, focus on yourself, and I think this is definitely one of the biggest challenges of racing, because you wanna race the others obviously, it's a competition, but then you also need to focus and stay within yourself.

And I feel in Kona it's the hardest race to do.

Nice was way easier in this way because you had this long climb where basically you kind of had to focus on yourself, and I also knew, you know, there's not so much of a drafting effect, so everyone kind of has to put in the same effort, where with other races, especially on a course like Kona, this is not the case, right? Like, uh, there, there will be very different, uh, dynamics and the group effect is...

Probably even with 20 meters, it's there, and, uh, I mean, the level of competition is just rising.

There will be new athletes this year joining who probably already have great chances of finishing very high, uh, not...

And maybe even winning the race, so that's- that's incredible.

Yeah

Did that give you some of the tools to then be able to win in Nice and then come back here and have the ability to maybe win on Saturday, knowing that even not at your best, you're still right there?

I think what I have shown over the last years is a high level of consistency.

I think I was able to really perform well on the big stages, but also throughout the season.

And this year in particular, I really tried to not race too much.

But when I race, try to really be there with full energy, ready to go.

And, yeah, I'm hoping that this will pay off.

I knew that there is more attention on me as the defending champion, more pressure, maybe also more expectation and also more appointments around races.

But how the technology has changed and that you can't leave any stone unturned now.

And did you feel that like, you know, I know you didn't start the next day training for the next year, but like immediately, did you feel this new, like self-assuredness after that race?

Yeah, I think I did feel that something changed.

I mean, I have accomplished some, you know, big results before, especially also fast times.

So I knew, like, I'm good at this distance.

But then, for example, Kona is very... you know, difficult with the conditions and also race dynamics.

So for me, racing in Kona to my full potential is definitely a bit harder because I'm a tall athlete.

You know, maybe it's not so easy for me to perform at high temperatures, but I think I definitely made some learnings also from my experiences of the years before.

And yeah, maybe talk about that a little bit.