Sports with the family

It's more fun together

In 2021 they were the first mother-daughter duo to take part in the BIKE Transalp - and were immediately successful. No wonder, because when Christina and Chiara from “Burn Baby” set a sporting goal, they achieve it. How? By motivating and pushing each other. In the interview, Christina explains how the two of them got into mountain biking and whether there is any competitive pressure. She also gives tips to parents who want to do sports together with their children.

Job, family, sport: getting it all together is a real challenge. It's a big advantage when your daughter shares your biggest passion - and you can do sports together as a family . This is exactly the case with Christina and Chiara.

Christina, who shares pictures of fantastic cycling, skiing and hiking tours as xtinamtb , is very busy professionally. Her daughter Chiara, who goes by the name chiarafrg on Instagram, also has a lot on her plate - she has recently been studying medicine. But the weekends and semester breaks belong to the mother-daughter duo behind burnbabymtb . They train together and take part in competitions. Your biggest projects this year? BIKE Transalp, Rad am Ring and World of Mountain Biking. And that is just the beginning. Because the two of them still have a lot to do.

“Oh come on, we can do it now!”: Christina and her daughter Chiara motivate each other during training and competitions. This is a big advantage of family sports.

In this interview we talk to 54-year-old Christina about why she finds family sports so exciting. She reports on shared successes and explains how the two of them celebrate milestones . She also gives valuable tips to mothers and fathers who want to do sports with their children.

How did you get into mountain biking?

I've cycled a lot before, but only to work. My bike was my means of transport. Then my husband gave me a mountain bike for my wedding. When our two children were born in 2003 and 2005, I began to use the mountain bike as a balance between everyday life with the children and work. This way I was able to relax and clear my head.

I never drove with the children in the trailer, but always alone. I spent this one and a half or two hours on the bike alone. That's why I know every root here now. In 2006 I rode my first mountain bike race.

Where do you like to ride most? Do you have any tips for anyone looking for new bike routes?

I like driving in the Arnsberg Forest, the second largest forest area in Germany, but also in the area around Willingen. If we drive a little further away, then to the border triangle of Switzerland, Austria and Italy. You can always find new trails there. I also love the Dolomites. The landscape is breathtaking. And we like to go to Saalfelden Leogang – for mountain biking in the summer and ski touring in the winter.

You say the Dolomites are very beautiful – what do you particularly like?

Anyone who knows it knows: the landscape is simply magnificent. There is no landscape like the Dolomites. I can only recommend every biker to ride there. You can really stop every hundred meters and take a photo.

Did your daughter Chiara get into mountain biking through you?

It was important to me that the children get plenty of fresh air. Whenever I had time, I went outside with them. At the beginning with balance bikes, then with small mountain bikes. When they were a little older, we often went on bike rides together on the weekends. But with children you always have to look. The focus is not on the sport, but on the experience. That means: There was always a destination – an ice cream parlor, a playground or a picnic. This is important so that children can enjoy sport .

Otherwise, the two have tried many different sports. Chiara, for example, rode for a long time. And at some point, when she was around 15 or 16 years old, she said she couldn't do it all anymore besides school. Then she gave up everything except tennis and concentrated on mountain biking. But that was her own decision. I didn't force this. My son didn't stick to mountain biking. He prefers football and tennis.

So Chiara has been mountain biking for a long time. And when she decided against other sports and in favor of mountain biking, was it the logical consequence to also take part in competitions?

Exactly. She then took part in competitions and realized that cycling is very training-intensive. She always wanted to train a lot and I made sure that she didn't overdo it - because she was still growing. I curbed it a bit so as not to risk any long-term consequences.

Two years ago she wanted to get into cross country – the mountain bike discipline that is also an Olympic event. Unfortunately, Corona intervened. But this year she will be racing her first CC races.

Do you also train with friends or just with your daughter?

I used to drive alone a lot, especially when the children were younger. I never arranged to meet up because it always resulted in stress because I was very busy with my time. Now I ride once a week with others in a group. But more for fun. I then see this as an “active recovery” day and not as hard training.

The big advantage of doing sports together as a family: you don't have to make appointments. If everyone lives in one house, you can just set off spontaneously. You don't have to stick to fixed deadlines.

So you take part in competitions together and prepare for them together, right?

Exactly. We train together, motivate each other and build each other up. That's great. I am incredibly grateful that I can simply get on a mountain bike with my daughter and do a training session together.

While we're on the topic of motivation: Are there days when one of you doesn't feel like exercising?

This almost never happens with us. We have to be in bed with the flu. We always feel like moving. And if we just walk through the forest with our dog or swim in the lake. I actually don't know that I have to motivate myself to exercise . Good: Sometimes you're a little tired. Or you are less interested in a long, hard training session and more interested in relaxed skiing with a great view. But actually we are always motivated.

Chiara is even more motivated than me. If I come home from work exhausted, she says: Let's at least go for one more round. Maybe I wouldn't do that alone. In general we complement each other very well. Everyone has a worse or better day. Then you have to be considerate of each other, but you can also push yourself and say: Oh come on, we can do it now!

It seems like things are very harmonious between you two. But let's be honest: is there still competitive pressure during competition phases?

No. Of course I make sure that the gap between us doesn't get too big and that I don't finish last. That really pushes me. But that's also fun. I wouldn't describe that as competitive pressure. I'm just proud of Chiara and happy that she's interested in this sport, which is the greatest thing for me. And that she is traveling so quickly.

On the Transalp we were never more than five meters apart - not for the whole seven days. We always drove together. We are simply the perfect team. I know my daughter much better than my teammates with whom I drove the previous Transalps. I know her 110 percent and she knows me too. We know what makes each other tick and we wait for each other or pull each other along. This is a huge advantage, especially in stage races.

What does preparation for a competition like the Transalp look like for you?

This depends on the route and the length of the competition. And of course also from the workload, because neither of us are professional athletes – the sport is “just” a hobby.

It is important to pay attention to your own health. If we work a lot, do a lot of exercise and pursue other interests, it can quickly become overloaded. We counteract this by taking a holistic approach. That means: During the week we do a lot of yoga , walking and relaxation. The long tours come at the weekend. If we have time in between, we sometimes do a week's training camp.

We also do a lot of strength training. When cycling you should do a lot for your back because strengthened core muscles are very important for mountain biking. And you can't train that on the bike itself. Targeted muscle building exercises help.

For competitions longer than 80 kilometers you need a good foundation. You have to start training in the fall. It's not without reason that they say: “Champions are made in winter” (laughs). We do the first harder tours in February or March. And the season starts in April. What was previously the race training is now the races. We then run a race every two weeks – that’s always the best training.

Do you always exercise together as a family or are there days when you exercise alone?

Every now and then I come home later or one of us has a date. Then we also do sports alone. Or sometimes, for example, one of us wants to go on an indoor bike. We only have one of those, so we have to take turns. But otherwise we always do sports together when we're both at home.

What has been your greatest joint sporting success so far?

The BIKE Transalp last year – but also the Hike Transalp, which the two of us followed afterwards. A very special highlight was that we managed to drive 300 kilometers in one day.

When you achieve a goal together, do you also celebrate together?

Of course we celebrate each other when we reach the finish line. But we don't drink alcohol - that's not our thing. We prefer to cook something together to celebrate the day. We love that. We are both vegetarians and like to try new things. And then we reward ourselves with that.

We also like to make ourselves comfortable in the evening with a cup of tea and look at the photos from our tours. We then remember what it was like and what we experienced together. We review the experiences and compare how the other person perceived them. That's also the beauty of doing sport together: you share unique experiences with each other.

Would this also be a tip you would give to other mothers who want to do sports with their children? Take time to reflect together?

In any case. Otherwise, especially when the children are younger, I can only advise letting them try out all kinds of sports. Because mobility is incredibly important for the musculoskeletal system. I would never push the children in one direction either. They should decide independently which sport they want to do. If they then decide to do the same sport as their parents, then that's of course great.

It is important that children are introduced to sport carefully - with all its facets. When you compete, something can go wrong. I can have a flat tire or an accident or other things that aren't all positive. You should address this openly and deal with it in a relaxed manner because it's not bad at all.

Talking to each other is also very important – especially in these digital times. So to ask: What did you like the most today? What do you want to do? And if the child says he would like to eat spaghetti ice cream at his favorite ice cream parlor again, then you go there together - and you immediately have a destination. The children should also have a say.

Do you use functional foods such as gels or sports tablets during training and competitions?

I use gels during competitions. I put them directly in my drinking bottle - so I always have enough carbohydrates with me. In stage races you have to pay attention to both magnesium and sodium balance. That's why my preferred gel is the Blackcurrent + Sodium from Dextro Energy*. I don't have to add extra salt to my drinking bottle. This is already included in the product.

Chiara likes the Energy* Bars and the Energy* Gums. The gums are currently available exclusively online in the mix package . I've already tested them during harder training sessions and really like them - even though I usually prefer liquid products.

Otherwise, Chiara and I also like to add the Zero° Calories to the water in the drinking bottle - especially when we do metabolic training or fasting training. They provide us with everything we need, but have no calories. This is how we improve the drinking water for us athletes.

Immediately after the race and after strength training, it is important for us to consume protein - also because we are both vegetarians. That's why we supplement our good, fresh diet with protein shakes in all variations. Even though we are not vegan, we try to avoid dairy products. That's why we're happy that the vegan protein powder Plant Protein is available. Our favorite is Chocolate Nut .

I also think Immunfit° Direct is great. These are small sachets that contain iron, zinc, folic acid, selenium and magnesium. I can only recommend to all athletes, but also to all vegans: have your iron levels in your blood checked every now and then. Because if you have low iron levels, you can't perform. That's why I take Immunfit every morning. This supports me greatly ¹ – and also my daughter.

Do you and Chiara both have a sporting goal that you are working towards - and that motivates you?

Chiara and I have a dream: We would like to take part in the Cape Epic in South Africa together as a team. This is the most legendary stage race in the world. You have to register a year in advance to get a place - and unfortunately it's not cheap either. But that would be our absolute dream. Starting as a mother-daughter duo would be like Christmas, Easter and birthdays all together.

What a beautiful goal! Then we keep our fingers crossed that this works in the future. Thank you very much for the interesting conversation.

 

*Contains carbohydrates

Zero° Calories: ° Applies to the prepared drink

Immunfit° Direct: ° Vitamin B6, B12, C, folic acid, zinc, selenium and iron each contribute to the normal function of the immune system.

¹ Vitamin B2, B6, B12, C, folic acid, magnesium and iron each contribute to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue.

A varied, balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle are important.

PHOTO CREDITS

all images: @ burnbabymtb