Jan 16, 2024 · Gravel ·

24 Hours with No Borders - Finding balance with Lisa Wörner

BMC | Lisa Wörner 24 Hours with No Borders

It’s 8am and the sky is slowly turning from deep black to light grey. Here, on the flat coast of Northern Holland, you can feel the vastness of nature and weather, as a stiff, frigid wind rolls off of the North Sea.

For some, the thought of spending a weekend on the sand in January might not be appealing, but for Lisa Wörner, orthopaedic surgeon, gravel racer and founder of the No Borders Gravel team, it is just what she needs to placate her inner racer in the off-season.

Competition is something that has been central to Lisa’s life. Whether it was the years spent rowing at an international level – leading to a still-standing world record and medals at the World Championships – or her move from the water onto two wheels by racing crits and now gravel, it is clear that Lisa’s life would look very different without racing.

‘I can say that I am a racer who has to train,’ comments Lisa.

So, how is it to mix a high pressure working life with long days doing surgery and completing a PhD with bike racing? We caught up with Lisa to find out what her usual winter looks like.

Work, sport and life: When it comes to the winter, how do your days look?

‘After time off of training at the end of the season, I’ve slowly gotten back into riding again. Wanting to progress my career I decided to go back to working full time during the off season, which means that I have slightly less time to train then when I was working less. But it feels right to do this because I want to progress as a surgeon too. Depending on the day I need to be at work around 08:30 so I tend to train in the evening as I finish around 17:00. It can be hard sometimes to motivate myself to ride after a long day, but I know that it will make me feel better. I have a gym where I work – right next to where I park my bike – so that is good when I want to do some cross-training.’

‘When it comes to cross training, this winter there was the sense I should do more sports than just cycling. I just did the Egmond Pier Egmond beach race, followed by the Egmond half marathon, so I did a bit more running – although I’d definitely not call myself a runner. Next up this month is a 200km ice skating race, which means I’ve got to do a lot of skating too. This keeps me motivated, not only to train, but also to compete.’

‘Training wise, I follow a loose programme, using an algorithm-based app. But I also work on feel a lot too. I think that this app works well because if I can’t do the planned session, it automatically adjusts my training to suit. With work and life pressure, it feels efficient and it’s nice to not have to think and just do a set session. But I also want the flexibility of knowing I can go out for a daytime ride when I’m on night shifts.’

Motivation, racing and balance: Being a resident orthopaedic surgeon, a top level gravel racer and also keeping a social life must be tough, how do you juggle that?

‘I think that balance is the key. Racing is important to me, but so is my work and social life. I feel that being able to do all of these makes me a rounded person. To be honest, before the World Championships last year I was already mentally tired from the season. I felt like I had to pull the motivation out of my toes to stand ready on the startline, but once I was racing, it went well. I think that is why I planned these early season races. There’s a balance of staying motivated, but without putting pressure on myself or consuming too many weekends. I’m sure that I could be a person who raced both winter and summer.’

‘When it comes to riding, I am doing some longer intervals this winter, but also concentrating on making sure that I have a little top end for the races I’m going to do. Beach racing is something so unique – a cross between a crit and a MTB race – that I felt I needed some shape to be able to ride as I want. Egmond Pier Egmond was only 38k, but it was full-gas racing to get into groups, battling not only the sand, but also the wind.’

2024: And the season ahead, what are your goals and plans?

‘Other than these two weekends of racing, very little else is planned at the moment. I have just got a licence to race for a small team on the road in Holland in the spring. I think this will help my gravel riding a lot. Knowing that the spring will involve racing 120K distances, rather than the 180k races you get on gravel, will be mentally a bit easier.’

‘Gravel racing is changing. Having road racing form will help me to keep up, but I know that my season will not just revolve around the tarmac. I like being competitive, but now that gravel is becoming more dependent on your ability to ride in groups, and – if there are no separate women’s races – how well you can follow the men, I will need some extra adventure too. Gravel bikes can take you to such amazing places, so I have some plans to do some bikepacking trips, and get out into nature. I should have my season planned pretty soon, so watch this space.’

We leave Lisa as she embraces the uniqueness of beach racing, where there are no hiding places and lots to learn. Stay tuned with all the latest from the No Borders Gravel Team over on their instagram channel.