KATHARINA KRUSE
MTB Enduro | Gravel
Name: Katharina Kruse
Sports: MTB Enduro and Gravel
Year of birth: 1996
Home (or grown up in): Springe am Deister Niedersachsen (grew up in Sachsen-Anhalt)
Education: Studies in Visual Communication (Bachelor of Arts)
Profession(s): Social Media and Ambassador Managerin Fidlock Consumer Products
With the Maloja-Team since: 2025
Maloja is for me … A longing for movement, freedom and cohesion, all in harmony with nature. And a dream that comes true.
Beautiful moments (instead of successes): The small, inconspicuous moments: riding a trail for the very first time, waking up crumpled in your tent in the morning, breathing in fresh air all day, sunrises and sunsets - or the feeling of falling into bed exhausted but happy after an exhausting day full of vertical meters.
Where do you come from?
Born in Berlin and raised in the flatlands of Saxony-Anhalt, my only contact with cycling until 2016 was that I rode my city bike to school and often did a scorpion because I got my tires stuck in the light rail tracks.
What are you taking with you for a snack?
An avocado and an egg
Favorite word?
Twilight - sounds like a promise of magical hours in nature to me.
What do you need?
Small time slots to take a deep breath and enjoy.
What don't you need?
Stress
Your favorite talent?
Finding things that I thought were lost, but I just misplaced them... a few days or a few weeks or a few years ago :))
I would never …
leave my sun-moon necklace at home.
I would right away …
pack only the essentials in my bike bags and set off on a new bikepacking tour with the Gravel.
I am satisfied …
when I'm out in nature and on the move, with or without my bike.
Your greatest success:
My greatest successes are surprising myself and realizing what my body is capable of.
Your toughest defeat/worst crisis:
Where should I start? For me, it's more about accepting and learning to love defeats and crises, because they shape our lives and us. It's the course of things, ups and downs, ups and downs. It's actually like enduro riding, except that the downhills are much more fun than the uphills haha.
A stereotype that is true (to you):
If I say I need 5 more minutes, it's usually 15 - I just underestimate how many things I have to do at the last minute.
Quiet or chatty?
It depends on the moment.
Your favorite form of expression?
Zach (I don't use it myself, but I love it when I hear Austrians use the term)
What have you learned for life from competitive sport?
Perseverance and consistency always pay off.
What from life for competitive sport?
That a good gut feeling is at least as important as the right air pressure in the tires.
City or countryside?
Forever countryside - preferably with trails that start right behind the front door.
With a plan or without?
A bit of both: the plan is to have roughly one, but so much freedom that you can react spontaneously to exciting and beautiful things and still somehow reach your destination.
Just go for it or with a concept?
Just go for it - but with enough food in your rucksack to avoid getting into a bad mood on the way.
Structure or chaos?
An organized chaos - I always find everything again ... eventually.
A loss that had a benefit/a mistake that I learned from:
When I got completely lost on a scavenger hunt in Sölden with a friend - I learned from that that even without a sense of direction you will eventually reach your destination, it just takes a lot longer haha.
I didn't need that/could have saved myself the trouble:
Somehow everything is good for something.
A tradition that I still live by today:
trust my intuition.
Nobody can get me there:
Swimming out into the sea alone. I know my fear of sharks is wildly exaggerated, unfounded and by no means rational, but it's definitely there.
I need safety …
when I make big plans.
I am taking a risk …
with everything that promises adventure.
At the summit …
I pause and enjoy.
Fulfilled dreams/goals:
Combining my job with my passion and exploring nature and countries by bike and meeting great people along the way.
Still open dreams/goals:
Exploring Iceland by bike… :)
Home mountain/-trail/-spot:
More like a home hill with a sweet 300 m: the Deister in northern Germany.
Favorite mountain/-trail/-spot:
I love being in Nauders (3-country enduro trails), but in recent years I've also been attracted to areas and trails that I don't even know yet and have yet to explore and discover.
Three things that belong in your backpack/travel bag:
I usually forget the spares like inner tube or chain lock, but I have enough snacks for everyone in my backpack (definitely more than just three haha).
Fear is/can be …
be liberating and uplifting if you manage to overcome them.
I am inspired by …
the beauty of nature and the people you meet along the way.
I laugh at …
the little absurd moments in life and often at myself, but preferably with others.
I despair …
of myself most of the time.
Settled or nomad?
A bit of both: home is my haven of peace, but the longing keeps me going back.
Ability to suffer:
If I have set myself a goal, giving up is only an option if health is at stake, because health is the most important asset we have.
Training commitment:
Very high, but with a self-determined, flexible training plan that fits in with my life and doesn't dictate the pace of my life.
The café/beer/wine tastes best in:
I like tea best in the morning and evening of a bikepacking tour. A ritual that for me is the best way to start and end a day on the bike.