Maria Wilke
Endurance Cyclist and Adventure Seeker
Hello everyone, I am glad that you have lost your way to my website! I am Maria, born in 1990 in Germany and since June 2013 passionate cyclist. How did I get into road cycling of all things? Before that date, my sporting activities consisted mainly of horseback riding and a few kilometers of jogging a year (if I had to), until one evening of boredom I opened YouTube, scrolled a bit through the suggestions and saw a video of an “Ironman Hawaii”. People on totally wacky bikes were to be seen there, they also ran and swam and I thought to myself: “How cool is that, I want to do that too!”.
Completely hooked, I immediately browsed any second-hand platforms in Switzerland, where I lived from 2009 to 2015, and quickly found what I was looking for. An old aluminium road bike from Bulls, external cables, Ultegra 3-speed, I remember the bike as if I had picked it up only yesterday. Frame height 56, the seller still said that would fit super to my height! Since I trusted the “old hand”, buy this much too large road bike from my savings and from that point the journey began. Almost daily I was on the road, initially 25 km and always with two gels in the jersey pocket (on the Internet I had read, you must always pay attention to the food!), I quickly took my way to work of 50 km each in wind and weather with the bike. Unfortunately, after only two months an SUV took the right of way and took me rudely from my bike. … Bike broken, clothes torn, body fortunately still intact, but Maria very sad.
Continuing my adventures
After the Bulls followed a BMC, my first carbon bike and I was proud as Oscar! After that it went blow by blow, I started in my first amateur races, participated from 2014 to 2017 a total of 4 seasons in the German Cycling Cup (more or less successful). From 2015, I designed my own bikes and jerseys to match each other and hereby gained notoriety via my Instagram account. The participation in classic cycling races I hung at the end of 2017 completely on the nail, after always partly serious accidents happened in my circle of acquaintances and it was simply not worth the risk to me. Instead, I travelled around a lot, discovered my love for mountains (which doesn’t mean I can ride up them fast!) and unique and breath-taking landscapes, and participated in a cycling marathon or tourist ride every now and then.
In 2016, I competed for the first time as an individual starter in the 24-hour race in Kelheim, having competed there in 2014 and 2015 as part of a 4-person team. I ended up in 4th place, of course I was proud of my result, but my ambition was aroused! I was fascinated by what an immense performance the body can deliver when the head can also withstand the strain. In 2017 it was then 3rd place in Kelheim, and I also competed in the 24-hour race in Zolder and at the Nürburgring. My best performance, both physically and mentally, came in 2018 in Zolder, when I reeled off 706 km during 24 hours on the 4 km circuit.
Bike-packing adventures
Since 2019, bikepacking has also become an integral part of my cycling life. Whether organized brevets or more or less relaxed multi-day trips, the minimalist travel by bike, the ever-changing landscapes, the enjoyment and also often the suffering have immediately captivated me! There are so many beautiful and unknown places to discover, which are not so far from home and for which you do not have to fly over half the globe. You just have to grab your bike and find and experience these places, there is no more intense form of travel for me.
So, that’s it for me now. I hope you enjoy reading, maybe you will find some inspiration. If you need tips or have questions, feel free to write me a message!
