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32<br />
Mountain biker, 26, SUI.<br />
<strong>The</strong> MTB ace was riding bikes before he<br />
could walk. No wonder he only really<br />
feels comfortable in the saddle.<br />
33<br />
Orienteering and trail runner, 32, SUI.<br />
Here, the world-champion orienteer—also<br />
a physiotherapist—explains how she<br />
pushes herself to the limit.<br />
Lars<br />
Forster<br />
Judith<br />
Wyder<br />
PHUL GALE/RED BULL CONTENT POOL, JAQUES GROBLER WOLFGANG WIESER<br />
Searching for<br />
Freedom on<br />
Two Wheels<br />
Lars Forster meditates<br />
before leaping into the<br />
saddle of his mountain bike<br />
to cycle over hill and dale.<br />
“I picture the best-case<br />
scenario,” he says.<br />
Forster is still meditating<br />
now, even though he’s not<br />
able to get out on his bike<br />
every day. “I think of good<br />
moments in the days and<br />
weeks ahead and that helps<br />
me to stock up on positive<br />
energy,” he explains.<br />
Does this positivity come<br />
from cycling, or was he born<br />
with it? “I’ve been cycling<br />
ever since I was small, so it’s<br />
hard to say,” says the Swiss<br />
rider. “I think it must be a<br />
combination of both.”<br />
Forster is spending<br />
these days at home with his<br />
girlfriend and on his bike:<br />
“Going out to train is<br />
allowed, so I’m out a lot.”<br />
<strong>The</strong> MTB champion<br />
has also been pondering<br />
the important questions<br />
that people should be<br />
asking themselves right<br />
now, such as, “What does<br />
freedom mean for me?”<br />
His answer is simple:<br />
“Getting on my bike and<br />
riding through the beautiful<br />
nature we have here.”<br />
For Forster, freedom is<br />
just another word for cycling.<br />
larsforster.ch<br />
“I notice time and again while<br />
training how the body puts<br />
up resistance and balks at<br />
the strain. You can’t quite<br />
put it into words, and you<br />
certainly can’t quantify it<br />
—it’s just a feeling you get.<br />
But it also shows me that I’m<br />
taking things close to the<br />
limit. At those times, I work<br />
very intensively and give<br />
myself pep talks to gain<br />
fresh motivation.<br />
“What do I actually say to<br />
myself? ‘You’ve got this.<br />
Embrace the challenge. Enjoy<br />
it. You’ll definitely get on top<br />
of this situation.’ ”<br />
Wyder running cross-country. For motivation<br />
during particularly tough challenges, she tells herself,<br />
“You’ve got this. Enjoy it!”<br />
THE RED BULLETIN 55
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