Q&A with Cyclist Anna Lipp

Anna Lipp is a versatile competitive cyclist currently focused on a road racing season in Belgium.

Motivated by a love of riding and the challenge of competition, Anna has continued to broaden her racing experience across different cycling disciplines. Longer term, she has her sights set on taking on some of the major gravel races in the United States.

We caught up with Anna to talk racing, big days on the bike, favourite gear and the lessons she has picked up along the way.

What motivates you to keep on going?  It’s hard to say for sure I just love getting out on the bike and the challenge of competing. But also the find it really rewarding, especially completing a big day out in racing or training.

What’s been your biggest challenge?  How did you feel when you finished? One of the biggest events that comes to mind is a stage race I did in China; it was 170km long, and at this point I hadn’t raced much further then 100km, so the thought of it was really worrying me. There were also rules at the time that made it so women couldn’t race more then 140km so the solution for this was a 30km neutral section to start with, so after doing an hour group ride we all got to start the race. I think from memory the race took over 7 hours to complete it. And it had been an eventful time I had ridden off the side of the road on one of the descents, which was fine luckily, but still not ideal. Over 2/3 of the riders didn’t finish, but somehow my whole team, myself included, finished that race, which was a pretty incredible feeling at the time. Followed by the realisation that we were going to have to ride our bikes back to the hotel coz the team car only had 2 bike racks on it and there was no other transport. Riding rush hour China traffic was an experience to say the least. 

Any barriers you overcame to get to this point?

There have been and still are obstacles in what I’m trying to accomplish, and  some goals have evolved as a result of that. there isn’t a clear path of what to do to get to the top, the goal was to ride professionally in road cycling but have since become more versatile taking on more disciplines in cycling well still doing what I can to keep racing the road bike competitively. 

What is one daily ritual you can’t live without? Starting the day with a good cup of coffee :)

Best piece of advice you were ever given? Success isn’t a straight line 

Which That’s It product do you always keep on hand? As a cyclist it’s got to be the chamois cream, but the lip balm is an honourable mention

 What is your fav piece of equipment? Race wheels for my road bike, instantly makes me feel way faster :)

What nutrition is your go to before and after a big mission? A bit boring but Porridge, or pasta depending on the time of day 

Are there any apps you use to help with your training? Training peaks, great way to keep track of training plus my work schedule to, I just use it like a calendar.

On a long training do you listen to anything or think about certain things or just love the time out?  Where does your mind go? I like to listen to music well I’m out, especially on effort days to help make the time go faster