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Racing Free: Mascha Wahlig on Confidence & Mental Strength
Manage episode 464120307 series 3553576
"I want to finish with a big smile on my face."
That’s Mascha Wahlig’s goal for the 2025 Atlas Mountain Race. Last year, Mascha lined up at Atlas Mountain Race, her second-ever ultra-endurance bikepacking event. She was fast, pushing herself to the limit, but she was also overwhelmed. The intensity of the race, the sheer number of riders, and the pressure she put on herself—it all built up, culminating in a moment of panic and paralysis in the middle of the desert when her cleat broke.
She eventually got it fixed (with a bit of super glue and grit), but mentally? The race left her drained. Even months later, she found herself experiencing panic on training rides in the dark, reliving the helplessness of that night in Morocco. Instead of pushing it down, she did the work. She sought help, developed strategies to manage fear and build mental strength, and slowly rebuilt her confidence. And it worked.
Since Atlas, Mascha has gone on to win both the Hellenic Mountain Race and Sneak Peeks, proving to herself that mental performance is just as crucial as physical fitness in ultra-cycling and bikepacking. Now, she’s coming back to Atlas Mountain Race 2025, but this time, with a totally different mindset.
She’s racing for herself—not for a number, not for a podium—but to ride with confidence, be present, and take in the experience.
In this episode we talk about:
- The mental battles of ultra-cycling and bikepacking—panic, fear, and self-doubt.
- How Mascha built mental resilience and confidence after last year’s Atlas Mountain Race.
- What it takes to win ultra-endurance bikepacking races like Hellenic and Sneak Peeks.
- Strategies for handling stress and mental fatigue in long-distance racing.
- The power of self-compassion, managing expectations, and racing with a freer mind.
- How to prepare mentally and physically for events like Atlas Mountain Race.
If you’ve ever doubted yourself, struggled with confidence in endurance sports, or felt overwhelmed by the sheer challenge of a long-distance race, this episode is for you.
As always, thank you to Albion Cycling for supporting Detours this year.
Links
- Follow Mascha on Instagram
- Follow Mel on Instagram
- Follow Detours on Instagram
- Dotwatch Atlas Mountain Race
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
42 episodes
Manage episode 464120307 series 3553576
"I want to finish with a big smile on my face."
That’s Mascha Wahlig’s goal for the 2025 Atlas Mountain Race. Last year, Mascha lined up at Atlas Mountain Race, her second-ever ultra-endurance bikepacking event. She was fast, pushing herself to the limit, but she was also overwhelmed. The intensity of the race, the sheer number of riders, and the pressure she put on herself—it all built up, culminating in a moment of panic and paralysis in the middle of the desert when her cleat broke.
She eventually got it fixed (with a bit of super glue and grit), but mentally? The race left her drained. Even months later, she found herself experiencing panic on training rides in the dark, reliving the helplessness of that night in Morocco. Instead of pushing it down, she did the work. She sought help, developed strategies to manage fear and build mental strength, and slowly rebuilt her confidence. And it worked.
Since Atlas, Mascha has gone on to win both the Hellenic Mountain Race and Sneak Peeks, proving to herself that mental performance is just as crucial as physical fitness in ultra-cycling and bikepacking. Now, she’s coming back to Atlas Mountain Race 2025, but this time, with a totally different mindset.
She’s racing for herself—not for a number, not for a podium—but to ride with confidence, be present, and take in the experience.
In this episode we talk about:
- The mental battles of ultra-cycling and bikepacking—panic, fear, and self-doubt.
- How Mascha built mental resilience and confidence after last year’s Atlas Mountain Race.
- What it takes to win ultra-endurance bikepacking races like Hellenic and Sneak Peeks.
- Strategies for handling stress and mental fatigue in long-distance racing.
- The power of self-compassion, managing expectations, and racing with a freer mind.
- How to prepare mentally and physically for events like Atlas Mountain Race.
If you’ve ever doubted yourself, struggled with confidence in endurance sports, or felt overwhelmed by the sheer challenge of a long-distance race, this episode is for you.
As always, thank you to Albion Cycling for supporting Detours this year.
Links
- Follow Mascha on Instagram
- Follow Mel on Instagram
- Follow Detours on Instagram
- Dotwatch Atlas Mountain Race
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
42 episodes
All episodes
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1 Inviting Adventure: Jen Adams & Eric Betteridge on the Log Driver's Waltz 1:08:08

1 Racing Free: Mascha Wahlig on Confidence & Mental Strength 1:06:30

1 Riding in the Moment with Marei Moldenhauer 1:09:00

1 BIG NEWS! Mel's reflections on 2024 and what's in for 2025 43:52

1 Alexandera Houchin on racing with heart and 10 years of bikepacking 1:31:09

1 Theo Kelsey-Verdecchia on creating the Golden Horseshoe bikepacking route 1:23:40

1 Leanne Bentley: Alps Divide 2024 women's winner and bag maker at Carrie Gere 1:15:55

1 Justinas Leveika on racing the Triple Crown Challenge: Tour Divide, Colorado Trail & Arizona Trail 1:31:29

1 Emma Missale, bike messenger World Champion, on her first year bikepack racing 1:15:45

1 Jade Simpson-Field on a life of big adventures & the Silk Road Mountain Race 1:19:25

1 Stephen Shelesky on photographing the Silk Road Mountain Race 1:39:07

1 Joe Nation, winner of the 2024 Silk Road Mountain Race 1:19:07

1 Hannah Simon, women's winner of the 2024 Silk Road Mountain Race 1:41:57

1 Mateo Paez on racing the 2024 Tour Divide 1:37:26

1 Catching up with Mel & Quinda: HT550, the art of resupplying and more 1:06:14

1 Meaghan Hackinen, 2024 Women's Winner of the Tour Divide 1:41:13

1 Justinas' Leveika on winning the 2024 Tour Divide and breaking the record 1:42:36

1 Austin Killips on her Arizona Trail 800 FKT 1:47:34

1 Weronika Szalas: the fastest woman at the Accursed Race and life by bike 1:08:35

1 Cynthia Carson on Unbound XL and preparing for the Trans Continental Race 51:31


1 Hannah Simon on the Triple Crown, Atlas Mountain Race and bikes as a tool for good 1:43:47

1 Quinda Verheul: artist, bikepacker, women's winner of the inaugural Hellenic Mountain Race 1:36:59

1 Sarah Sturm on her alternative approach & life as a gravel pro 1:26:46

1 Jenny Tough: making space for women in cycling, pressing pause & returning to racing 1:38:16


1 Nathalie Baillon on AMR, SRMR and all things adventure 1:00:44



1 Ep. 13 - Atlas Mountain Race Preview with special guest host, Allan Shaw 1:32:49

1 Ep. 12 - Luisa Werner, the 2023 women's winner of Atlas Mountain Race 1:29:36

1 Ep. 11 - Molly Weaver, leaving the professional peloton and entering the world of ultra 1:14:29

1 Ep. 10 - Mel and Cynthia take the hot seat 1:18:48

1 Ep. 9 - Robin Todd, the bikepacking poet 1:03:43

1 Ep. 8 - Allan Shaw: Gay's Okay Cycling, Silk Road Mountain Race finisher... on a cargo bike! 1:36:37

1 Ep. 7 - Nils Laengner, tales from behind the lens of an ultra-photographer 1:17:20


1 Ep. 5 - Katya Rakhmatulina, Colorado Trail women's FKT holder 1:09:22


1 Ep. 3 - Whop Wagon has it her way at Badlands 2023 1:05:49

1 Ep. 2 - Dr. Marion Dziwnik, women's winner of Badlands 2021 1:00:09

1 Ep. 1 - Adventure, camaraderie and... pit toilets? 47:56
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