Team Visma | Lease a Bike welcomes former mountain biker Katharina Sadnik
Team Visma | Lease a Bike is delighted to welcome Austrian rider Katharina Sadnik to the squad on a two-year contract. The 22-year-old joins from the KTM Factory MTB Team after an impressive season in which she won the Women’s U23 UCI XCC World Cup overall title. Following a standout year on the mountain bike, Sadnik is ready to take on a new challenge as she transitions fully to road cycling.
Katharina grew up in a sporty family in Austria, where her love for cycling began at a young age. “I started mountain biking when I was around nine years old,” she says. “We were introduced to mountain biking at school and one of the teachers told my parents ‘She’s got talent on the bike, let her try racing.’ That’s how it all started.” From that moment, Sadnik's passion for the sport grew quickly.
After years of success in mountain biking, Sadnik felt it was time to take the next step. “I had been thinking about it last year. I was training a lot on the road bike, and I loved the speed. I started doing my first road races. This year, I rode Tour de l’Avenir and Tour de Féminine, where I finished tenth. It was my first proper introduction to road racing and I really enjoyed it. I wanted to experience more.”
"I have a lot of respect for what this team stands for and I’m really proud to become part of it"
The decision to join Team Visma | Lease a Bike marks a major turning point in her young career. “I never thought Team Visma | Lease a Bike would be interested in me,” she admits. “When the first contact came, I couldn’t believe it. I have a lot of respect for what this team stands for and I’m really proud to become part of it.”
Sadnik expects to feel at home in tough one-day races, such as Paris-Roubaix. The Austrian cyclist is motivated to learn the dynamics of team racing. “In mountain biking, you race individually, but on the road you have a whole team around you. That’s something I really look forward to. Sharing experiences, working together and relying on each other. I want to be a helper, to support my teammates and to grow into a valuable team player.” She’s eager to continue her development as a road cyclist: “I want to keep learning and improving with every experience. I’m excited to focus fully on road racing now and see how far I can go.”
"We see a role for Katharina in supporting our team in the spring classics"
Team manager Rutger Tijssen shares his enthusiasm about Sadnik’s arrival: “Katharina comes from mountain biking, which has given her exception bike handling skills. That will be very useful in the spring classics. We see a role for her in supporting our team in these races. She’s still young, but she has a lot of potential, and we’ll give her the time and space to grow into the role we have in mind for her."
