“I know I’m not at the level yet to win any big races, but I think I’m getting there" - Marie Schreiber enjoying Cyclocross challenge

20-year-old Luxembourgian Marie Schreiber is widely regarded as one of the hottest prospects in women's cycling. With a number of impressive results on the road, Schreiber is also developing into a star of the cyclocross.

“I know I’m not at the level yet to win any big races, but I think I’m getting there,” she explains in conversation with GCN. “I’m getting better with every race, every season. So my goal is just to improve with every week, just finish one place higher."

"I set myself small goals: at the beginning of the season I said I wanted to win one of the under-23 World Cups, because last year I was on the podium many times, but I didn’t win. And I said I wanted to podium at Europeans, and I wanted at least one Superprestige or World Cup elite podium," continues Schreiber, who most recently finished in 6th at the UCI World Cup race in Troyes. "So I don’t have that one yet, but the other two I already got, so I set myself small goals and then I just try to focus on them. And if I get, for example, third at a Superprestige, for me that’s like a win.”

“Most people don’t know that the reason SD Worx signed me was because they wanted ‘cross riders,” Schreiber explains. “Last year, I had my final year in school so I did like two road races, and I’ve never done many international races, so I didn’t have any results. I only had small results as a junior, but I didn’t have big results in road races. So there was no chance that the best team in the world wanted me for my road performance. I knew when they signed me, ‘okay, they want me because they want ‘cross riders,’ and I was pretty much the only one who didn’t have a contract, so it was also just a bit lucky.”

On the road, Schreiber also has some big goals she wishes to fulfil. “I’ve not done any Classics yet, but I really like them, and I think I’d be good at them as well. The Europeans on the road this year, that’s something that really suited me with the small, punchy climbs, and I think the Flanders Classics are a bit the same," she concludes. "For now, it’s too early to do all of this, but in a few years that’s where I see myself, probably more than stage races.”