Monika made history in 2018 when she became the first woman to ride the entire 3,058km route of the Vuelta a España. Which is know as one of cycling’s toughest grand tours.
Monika started riding every morning at 6 am hours before the men started, she rode the full 21 stages which included a staggering 49,337m of climbing! This was all done in the blistering Spanish heat.
Her mission was to prove her own RAD (Real, Adventurous, Daring) Method and to inspire other women to live a more adventurous life!
During this podcast Monika shares more about her journey, studying over in America, not knowing if she was making the right decisions, trying to become a professional cyclist and realising it wasn’t for her. Monika is super passionate and positive about living an adventurous life! She goes after her goals with unbelievable focus - whether it is writing a book in 5 weeks or moving on a whim to a country she doesn’t speak the language of with just her bike and one nights accommodation booked.
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Show notes
Who is Monika
Growing up in Germany until she was 19
Wanting to be a CIA agent when she was younger
Deciding to move to America with a full time scholarship to play volleyball
Figuring out what she wanted to do with her life
Having to decide between a career in the World Bank or being a professional cyclist
Going back to her childhood and what life was like for her
Moving around a lot when she was younger and living in multiple places
Having a lot of energy and having a love for sports
Getting into volleyball in a big way
Not having a passion and struggling to decide what she wanted to do with her life
Figuring out how to pay for school and needing to get a scholarship
Spending 9 years living in America
Being unemployed at 30, with no mortgage, no plan and trying to decide what to do with her life
Moving with her bike to Spain (not speaking Spanish and not knowing anyone)
Trying a wide variety of different jobs
Making a positive impact on other people’s lives
Coaching other to live to their full potential
Making the change to professional cycling in 2011
What she loves about cycling
How her friends and family reacted to her decision
What her definition of happiness is
Figuring out that professional cycling was not for her
Going back to a career - working for IBM as a management consultant as a management consultant
Giving herself one year to make it happen
Being scared that she had made a mistake
Being motivated to make it work and trying everything she could
Creating the RAD Method
Figuring out your purpose in life
Deciding to ride the in the Vuelta a España
Getting funding for the race
Everyone telling her she would fail
What a typical day looked like while riding in Spain
How she coped mentally with the pressures
Writing a book about the experience in 6 weeks
What the next challenge is going to be and why she wants to make a move into ultra running
Top tips and advice for other women
Inspiring others
The next big challenge!!
Social Media
Website - www.radmonika.com
Instagram - @rad_monika
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