TOUR: Having achieved success at almost all the major marathon events, you can surely and quite rightly call yourself Europe’s best female marathon cyclist. How does that feel?
MEYER: I hear that time and again, but I can’t really get my head round it myself. Of course, it’s a great honour for me to be described that way, but I would never say that about myself.
TOUR: Why so modest?
MEYER: I’m the sort of person who plays it down; I’m quite a quiet and very focused person. Structure is very important to me, both at work and in sport. So I take each day as it comes and work through my tasks one by one.
TOUR: To reach and maintain that level, your training workload must be enormous. How do you balance that with your day-to-day work?
MEYER: After studying business administration, I decided to undertake further training to become an accountant.
I’ve been working full-time in this job for years. I can always build up overtime and take it as time off in lieu. Otherwise, at this level, it wouldn’t be possible to combine a full-time job with cycling at all. However, I don’t have any special status with my employer.
TOUR: How did you get into cycling?
MEYER: I originally came from a background in dance and used to do ballet as a child. Then, when I met my husband Michael at a student disco in Cologne in 2001, his passion for cycling inspired me to take it up myself. My first road bike was my mother-in-law’s – it still had derailleurs.
TOUR: But it’s still a long way from there to your fascination with competitive events. Last year, you took part in 19 gruelling cycle marathons or races …
MEYER: I soon realised during group rides that I was good at climbing, and then, together with my father-in-law, I took part in the TOUR Transalp in 2007. Back then, it was quite different from today. We had to start right at the back and slept in the camp. There was no chance of recovery. (laughs). In the end, they finished 68th in the mixed rankings.
TOUR: Did you already have your sights set on the Ötztaler Cycle Marathon – which you’ve now won three times – back then?
MEYER: Yes. But my first experience at the Ötzi didn’t come until 2011. I actually finished ninth in the women’s overall standings that year and came fifth in my age group.
TOUR: Was there a defining moment that gave you a sense of what you were still capable of achieving?
MEYER: Yes, there was! In 2013, the Endura Alpentraum took place from Sonthofen to Sulden. At 268 kilometres, it was not only longer but, with 6,000 metres of elevation gain, also tougher than the Ötztaler.
That was my breakthrough, with my first major victory. After that, I realised that I’m good at long distances and that similar successes might well be within my reach in other cycle marathons too.
TOUR: It’s not unusual to be able to maintain a high level of performance despite getting older, thanks to the kilometres you’ve clocked up and regular training. But with your improved course records at the Ötztaler, Mallorca 312, the Glöcknerkönig and, most recently, the Maratona dles Dolomites, you’re still getting faster. How is that possible at the age of 48?
MEYER: Of course, there’s a great deal of experience behind it all by now. What’s more, my husband is also a very meticulous coach. Training management, nutrition and a bike perfectly tailored to me – I leave all of that in Michael’s hands. He says my bike weighed 5.5 kilograms at the last Ötztaler. I wouldn’t even be able to tell you what gear ratio I was using, for example. Everything has to be just right, and it’s the combination of all these factors that makes the whole thing work.
TOUR: So is experience the most important factor for success?
MEYER: Along with the ever-improving nutrition strategies during races. Personally, I’ve benefited greatly in the past from the debate surrounding the amount of carbohydrates the body can consume per hour. This has revolutionised ‘fuelling’ during races in recent years. I’m lucky enough to be able to consume 120 grams per hour now – and do so without any problems right up to the finish. The result is that I don’t feel completely drained at the finish line of the Ötztaler. That’s certainly another key factor in the improvement in my performance over the years.
TOUR: The hype surrounding the Ötztaler, which is soon to celebrate its 45th edition, shows no sign of abating. Is the legend surrounding the event justified?
MEYER: Absolutely! When I won there for the first time in 2023, I received far more attention than I had for my other victories.
The Ötztaler is and always will be the unofficial world championship of cycle marathons. What’s more, the route takes place on roads that are completely closed to traffic – something that’s by no means a given!
TOUR: You’ve made the performance data from your record-breaking ride at the Ötztaler 2025 public: over 7 hours, 22 minutes and 32 seconds, you managed to achieve a ‘normalised power’ of 3.8 watts per kilogram of body weight. With figures like these, you could at least hold your own in the mid-table of international professional cycling.
MEYER: You have to put that into perspective, as professional cycling requires a different approach to racing than marathons do. At the Ötztaler, I can pace my power output very well on the climbs, which isn’t really possible in professional sport due to sudden attacks. You really can’t compare the two, especially as a marathon cyclist always lacks that burst of speed.
TOUR: Travel, entry fees, kit and much more – at this level, the sport is expensive. Do you have any sponsors?
MEYER: I have four sponsors who mainly cover my equipment costs. As for entry fees, I’m often lucky enough to be awarded a free place as the previous year’s winner. However, we cover the majority of the costs ourselves. I’ve never really stepped up my search for further sponsors either.
TOUR: Why not?
MEYER: I want to do what I want and, above all, decide for myself which races I take part in.
TOUR: Your list of achievements includes 212 victories. After so many successes and record-breaking rides, what still drives you on?
MEYER: I love the sense of community at the races; it’s always like a family reunion. I just enjoy giving it my all and then I’m keen to see how it turns out. It doesn’t have to be a course record – I’m not chasing records.
It still fascinates me when I can maintain a consistent level of performance right through to the end of the race. I really enjoy that feeling.
Of course, I’m not getting any younger. That’s why I take it one race at a time, and as long as I can still perform at this level, I’ll carry on.
TOUR: As well as the mass-participation and marathon scenes, the gravel community is also growing very quickly at the moment. Could you see yourself competing in gravel races as well?
MEYER: Not at all. I used to ride a mountain bike too, but I’m absolutely rubbish at the technical stuff. I hear from friends just how technically demanding gravel races are. That’s not for me – I get really flustered even when my rear wheel slips on the cobbles. (laughs).
Janine Meyer – About her
- Born: 19 May 1978 in Regensburg
- Place of residence: Cologne
- Size: 1.65 metres
- Weight: 48 kilograms
- Cycling marathons: since 2011
- Occupation: Accountant
Teams
Team Cycle Basar (2011–2015), Team LeXXi (since 2016)
Key achievements
- Winner of the Ötztal Cycle Marathon (2023, 2024, 2025 – setting a course record on each occasion)
- Winner of Mallorca 312 (2026 – with a course record)
- Winner of the Maratona dles Dolomites (2026 – with a course record)
- Winner of the TOUR-Transalp (2016, 2019, 2023–2026 – Individual, Women’s Team, Mixed)
- Winner of the Glocknerkönig (2023–2026 – three times with a course record)
- Winner of the Kitzbühel Cycle Marathon (2021, 2024, 2025 – twice setting a course record)
- Winner of the Giro Dolomiti (2016, 2022, 2025)
- Winner of the Tour de Kärnten (2014–2018, 2021)
- Masters World Champion in Road Race and Individual Time Trial (2014)
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