Clara Koppenburg

Clara Koppenburg brings strength, experience, and her ever curious, energetic mind to EF Education-Cannondale. The 28-year-old German has been a pro for a decade and still loves to learn about her sport.

In 2014, she was offered her first professional contract just a few months after she had ridden her first races. Her athletic background helped. When she was a kid, Clara rode horses, played tennis and basketball, and skied, both alpine and cross-country. A talented runner, who raced all the distance events on the track, she studied sports science, which she loved, because she could earn half her credits by sailing or rowing or doing other outdoor activities with her friends from class. Although her dad worked for a professional cycling team, Clara never considered riding bikes herself.

Then, she went on a trip with him to a race in Colorado and realized that cycling was a lot more intense than the off-road jaunts to cafés and ice cream shops that she’d done with him. Inspired, she decided to start training and was soon off to the races.

She just loved pushing herself to her limits. She has since won the Setmana Ciclista Valenciana - Vuelta Comunitat and finished second at the Tour Cycliste Féminin International de l’Ardèche. In 2023, she was second at the ReVolta.

Clara is a talented climber, who wants to focus on stage racing for the coming seasons. She lives in her beloved Black Forest, just outside of Basel, and enjoys spending time on the wooded climbs that she knows so well, spending evenings swimming down the Rhine with friends all the way to Basel’s city center, and trying out some difficult new recipes in the kitchen. She is already famous for her vegan banana bread, which is one of her favorite pre-ride snacks.

Fun Facts

How did you get into cycling?
My dad is a doctor on a pro team and took me as a gift for my school degree to a race in Colorado. There I realized how amazing cycling is and I wanted to do the same!

When a race gets tough, what do you tell yourself?
Just keep pedaling! Everyone is in pain! Clara, you can!

Think about your best teammate ever. What was the quality in them that you appreciated?
It doesn't matter what happened, she always made me laugh, gave me a hug and made every problem just a small thing!

What did you study in university?
Sports science.

What is your favorite word in your native language? What does it mean? What do you like about it?
Schleckermäulchen - a person with a sweet tooth. I would say I am that kind of person but it just sounds sweet if you say it.

Date of birth: 08/03/1995
Hometown, Country: Lörrach, Germany
Languages: German and English