The staff team of the Romanian Cycling Federation will welcome a valuable new member starting in 2026. The national Mountain Bike team will have Barbara Benko on board, who has been on 13 World Cup MTB podiums throughout her career. The former athlete was part of major mountain bike teams such as Maloja Pushbikers MTB, Ghost Factory Racing (2018–2020), and Focus XC Team (2011–2017).
Barbara Benko has an impressive palmares. She stood out early at the junior level with her first victory in a World Cup stage. Throughout her career, she collected 36 national champion titles (MTB, Road and Cyclocross) and 13 MTB World Cup podiums, with the most notable being in La Bresse (2018, 2nd place), Nove Mesto na Morave (2011, 2nd place), and Offenburg (2011, 2nd place). She represented Hungary at the 2012 London Olympic Games and finished 2nd in the 2017 European MTB Championship and also 2nd at the World Championships in 2008. 2nd World Cup overall in 2011.
In the 2025 season, we’ve also seen her competing in XCM races in Romania, and we’re sure she has already become familiar with the cycling scene here.
We are excited about the collaboration with Barbara, so we wanted to talk to her a bit.
Hi Barbara! Thank you for agreeing to talk to us. What does it mean to you to join the Romanian MTB National Team?
It means a lot to me and I’m feeling very honoured that I got this opportunity when the President of the Romanian Federation reached out to me if I would be keen to help the athletes achieve the qualification for the Los Angeles Olympic Games. I hope I can give valuable guidance to the athletes here and we can elevate the MTB scene in Romania to a next level.
Barbara, third place in Mercedes-Benz UCI Moutain Bike World Cup XCC #4 2018 – Vallnord /AND/
What do you think are the most important aspects to consider when supervising a national team?
First of all a good calendar and program with all the important races and training camps must be put together. We are done with that, now we must see how much we will get financial support from the Olympic Committee and the National Federation. Managing a national team requires crazy financial support and we should not take this for granted. But we try to push it everywhere we can and get as much support as we can for the riders. I think another very important aspect is that the atmosphere in the team is very good and familiar where everyone feels safe and respected. If the vibe is good and the athletes are happy, results come easier. You can not perform in a stressful or toxic environment. I’m aiming to create a friendly and good environment in the team where the riders are mates and also help each other to grow. I need to earn they trust of course and get to know them better, hope we will have the opportunity in the winter to go to a training camp where they can prepare for the season properly but also get to know each other better and create a bond already which will help us through the season in good and bad times. It is also important to recognise all riders qualities and what they are good at so they can bring it to the team and with that everyone taking their part we can get stronger while bringing their strengths to the team but also taking advantage of someone else’ strength and learning. For sure I will have some language barriers at the beginning, although I speak fluent English and German but I promise I am trying my best to learn better Romanian. 🙂
From your point of view, what makes a coach a good coach? What qualities should he have?
It is a very hard role with great responsibility. I have some experience from the past as I looked after the Youth team in Hungary for a while. It is way more than writing a training plan. Actually I will not write a training plan for anyone, the riders have their own coach. I put together the program and do the admin things, also with the Federation. I would like to be there for them whenever they need me. If they need help with anything related to cycling or performance but also beyond that. I think I have quite a long history with cycling as an athlete as well but also from the support side of the sport so I want to help them and be there whenever needed. Preparation doesn’t stop with training and racing, it is so much more. Everyone has a unique life and story, everyone needs support somewhere and I want them to know that they can count on me no matter what aspect. I will listen and understand them and we will make a plan on how to move forward and adapt to the situation. You need a lot of compassion towards the athletes, it requires more psychological aspects than sporting aspects most of the time from my experience. You need to create a familiar, friendly atmosphere where everyone feels valued, respected and can be the best version of themselves.
Women’s U23 podium at the 2011 Dalby World Cup: Kathrin Stirnemann, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, Barbara Benko
What aspects from your life as an athlete would you like to apply in your coaching career?
Pretty much everything I guess. 🙂 I had experience from amazing to not so good team managers and coaches, but I could learn from both sides a lot, what I would do and what absolutely not. As an ex athlete I think I can better understand how the sport works and what the athletes need. I had a lot of different team mates, a lot of nations, a lot of cultures, a lot of personalities, you need to get on well with all of them and understand them in order to be successful. I want to listen to the needs and ideas of the athletes and try to match it with the interest of the Federation, you are pretty much in between both sides and need to make both happy which is hard sometimes but i am confident we can find a plan and program which is good for both and most importantly help the riders develop internationally. Especially the Juniors and young categories, we need to help them take the next steps.