Name: Hannah Otto (formerly Finchamp)
Age: 28
Sponsors: Pivot Cycles and DT Swiss
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
Favorite Trail: The Whole Enchilada (Moab, Utah)
Favorite Caffeinated Drink: First Endurance’s PRERACE 2.0
Hannah Otto’s essence is a blend of endurance sports and perseverance, humility, and a steadfast passion for cycling. Originating from Pasadena, California, her journey into endurance sports started at the age of nine through triathlons. Armed with a degree in Athletic Training and Exercise Science from Lindenwood University in Saint Charles, Missouri, Otto has seamlessly transitioned from a formidable off-road cyclist to a seasoned professional. Now, in her third year racing the Life Time Grand Prix presented by Mazda, she is making waves as a gravel privateer.
With close to two decades of experience under her belt, Otto boasts a multifaceted career. From clinching the XTERRA Amateur World Championship title twice to dominating state and national mountain biking championships during her high school and college years, her journey has been nothing short of extraordinary. Going deeper into her resume, Otto has represented USA Cycling on the global stage of the UCI Cross-Country World Championship on numerous occasions.
In what turned out to be a pivotal 2020, Otto earned a spot on the Olympic Long Team, setting the stage for a remarkable journey. Her win at the Leadville 100 in 2022 solidified her as a favorite in the popular Life Time Grand Prix series. Notably, her victory in 2023 at the UCI World Cup Cross-Country Marathon at Snowshoe and a commendable third-place finish at the 2024 Fuego XL race at the Sea Otter Classic further underscore her upward trajectory.
Bicycling caught up with Otto at the 2024 Sea Otter Classic to learn more about her experiences, victories, challenges, and the mindset that fuels her journey.
Bicycling: You started in triathlons when you were just nine years old, and you have been a lifelong athlete. What inspired you to pursue professional cycling, and how do you maintain your passion and enthusiasm for the sport?
Hannah Otto: I dreamed of doing sport for life. But this whole professional cycling thing is so far from what I could imagine at nine that I think nine-year-old me would be happy.
Despite 19 years of experience in endurance sports, I often think back to what nine-year-old me would think because approaching races with that childlike enthusiasm and childlike belief is beneficial. Nothing feels impossible at nine years old, so I try to channel my nine-year-old self more often.
This will be your third year racing the Life Time Grand Prix. What were the first and second years like, and what is the 2024 edition about for you?
In 2022 and 2023, I balanced Grand Prix and Olympic cross-country mountain bike (XCO) racing. I was going to the World Cups in Europe, racing the short XCO alongside the Grand Prix. And so it was a big balancing act for me the last two years, trying to be both fast at these 90-minute races and durable enough for these eight-plus-hour races.
This year, I’m shifting my focus to exclusively endurance events. I’ll have a lot more bandwidth to not just try to be fast all season long and do all these different things, but hone in on the specifics of what each race will require.
Because I’ve been balancing both in the first two years of the Grand Prix, and I have not allowed myself any drop races. You only have to do five of the seven, and that’s exactly what I’ve done, which has meant that I haven’t allowed myself any margin for error—and it hasn’t been without error. I suffered a separated shoulder, a concussion, and multiple mechanicals. And so, the Grand Prix had major highlights in the last two years, like winning Leadville. But there have also been some moments where it’s just been picking up the pieces, trying to salvage whatever I can. Now, allowing myself to have more of that buffer and those drop races, I hope that instead of just surviving, I can put my best foot forward.
How do you approach the mental aspect of racing, especially when it comes to managing expectations and nerves?
It’s a constant practice because we care so much. And you can’t and don’t want to make yourself care less. So it’s a balancing act of removing expectations, which isn’t caring less; it’s not eliminating nerves. It’s just an understanding that I’ve done everything I can. And that’s all I can do. I’ve taken that mindset into every race and my life, but especially in racing, because the difference between doing well and not doing well is often not a physical one. It’s almost always a mental one. So, trying to bring that mindset of not only letting go of expectations and control, but also bringing that energy to other people and sharing that with others because everyone can benefit from that. That’s something that I want to do more of in 2024.
Out of the seven races in the Life Time Grand Prix series, are you looking forward to any in particular?
Leadville. It’s my favorite race out there for various reasons. One, because I’ve won there, and so I have very special feelings towards it. But also, I think that race, from a community standpoint, gives me all the happy feelings because, on that start line, I just get chills. And, like, I look back at that sea of people, and you don’t just see a group of people. You see people who have given up so much to be there, whatever it is. Every single person has sacrificed to be able to achieve the goal of starting that race. And that’s so remarkable.
I’m quite excited for Unbound—I’ve never raced it before. With nineteen years into endurance sports, I don’t get to be called a rookie or a newbie very often. So, getting to wear that hat again is so exciting. And to just go in totally green with no expectations and have that childlike mindset that anything can happen is inspiring.
What are the organizers of the Lifetime Grand Prix doing well?
Life Time is a huge entity, and they’re putting on this massive series. But as an athlete, I have a very direct line of communication with them, and I find that impressive. My opinions are heard and taken into consideration. And they’ve proven that not only are they taking the suggestions, but they’re implementing them with these women’s only starts, for example. We deserve our own start to showcase who’s the best on the day. It’s exciting to have our own start.
Also, the Grand Prix has brought all of the best athletes together to compete in the series. So it’s no longer a diluted season where some athletes are at this race this weekend, and some are at this race this weekend. While we get a lot of different people winning, it’s fascinating to have all the best at one event so that when you do stand on that podium, it means something big.
What is a challenge that you, as a seasoned athlete competing at a high level, share with other riders and amateurs out there?
From speaking with my peers, having experienced it, and watching from the outside, the challenge is keeping a level head across a season this long. And doing that across a career this long can be challenging.
Even in the past two years, where I’ve experienced significant highs and lows, it’s been important to manage both extremes as they can bleed into all aspects of your life. And so it’s important to be grounded in your identity off of the bike and be able to come into each race, just experiencing that day and not letting it be a definer of what you’ve done or what you will do. But, instead, taking it is just this one singular day that I’m trying to be the best that I can be.
I see that in amateurs, too. People put so much into these races like Leadville, and when they don’t turn out how they want, it can feel like you “failed.” But it’s not about that one day but the whole journey and experience. It’s important that we all internalize that and be proud of the work we’ve put in because we spend way more time training and preparing than we do racing.
Speaking of remaining grounded, mindful, and level-headed, you must catch those moments at the right time to prevent them from negatively impacting performance. How do you do it? What do you tell yourself?
I’ve worked with a sports psychologist who has been extremely helpful with this. The first thing is just practicing awareness. Recognizing that a negative thought is not you, it’s just a thought. When you acknowledge the negative thought, it separates that thought from yourself. And then, if it’s during an event, like, you’re out there and you’re working on a hang-up, thinking, ‘I can’t do it.’ It’s like, ‘Oh, okay. That means I’m struggling a little bit. Thanks for letting me know.’ And then focusing on something you can do, like making it up this hill, or shifting down into an easier gear and spinning a little better. Or maybe the negative thought is a signal that I actually need to eat something. So, instead of treating them as red lights signaling to stop, for me, it’s like a yellow light saying, ‘Hey, what can we change? Because something’s going awry.’
How can athletes best troubleshoot a poor performance or an off-day?
It is different for everyone. Sometimes, as a coach, I feel like an investigator. You have to comb through all the noise and hone in on what’s happening. If an athlete tells me they’re feeling tired, we start with a flowchart of questions. Is it from the workouts? Is it from family stress? Is it from the workouts on top of family stress? Is it just temporary fatigue? Or are we dipping into chronic fatigue when we need to come off the brace or hit the brakes instead?
Typically, my rule is that if it’s a single day, we push through because it can easily be a fluke; you slept poorly or have poor nutrition, and sometimes, we might not even be able to pinpoint it. Sometimes, our body just says, ‘Oops.’ But anytime you start seeing patterns, patterns in sport are really important. And that’s why it’s super important to document as much as you can.
Documenting is something I see as people become more experienced or at higher levels; they just start documenting more and more. You start with just documenting workouts. Then, workouts plus sleep. Then, workouts, sleep, plus nutrition… and it just identifying these patterns and seeing that when I do this, I feel this way, and we can start drawing those comparisons.
As you continue to evolve as an athlete and coach, what are your aspirations for the future, both in terms of personal achievements and contributions to the cycling community?
One of my favorite things about this sport is all of the opportunities that it provides. It seems that the list of races to tackle and win is endless. I want to find constant improvement and challenge myself against the best in the game. I know that if I continue to seek out the highest level of competition, it will only make me a better athlete, and with continued improvement, eventually, you will find yourself on the top step.
It’s my hope that my career can inspire and motivate others to reach for their goals. People are far more capable than they think they are, and I hope that through my coaching, my own athletic career, and my interactions within the cycling community, people are empowered to see just how far they can go and willing to put in the effort to get there.
Rosael is a writer and editor based in Philadelphia (Lenape land), where she enjoys the city’s obsession with sports and its accessible trail systems and cycling community. She has a bachelor’s in Communications and Journalism from the University of Puerto Rico.
