Regina Stiefl is a German mountain biker. She competed in the 1990s, in both
cross-country and
downhill mountain biking. She won the
German National Mountain Bike Championships for women's cross-country in 1991 and 1993. She returned to the nationals winning in the downhill category in 1994, 1995, and 1998. Stiefl won the
Grundig World Cup in 1993 and 1995. She was inducted into the
Mountain Bike Hall of Fame in 1999.
Early life
Regina Stiefl was born on 11 October 1966, in
Grainau
Grainau (Southern Bavarian: ''Groana'') is a municipality in the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen (district), Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in southern Bavaria, Germany. It is located at the foot of the Zugspitze mountain, the tallest mountain in Germ ...
, Germany.
Her sister, , is also a mountain biker.
Athletic career
Early in her athletic career, Stiefl was a top-ranking downhill skier.
Stiefl started her career as a cyclist in 1987, first in
cross-country cycling.
In 1991, she placed third in the
UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in cross-country. She won the women's cross-country
German National Mountain Bike Championships in 1991 and 1993. Following knee surgery and a heart muscle infection, she transitioned to downhill cycling.
She won the women's downhill for the German National Mountain Bike Championships in 1994, 1995, and 1998. During the 1990s, she had a rivalry with American mountain biker
Missy Giove.
Stiefl won the
Grundig World Cup in 1993.
At the 1995 World Cup downhill at
Big Bear Lake, California
Big Bear Lake is a city in San Bernardino County, California, located in the San Bernardino Mountains along the south shore of Big Bear Lake, and surrounded by the San Bernardino National Forest. The city is about northeast of the city of San ...
, Stiefl forgot to lower her saddle and started the race with it several inches higher than normal. She placed second in the race and went on to win the World Cup.
Stiefl joined the Fiat-Rotwild racing team in 1998 and staged a brief comeback,
competing in the
1999 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup. She was inducted into the
Mountain Bike Hall of Fame in 1999.
Personal life
Stiefl married fellow mountain biker Peter Stiefl. They had two children.
After her cycling career, she became a stylist.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stiefl, Regina
1966 births
Living people
German female cyclists
Downhill mountain bikers
Cross-country mountain bikers
German mountain bikers
People from Garmisch-Partenkirchen (district)
Cyclists from Upper Bavaria
UCI Mountain Bike World Champions (women)
20th-century German sportswomen