Fresh to the team in 2023, Mauro joins his older brother Marco within the ranks of Team dsm-firmenich. Coming from an active family, Mauro was inspired by his dad, who was and still is an avid recreational cyclist, with the family going on several trips to Italy when they were younger: taking their bikes and going on hikes through the mountains with both their dad and mum.
Building up his passion for the sport, he joined a local club and from there his love for cycling only grew further, becoming the main focal point for young Mauro. Despite doing running and walking race events in the winter, Mauro was always desperate to get back on the bike.
Fascinated with travel and exploring new places and cultures, the bike isn’t just a tool towards becoming an athlete for Mauro, he also very much enjoys the freedom that travelling and training on two wheels brings.
“When you’re racing you go all over Europe and even further, and you get to experience so much. It’s the same in training too – I really like being able to head to another city or country, and experience all the wonderful nature.”
A committed individual, Mauro is more than happy to put his hand up and do his fair share of work for his teammates – especially when they were always thankful for his efforts, and it was something he “enjoyed”. A particular highlight for him was controlling the first half of the World Championships in Australia, setting tempo in the peloton which would ultimately see fellow countryman Emil Herzog take the title – and it’s a day that fills him with pride.
It is no surprise then that one of Mauro’s self-highlighted qualities is “loyalty” which he thinks is very important to cycling as it is a hard sport, and you need to know that if you give your all for someone then they give the same back to you. However, despite his quiet and reserved nature, Mauro is also a bit of a joker and describes himself as “funny” – something that comes out more as he opens up to people, and he hopes to bring that atmosphere to the team.
Away from the bike, Mauro still enjoys spending time at home with his family and going for walks and hikes with his dogs or visiting friends. Speaking of friends, he also shares a middle name with a character from the namesake television series, but unlike the Central Perk coffee shop owner – Mauro Günther Brenner gets his name from his grandfather – which is a much sweeter story.
