Lejla Njemčević: Pro MTB Marathon rider insights
From a war-torn childhood in Sarajevo to the top of the podium: A conversation with Lejla Njemčević on resilience, the “wife-feedback” trap, and why your training plan should be written daily.
What does it take to become the number one marathon mountain biker in the world? For Lejla Njemčević, it wasn’t a state-of-the-art training facility or a clear path to professionalism. It was four tires for a whole year, a landscape recovering from war, and a relentless desire to see the mountains surrounding her home.
In a recent episode of the podcast, Lejla sat down with Fredrik and Erik to share her “unique story”—one that begins in post-war Bosnia and Herzegovina and leads to two UCI World Series titles.
Finding a Way Out (and Up)
Lejla was born in 1994, just a year before the war in Bosnia ended. Growing up in a country rebuilding its infrastructure, sports financing was non-existent.
“I grew up in a country after war... there wasn’t really much left to be financing sport when you’re rebuilding buildings”
Her entry into cycling wasn’t motivated by a love for the sport, but by a 15-year-old’s curiosity. Sarajevo is a winter Olympic city surrounded by peaks with 2,000 meters of elevation. Without friends to go with and no public transport to the trails, she joined a cycling club simply to see the mountains.
The early years were defined by scarcity:
Equipment: For the first seven or eight years, she made do with just four tires for an entire year—two for training and two for racing.
Perspective: While competitors stressed over race results, Lejla drew on a different kind of resilience. “I was actually never concerned about that kind of pain [effort] because we had a lot of other kind of pain and emotional trauma coming from war,” she says.
National Pride: Today, her biggest motivation isn’t personal glory but riding for the people of Bosnia.
“If I go through a village, they know my name, they stop me... you made their day happy by passing through”.
The “Wake Up, Warm Up, Workout” Philosophy
Perhaps the most fascinating part of Lejla’s success is her unconventional approach to training. Alongside her coach and husband, Amar Njemčević, she follows a “day-by-day” plan that prioritizes objective feeling over rigid scheduling.
No Seven-Day Plan: While there is an overall strategy, Lejla doesn’t know her workout until she’s on the bike.
The Routine: She wakes up, checks her sleep data (HRV, deep sleep, respiratory rate), eats breakfast, and starts a 40-minute warmup.
The Call: Only after the warmup does she call Amar to decide the day’s intensity. If her legs can’t reach the required threshold during progressive efforts, they pivot immediately.
“The best athlete is the one that adjusts the quickest,” Lejla notes. This adaptability extends to races, where she emphasizes the importance of expecting mistakes rather than trying to avoid them.
The Husband-Coach Dynamic
Lejla is candid about the complexities of being coached by her husband. She admits to the “problem” of influencing his decisions with “wife feedback,” which she tries to avoid to keep the professional dynamic intact.
One of their most iconic moments occurred at the 2023 World Championships in Scotland. After their bikes were lost by the airline for four days, Amar spent 10 hours hunting them down in local warehouses. When Lejla found herself in 11th place mid-race with “dead legs,” Amar’s reminder of his 10-hour odyssey spurred her into a “full gas” effort, eventually finishing 4th.
Key Takeaways for Every Athlete:
Hardship is an Edge: Athletes from difficult backgrounds often possess a unique “extra edge” in competition.
Be Objective, Not Rigid: If you can’t hit your numbers during a warmup, don’t force a VO2 max session. Pivot to rest or endurance.
Expect Mistakes: Don’t let a mechanical or a crash throw you off. Expect them, adapt, and get back on track immediately.
Lejla Njemčević currently rides for Orbea bikes and remains a dominant force in the marathon mountain biking discipline.
Follow Lejla on her journey: @lejlamtb