LOIV Janika

General
OCCUPATION
To support her cycling career she works as a freelance designer. "I work as a freelance designer to support my cycling career. But I am an architect by education. The toughest part for me is finding a balance between work and riding. There is also a lot of travel and flying, which I don't really like. But my husband and I like this life. We are adventurous types. It's true that with the money we've spent on competitions we could have bought a house already, and the only property we have in Estonia is a dog, but when we lived like everyone we didn't feel free. But now, living with a tight schedule and all the competitions, we feel a lot more free." (loiv.net, 01 Jan 2021; haaretz.com, 12 Oct 2021)

REJECTING PROFESSIONAL CONTRACTS
At the end of the 2020 season she was offered a professional contract by a few clubs but rejected the offers, opting instead to remain with her own coaching team that includes Karmen Reinpold, her husband Urmas Loiv, and mental coach Raimo Ulavere. "At the end of this season [2020], a couple [of teams] made a really strong club offer. I considered these options for a long time, because signing a professional contract is an important milestone for every rider, but in the end I decided not to make big changes before the Olympic season. I will continue with my team and the system we have developed over the last four years, which has been a success so far. I feel safe in this environment." Her husband, Urmas Loiv, acts as her manager. "He is my husband and responsible for all of the team management - communications, budget and finances, transport and logistics, etc." (loiv.net, 01 Jan 2021; Delfi Sport, 10 Dec 2020)