Victory at the MTB Bundesliga - Tobias Steinhart

On an intense mountain bike weekend, the riders of Team Dowe Simplon of RSG Zollern-Alb were once again competing on top-class race tracks. Both at the World Cup in Nove Mesto, Czech Republic, and at the junior talent identification event of German Cycling in Gedern, the athletes gained important experience and impressed with strong performances.

Maximilian Wagenstetter was particularly in focus in the World Junior Series, which was held as part of the MTB World Cup in Nove Mesto, Czech Republic. The technically very demanding course demanded everything from the riders but offered fair conditions in dry weather. Already on Thursday, Wagenstetter had to prove himself in the qualification for the Short Track race. Here he made it into the final of the best 40 riders, in which he ultimately finished 36th. In the Olympic Cross-Country race (XCO) on Saturday, Wagenstetter started from position 128. On the narrow and selective course, the young rider had to invest an enormous amount right at the beginning to move up the field. With a strong and combative race, he rewarded himself in the end with an excellent 43rd place in the international top field.

At the same time, the third round of the German Cycling junior talent identification event took place in Gedern, Hesse. Optimal external conditions also prevailed there. On Saturday, an individual time trial was on the program, before the XCO races were held on Sunday. Tobias Steinhart provided the sporting highlight from the team's perspective in the elite race of the International MTB Bundesliga. With an impressive performance, he secured a confident start-to-finish victory and dominated the race from the beginning. In the U17 class, David Schempp, who was fourth overall in the junior talent identification standings, unfortunately had to withdraw at short notice due to illness. Marlene Bilger, also U17, showed a very committed performance overall: In the individual time trial, she finished 13th. In the XCO race on Sunday, she slipped out of the pedal in the start loop and thus lost important positions early on. Nevertheless, she fought her way back to 18th place. Hendrik Krüger also started in the U17 class. He finished 28th in the individual time trial and achieved a good 21st place in the cross-country race.