Albstadt MTB Riders at the German Championships
Due to the severe flooding disaster in early June, the German Championships for MTB Short Track and Cross Country in Obergessertshausen, Bavaria, were unfortunately postponed to the past weekend. As a result, some members of Team Dowe Simplon from RSG Zollern-Alb could not participate in their home Albstadt Bike Marathon. While Gabriel and Tobias Sindlinger successfully finished the Albstadt race in 7th and 20th places respectively, their teammates Tobias Steinhart, Niklas Scherer, and Florian Fink competed in the German Championships.
The Short Track Championships were held on Friday evening. Tobias Steinhart tried this race format for the first time with success. “Overall, it was good. However, I wasn’t always tactically astute,” the 26-year-old summarized. Nonetheless, finishing 7th was a commendable achievement.
In the Cross Country races on Sunday, Florian Fink initially competed in the national U23 category. After a season filled with ups and downs, he hoped for a strong performance at the season’s highlight. After starting, he was between 10th and 15th place, which didn’t quite meet his expectations. As the race progressed, he managed to climb to 7th place. This comeback, however, cost him a lot of energy, and in the final lap, he was overtaken by Stevens rider Louis Krauss, finishing 8th—overall, a satisfactory result for him.
The German Champion was Lennart Krayer (Lexware Mountainbike Team) for the third time. In the Elite class race, Tobias Steinhart hoped for a placement similar to that in the Short Track. Niklas Scherer, another team rider, made his debut after a longer stay abroad with a short but intense preparation for the championship race. Scherer stood out with a 10th place finish. He adapted well to the course, including the short steep climbs and descents, maintained a steady pace from the start, and was more than satisfied with his placement. Tobias Steinhart, on the other hand, was not entirely happy with his 8th place finish. It became clear after the first half of the race that Steinhart was not having his best day. Although he held 7th place for a long time, he was pushed to 8th place by Alex Bregenzer (Wombach) in the final lap. Luca Schwarzbauer (Canyon CLCTV) won the championship decisively for the first time.
Also included in the German Championships was another race of the Nachwuchsbundesliga (Youth National League), which the Albstadt mountain biking team also completed successfully. Maximilian Wagenstetter, in the U17 category, achieved his best result in this national series with a 9th place finish. Simon Adler, also in U17, placed 31st. His younger brother Ben competed in the U15 category and secured a 25th place finish with a strong performance.
Never miss an event again!
