A new beginning at the end

Last year, things went quiet around Germany's most successful downhill mountain biker Marcus Klausmann. A switch from Ghost to Berlin bike manufacturer Nox in the winter of 2015/16, an appearance at the German Enduro Championships and a few sporadic race appearances here and there. There wasn't much more to hear from the runner-up world champion, World Cup winner and 15-time German downhill champion. No wonder, because his heart, of all things, is no longer playing ball and is now forcing Klausmann to give up his career as a professional athlete. Why exactly, he'll tell you himself:

Marcus Klausmann: Farewell to his professional career

"Saying goodbye is not always easy. After 20 years of excessive cycling, I'm entering a new phase of my life. I have to admit that my ego is only very slowly getting used to a normal life away from the racetracks, without adrenalin and men's sweat. For more than half of my life, international and national competition successes such as a World Cup victory, two runner-up world championship titles and 15 German championship titles were my elixir of life and my laurels, on which I never wanted to rest. It was my everyday life to train my body and mind to ignore my own limits, to always go one step further (even if it hurt like hell) in order to lead a life at the limit.
For many, this sounds like madness - for me it was normal for years and I loved it. It is precisely this constellation that makes a professional athlete, and it is precisely this fact that makes it so difficult to draw a line under an athletic career at the end. This summer, my own heart put an end to it. My heart was ablated due to a cardiac arrhythmia. Unfortunately, this did not have the desired effect and the arrhythmia recurred more frequently after the German Enduro Championships. The time has now come for me to turn my back on competitive sport without discussion and without a loophole - but don't worry, I'll see you again occasionally in the bike park.
Many of you are probably wondering what will happen in the future: I will continue to work with many of my sponsors and you will hear a lot from me, be it in the areas of product optimisation, new developments or simply as a brand ambassador. I will also be running my riding technique school www.optimalline.de and launch a new suspension service and tuning project. 20 years of racing experience need to be utilised. More on this at a later date. Until then, all the best and thank you."

Yours
Marcus

The career highlights of Marcus Klausmann