European Bike Cup 2024: Wrench battle - who are the best mechanics in Europe?
Lukas Niebuhr
· 13.02.2024
Update: We have now also conducted a short interview with the second German participant, Lennart Kreft from Steinfurt.
>> Read this article to find out what the European Screwdriver Cup looked like: Steffen Hanel did it and was crowned European champion at the 2024 European Two-Wheeler Cup.
At the beginning of November last year, the best of their country were honoured at the German Craft Skills Two-Wheeler Championships ("German Craft Skills Two-Wheeler") from an original field of seven two-wheeler journeymen. Steffen Hanel, Lennart Kreft and Pera Jurukovic made it onto the podium, but no participant was able to achieve the minimum number of points required to be crowned a national winner.
Hanel and Kreft will represent their nation at the European Championships (15 - 17.2.24) in the training workshop of the HBZ training centre of the HWK Münster. Together with their motorbike colleagues, they will be accompanied and supported by Werner Metzger, head master of the Baden-Württemberg Motorbike Mechanics Guild. He already accompanied the German team to Switzerland last year.
Two-wheeler European Cup: How is the European champion of two-wheeler mechanics determined?
The event in Münster will determine the best young mechanics in the two-wheeler segment from Germany, France, Denmark, the Czech Republic, Austria, the Netherlands, Poland and Switzerland. In the competition, they have to demonstrate their craftsmanship and expertise, solve various tasks to the best of their knowledge and belief and thus score as many points as possible per task. In the end, the European champion is the one who has collected the most points.
Who are the German candidates?
Steffen Hanel from Leonberg (Paul Lange & Co.) and Lennart Kreft from Steinfurt (Velo de Ville) have managed to qualify for the European Championships at the national championships. We spoke to Steffen Hanel ahead of the European Cycling Cup and wanted to know what awaits him there.
Interview with national winner Steffen Hanel
BIKE: How did it come about that you compete in your apprenticeship?
Steffen Hanel: With my apprenticeship, I wanted to turn my hobby, namely cycling, into a profession. Apparently, I did quite well with my apprenticeship, so I became a chamber winner. That's the first step. If you are then the best of all the chambers in your state, you are the state winner. The next stage is at national level and I also won that competition.
So you automatically qualify for such a competition at the smallest level?
I went to the Chamber of Crafts in Stuttgart, which is available in all regions. At the end of your training, you have to take an exam where you can achieve a maximum of 100 points. The ones with the most points are the chamber winners. The best of the remaining chambers is then selected. I was invited by letter to take part at national level. And because I was successful there, I was also invited by letter to take part in the European Two-Wheeler Cup.
How does a competition like this work? What do you have to do there?
The best from each of the six federal states was invited to take part in the first national competition in Frankfurt. The reason why not one person from each federal state was invited is that you need a certain number of points to qualify. The tasks included e-bike troubleshooting, handlebar tape winding and gear hub repair. The whole thing was timed. Each task was scored individually, resulting in an overall score at the end, from which the winner emerged.
Is this more of an exam situation or does the whole thing have the character of a competition?
It was more of an exam situation. The six of us were in a room, everyone had their own workstation, there was a start signal and you had 30-45 minutes to complete the tasks until you were told to come to the end. If you finished earlier, you were asked to go outside and then brought back in for the next task.
How many tasks did you have to complete?
There were 5 tasks in the national competition, but I don't know what it looks like in the European Cup. I haven't received much information yet.
View of the European Two-Wheeler Cup
You represent the German team together with Lennart Kreft. Do you work together as a team or is it "every man for himself"?
I mean, there are national rankings as a team and a separate individual ranking.
Are you nervous?
I don't know if I'm nervous. I'm a bit ambivalent, as what I had to do at the national competition had relatively little to do with my day-to-day work, because a lot of things are no longer so up-to-date. I also find the thing with the time limit, for example when wrapping the handlebar tape, difficult because I like to take more time there and do it properly.
Does this mean that the format with the time limits should be viewed rather critically?
Not necessarily. After all, you want to find out who can work best under time pressure. But if you really want to know who is the best, you might have to personalise the competition.
What does taking part in the European Two-Wheeler Cup mean to you and what would the title mean to you?
I would be proud if I could win the competition for Germany and, of course, for myself. However, I can't judge the competition at all, partly because I don't know how they are travelling in terms of training. But of course it would be cool if I could bring it home.
After the European Cup: Interview with Lennart Kreft
BIKE: You are one of the best mechanics in Europe. What do you particularly enjoy about your job?
Lennart Kreft: The screwing itself, the manual work. That was the reason why I decided to do the apprenticeship in the first place. You always have different tasks and try to solve the problems as best you can, which I particularly enjoy.
When did you decide that you wanted to become a two-wheel mechatronics technician?
That came about 5 years ago. I finished my apprenticeship a year ago. When I was 15, I discovered mountain biking as a hobby and there are repairs to be done from time to time. At some point, it just becomes too expensive to always have it done. So I taught myself a lot of things and decided during my A-levels that it could be something for later.
European Cycling Cup 2024: What went well and what didn't?
What are you particularly good at?
That's a good question (laughs). I would say that I'm pretty good at building wheels, centring them and even something like hub servicing. But it's always difficult to judge that for yourself.
Which tasks tend to cause you problems?
With regard to the European Cup, I found it difficult to set up a Di2 drivetrain. Unfortunately, that didn't work out so well for me. So electronic shifting is not really my thing.
The DT Swiss wheel task went all the better for that?
Exactly, I would say it went quite well. I didn't get an exact list of where I scored how many points, but you can tell a bit about what went well and what didn't.
How many points did you end up with?
There was a maximum of 50 points per task, i.e. 300 for 6 tasks. I think I ended up with 230 points.
Would you say that you have a special talent?
I wouldn't say I have a special talent. For me, a lot comes from passion. I don't think I was always that good at it from the outset, but I've always made the connection to my hobby.
Does that mean you're so good because your passion makes you do more than the others?
Yes, I do believe that. I taught myself a lot of things before my apprenticeship and that hasn't changed. I always try to repair everything myself, not even necessarily the bike: I always try to do as much as I can myself on other vehicles too. This whole passion for mechanics and screwing things together has definitely helped me.
You came fourth in the European Cup. Did you aim for more?
No. For me, the main goal was "being there is everything". Of course I'm delighted with fourth place, I would also have liked to have finished third, i.e. on the podium, but I'm completely satisfied with my result.
Can you estimate which tasks you have lost points on?
I definitely lost points on the Di2 task. In the first task "Adjusting the suspension and ergonomics", I was given brief feedback that I had forgotten something at the beginning. I think these two tasks were the sticking points.
There was comparatively much coverage of you, including from WDR, and rather little about the winner Steffen Hanel. Did you start as the favourite or was that because you come from the area?
I think that's mainly because I live close to the venue. The WRD is also from here. That probably had less to do with my performance.
A look into the future
Does participating and placing in the European Cycling Cup help you in your job?
I think so, or at least I hope so. I don't have a specific example yet, but it probably won't have a negative impact.
What's next for you? What are your professional goals?
I'm currently studying mechanical engineering part-time here in Münster and would like to go into development later on. I would like to stay in the bike industry. I like the industry and it suits me. For example, I would like to work on new developments or prototype tests.
Is there anything else you would like to achieve?
The next goal is, of course, to go to university. I'm not aware of any other competition for screwdriving.
Was your participation in the European Cup a one-off?
Theoretically, you could take part several times. As I understand it, however, it is regulated in Germany that only people who have completed their training this year or last year are selected in order to promote young talent, which I think is totally fine. But the country itself can decide which two people it puts forward.
More on the subject of bikes & workshops
Lukas Niebuhr
Working student
