What a crazy story! Ten years ago, fifteen-year-old Georg Egger from the tranquil Bavarian village of Obergessertshausen set his sights on becoming a cross-country professional. His big goal was the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. The wall above his nursery bed was adorned with a poster of Manuel Fumic. "For Georg", the superstar of the German cross-country scene had written on it in sharpie.
After his victory at the district championships in Deisenhausen, which Georg took part in more for fun than anything else, the flame of his passion for mountain biking was kindled. His mother had died of cancer shortly before. A shock that welded the Eggers even closer together - dad Herbert, son Georg and brother Andreas. Mountain biking became the overriding family theme and the trips to the races were celebrated like adventure trips.
Herbert gave up his job as a farmer for a part-time job in a planning office in order to have time for his sons. He sold all his cows and built an obstacle course in the barn. He converted the party cellar into a fitness studio, bought a motorhome for travelling to races and, together with Georg and Andreas, created a cross-country race course in the family forest to provide optimal training conditions. Finally, a big dream had to be realised: To take part in the Olympic Games in Tokyo.
The BIKE Junior Team as a springboard
And now this! The Olympics have been postponed to 2021 due to the coronavirus crisis. Luckily for Georg from a sporting perspective, although he is now part of the national cross-country elite, he has not yet made the nomination. The federation is allowed to nominate two riders for the men's race. However, only Manuel Fumic and Maximilian Brandl have so far achieved the A standard, which requires a top ten placing in the World Cup or at the World Championships. Georg has achieved the B standard several times. If the Olympics had taken place as planned this year, things would have looked bad for him. But as it is, there is still hope in theory.
The fact that the spring German championship cancelled due to Corona The fact that the race was held shortly before the winter break - on the very track in the Eggers' family forest on the outskirts of Obergessertshausen where Georg's career once began - is a story as romantic as it is magnificent.
Our reporter had Georg, who had just entered the BIKE Junior Team was visited exactly ten years ago. In view of the current situation and events, the photos are now interesting contemporary documents.
As they have never been published on the Internet before, we want to show them here. Also as motivation for all young riders that even bold dreams can come true.
Addendum: At 27, Georg Egger and his team-mate Lukas Baum celebrated their greatest success to date: victory at the Cape Epic 2022 stage race in South Africa. The Bavarian laid the foundation for this with his time in the BIKE Junior Team.
