Big pack: The marathon and eMTB challenge were already all about sport, while enduro and downhill bikers were still busy training for tomorrow. And on the second day of the BIKE Festival Willingen, the Expo also offered exciting events. The highlights from the festival Saturday.
Add bookmark
The second day of the BIKE Festival Willingen 2022 was a sporting day. Urs Huber won the Scott BIKE Marathon ahead of reigning world champion Andreas Seewald. At the Vpace Kids Cup, the kids got their first taste of downhill racing. The Bosch eMTB Challenge supported by Trek was all about versatility. At the Expo, the aim was to track down exciting bikes, cool guys and new parts. Have fun with our Best of the second day of the BIKE Festival in Willingen 2022. To the Willingen highlights of day 1 (Link) >>
Start number distribution for the big and small downhillers on Saturday morning. Photo: BIKE Festival The marathon group was already nibbling away at the Willingen sawtooth profile and was happy to take short breather breaks along the way.
Vpace Kids Cup: Start of the new children's racing series in Willingen
Photo: BIKE Festival All beginnings: The first event on Saturday was part 1 of the new racing series for children between five and ten, the Kids Cup.Photo: BIKE Festival Downhill instructor Jasper Jauch , not strict at allPhoto: Stefan Frey The youngsters aged five and up were able to prove themselves on two short stages. As with the downhill pros, a short track walk was first on the programme before the starting shot for the timekeeping was fired immediately afterwards.Photo: BIKE Festival Track inspection, sweet as sugarPhoto: Stefan Frey The kids really got out of breath on the pump track-like course with their mini downhillers. Full-face helmets and protectors were of course mandatory. However, that didn't stop anyone from sprinting out of the starting gate at full speed on the initially somewhat pedal-heavy course.
How do you like this article?
Photo: BIKE Festival Result: Impressive cornering
Upland saw: Scott BIKE Marathon Willingen
Photo: Stefan Frey At eight degrees and drizzling rain, the marathon participants had to fight their way through the hilly landscape around Willingen today. But when the muscles are really firing, at least the body stays at operating temperature. The volunteers at the feed zone on the climb to the third lap had to protect themselves against the harsh weather here in Upland with down jackets and umbrellas.Photo: Stefan Frey Exhausted but happy: after a good four hours of cycling, the first participants in the middle distance crossed the finish line. They had 88 kilometres and 2463 metres of altitude on the clock when they crossed the finish line. All finishers toasted their achievement with a refreshing Bitburger 0.0% before taking a well-earned shower.Photo: Peter Nilges Visibly recovered: colleague Scherer from the BIKE test lab after the morning mud pack.Photo: BIKE Festival Urs Huber (centre) won the men's competition over the long distance. Marathon world champion Andreas Seewald (left) underestimated the altitude profile in Upland and had to admit defeat to the Willingen expert. What can be seen in the picture is the respect of the two stars for the performance of the young Simon Schneller (right in the picture). Four years ago, he switched from the BIKE Junior Team to the pros of Team Bulls. And has been busy collecting podium places in the elite class ever since. More about the Scott BIKE Marathon Willingen here
BIKE Project Europe
Photo: Stefan Frey Our European project is an attempt to build a mountain bike with parts manufactured exclusively in Europe. The first step was produced live at the Alutech stand in Willingen on Saturday. Jürgen Schlender arrived with a mobile welding stand and sizzled together the frame for the BIKE Project Europe in front of the festival visitors.Photo: Stefan Frey Jürgen had packed a box full of welding masks so that the spectators could protect themselves from the arc, which is harmful to the eyes. The full story about our project and the first part of our series, including a visit to Alutech in the far north and, of course, the presentation of the finished frame, will be published in BIKE 08/2022 at the beginning of July.
Bosch eMTB Challenge powered by Trek
Photo: BIKE Festival The eMTB Challenge is a mixture of enduro, trail and orienteering races for e-mountainbikes. The two classes "Advanced" and "Amateur" were at the start. In addition to fitness and engine power, the main requirements here were riding technique and orientation, i.e. versatility. Helmets were compulsory and additional protective equipment was strongly recommended.
Spotlights: Eye-catchers on the festival site
Photo: Stefan Frey Lothar Schiffner had brought the new race grips from Ergon with him to Willingen. The first race grip without a clamp from the Koblenz-based company goes by the name of GXR and is manufactured entirely in Germany. In terms of weight, the developers were unable to set a new record for race grips at just under 90 grams. However, the GXR is said to offer maximum damping comfort thanks to a special foaming process in which air cells are enclosed in the rubber. This process also makes it possible to give the grip an ergonomic texture. In addition, the GXR is slightly tapered towards the outside to minimise hand discomfort.Photo: Stefan Frey The Ergon SR Allroad Core Pro is no longer brand new, but still worth mentioning. This saddle, which was actually designed for the gravel sector, uses BASF's so-called Infinergy foam. This is designed to absorb the smallest impacts particularly effectively. The flat seat surface guarantees comfortable support for the sit bones. The relief channel is designed to prevent numbness in the sensitive perineal area. The SR Allroad Core could be a good alternative for sporty riders in particular. We have packed a test sample and will be reporting on it in more detail soon.Photo: Gitta Beimfohr Cool Mobility operates the pump track in the centre of the festival. The ball pool of Willingen, so to speak. However, the children who are dropped off here only cry when their parents pick them up again.Photo: Gitta Beimfohr Cool Mobility itself operates the children's bike brand S'Cool and makes the bikes available for testing. The Academy in the photo weighs 5.3 kilos. Even two-year-olds can have fun on it. The team has already looked after a total of 150 children.Photo: Gitta Beimfohr Wippermann has just made a boy happy with a new, golden chain. The third chain from the left is less visually striking, but supposedly a rocket in terms of performance. The material and coating originate from the weaponry sector and should also ensure fast reactions and smooth sprocket changes in the derailleur cage. There are also chain rivet tools including a chain lock. Easy to handle, even for thorough cleaning in between so that the chain doesn't break in the first place. This eyewear model from Rudy Project is enjoying a boom in sales. The reason: they have a reading enhancement in the lower lens area like varifocals. The reading glasses from Rudy Project with a ground section in the lower lens area: perfect for the menu in the hut or when a fiddly repair is needed on tour. Available in three reading strengths. Price: 159 euros. Puky has relaunched its balance bike for the little ones. The LR Trail Pro comes with suspension, integrated cable routing, riser bar and cockpit padding including a race number holder. The V-brake on the rear wheel and the well-adjusted brake levers prevent crashes, even when the rider is pushing hard. Price: 239 euros. Photo: Stefan Frey Upcycling? Downcycling? Whatever. In any case, this long-serving Magura fork was given a new function as a disinfectant dispenser in the course of recycling. The brake lever, which was attached to a handlebar on the ground (not shown in the picture), was used to compress the fork and activate the pressure head of the dispenser. We think it's a great idea.Photo: Stefan Frey There was also a kind of recycling to marvel at at the Ergon stand. Ergon expert Simon Schumacher made himself a great mudguard from an empty bag of oat milk. Unfortunately, we were unable to find out whether the template for this will soon be available to download from the Ergon website.Photo: Stefan Frey Eastern Bloc flair at the campsite. A few festival visitors travelled to Willingen in a kind of Soviet version of the VW bus, the Buchanka. Equipped with a roof tent and transport box, this relic of the Soviet era is definitely one of the highlights on the site.
BIKE Academy
BIKE Academy on the subject of "Packing a rucksack like a pro". We hired Peter Brodschelm, probably the most experienced tour guide, for this course. He showed the participants which items are indispensable on tour and what you can confidently do without. Despite his extensive tool kit and emergency equipment, Fahrtwind's chief guide manages a maximum rucksack weight of 8 kilos. There were also plenty of tips and tricks for a long-distance trip lasting several days. At the end, there was also a brand new demo rucksack (26 litres) from EVOC to be won.
