The three participants of the BIKE Junior Team had some successes to report at the national junior classification in Gedern, Hesse. However, not everyone was completely satisfied with their performance. The rainy night before the XCO race probably had something to do with this. In the end, however, the team still managed two podium finishes and a gold medal.
Race report from Benny Huber (U15)
The 2nd round of the national junior classification was held in Gedern. For me, this is the most important race series in the U15 category. There was a technical competition on Saturday, which unfortunately didn't go so well for me. Unfortunately, I made a few mistakes in the balance section and ended up in 33rd place. That meant row 6 on the grid for the XCO race on Sunday.
In slippery conditions on Sunday, I was able to work my way up quickly after the start and ride at the front of a group of three. The technical sections went well for me and I was able to take the lead again and again without crashing. I felt good and prepared myself for the final sprint, as Paul was close behind me. In the end, I won the final sprint and crossed the finish line in first place. A mixed weekend (not just in terms of the weather) with a happy ending.
Race report Elias Hückmann (U17)
At the second round of the national junior classification in Gedern, we had to master a technical course on the first day. As this type of competition is not necessarily my strong point, I didn't have high hopes of finishing on the podium. However, thanks to my relatively relaxed approach, I managed to achieve seventh place. This was my best result in the technical course so far.
Now all eyes were on the upcoming XCO race on Sunday. It rained during the night from Saturday to Sunday, so I found a wet, muddy and slippery course early in the morning. After a very good start, I immediately took the lead of the field, but not everything went according to plan that day. The track profile and conditions didn't suit me and I had no "race flow". Unfortunately, I lost the "battle" with Jonas Schweizer for first place that day. However, it was enough for an unchallenged second place. Overall, I'm not entirely satisfied with my performance, as I not only had to contend with track problems, but also with shifting problems due to a crash.
Race report Nico Brandl (U17)
The Vulkan Race is one of my favourite races, so I travelled to Gedern with a good feeling. On Saturday, we had to complete a technical course. It consisted of several sections, each of which scored points, and time also counted towards the score. I actually managed to ride through all the obstacles without making any mistakes and scored full points. I finished in 5th place at the same time as another competitor, which was not only a good result in a field of around 70 competitors, but also meant starting from the front row on Sunday!
Unfortunately, it started to rain quite a bit during the night, which made the course wet, slippery and muddy. However, I rode technically clean so that I didn't crash and in the end I was able to secure 11th place in the U17 category, completely dirty and with a completely muddy bike. Satisfied with my performance, I now have to continue training to achieve good results in the next races.
