For years, the Ernst Reuter School in Groß-Umstadt has been the spearhead in Germany when it comes to making mountain biking popular in the truest sense of the word. First there was a dedicated and professionally organised working group, then came the Velosolutions pump track - financed by the town and European funds - which teaches everyone from young to old the basics of coordination on a bike. And a few days ago, the pump track was officially inaugurated. With the Red Bull Pump Track World Championship Qualifier on 14 July 2018.
Qualification for the Pump Track World Championships in October
Qualifier? That's right. The top four finishers in each category automatically qualify for the Pump Track World Championships on 13 October in Springdale in the USA. The duels against each other were correspondingly tough. The field was gradually thinned out in a knockout process until only four riders remained in each category after the quarter-finals. In the end, Mareike Böhm and Marcin Rot were able to celebrate. They prevailed against all competitors and took first place. Lisa Hähn and Katelyn Ikiyata in the women's category and Samuel Kern, Channey Guennet and Nicolai Zielke in the men's category also qualified for the World Championships.
Organisers and city are satisfied
A total of 80 drivers from no less than five different European countries competed against each other in front of a good 1000 spectators. "Spectators and riders were thrilled and had a lot of fun. The town of Groß-Umstadt was a great host. We are very pleased with this and hope that we were able to inspire many spectators to try it out for themselves," said Norman Bielig from organiser Desire Lines, who was responsible for organising the Red Bull Pumptrack World Championship Qualifier in Groß-Umstadt.
Adrian Kaether
Editor
