At yesterday's relay competition of the XC elite, the German riders around Manuel Fumic, Hanna Klein, Georg Egger and Markus Schulte-Lünzum were able to secure their first World Championship medal.
After Sabine Spitz injured her shoulder again and was therefore unable to start, 26-year-old Hanna Klein spontaneously decided to support the team. At the beginning of the relay race, nobody would have thought that it would be enough for a bronze medal in the end. Junior Georg Egger was the first to be sent on the 4,7 kilometer loop. He managed to keep the gap to his competitors short and handed over to the U23 driver Marcus Schulte-Lünzum in fifth position. Schulte-Lünzum has had a mixed season so far. In the season, however, he was able to stand up to the strong teams and held fifth place. At her season premiere, Hanna Klein had to battle with the fastest and most race-experienced pilots such as Julie Bresset and Eva Lechner. She lost two positions and reached the transition zone in seventh place. A hungry Manuel Fumic went into the last lap and steadily gained meters. After he got the Swiss Ralph Näf right and overtook him, Fumic was also able to pass the Canadian Sandra Walter. He crossed the finish line after a total of 1:00:33 hours, which helped the German team to place third.
"I've thought carefully about where I'm going. When I attacked, Ralph couldn't react anymore", said Fumic after the race.
Result
1. Italy – M. Fontana/G. Bertolini/E. Lechner/G. Kerschbaumer
2. France – J. Sarrou/R. Gay/J. Bresset/M. fad
3. Germany – M. Schulte-Lünzum/G. Egger/H. Small/M. Fumic