This coming Pentecost weekend, the time has come: For the third time, following 2001 and 2008, Europe's best mountain bikers will compete for their championship titles in St. Wendel. On the traditional circuit, with the start and finish line in the stadium, top-class athletes such as multiple world champions and Olympic gold medalists Sabine Spitz, Julien Absalon, and José Hermida will battle for medals. In recent years, mountain biking has become increasingly focused on Europe, meaning that the world's best athletes also hail from Europe and will all be competing in St. Wendel. "We are confident that we will be able to present top-class sport in St. Wendel ," says Mayor Klaus Bouillon, looking forward to the championships with great anticipation. The championships, which begin on June 5th with the Eliminator Sprint, a men's and women's elimination race, will be decided in a total of eight categories.
The top favorite in the men's cross-country race is Julien Absalon, who celebrated his 29th World Cup victory last weekend in Albstadt and is in top form. "I want to capitalize on that in St. Wendel and hope for another European Championship medal ," says the highly successful Frenchman, who has already arrived in St. Wendel and is training on the course. The two top German riders, Moritz Milatz, the 2012 European Champion, and Manuel Fumic, are strong medal contenders. Both have already achieved top results this spring and are looking forward to the home European Championships in St. Wendel.
Sabine Spitz, the exceptional athlete in German mountain biking, has her sights set on the title. "I won my first international medal in St. Wendel," says Spitz, who took silver in St. Wendel in 2001 and has won a total of eight European Championship medals. "I always enjoy coming back here and hopefully I'll make it onto the podium ," says the Olympic champion from Beijing, who will arrive on Thursday and is fully focused on the cross-country race on Sunday. Her toughest competitors are seven-time European and five-time world champion Gunn-Rita Dahle-Flesjaa from Norway and the Frenchwoman Pauline Prevot-Ferrand, who recently won in Albstadt.
From Julian Absalon of France to Moritz Zoister of Austria, the entry list for the MTB European Championships is now closed: 570 athletes from 28 nations have registered and will compete in eight different disciplines from June 5th to 8th. The largest contingent of athletes comes from Switzerland. The German Cycling Federation will be sending 40 riders to St. Wendel. "We have medal chances in all categories ," says national coach Peter Schaupp confidently.
The German squad for the XC European Championship
cross country:
Elite Men: Moritz Milatz (Freiburg/BMC), Manuel Fumic (Stuttgart/Cannondale), Simon Stiebjahn (Titisee-Neustadt/Red Bulls), Markus Schulte-Lünzum (Haltern/Focus), Wolfram Kurschat (Neustadt-Weinstraße/Team Topeak), Martin Gluth (Freiburg/EBE-Racing-Team)
Elite Women: Adelheid Morath (Freiburg/ Sabine-Spitz-Haibike ProTeam), Hanna Klein (Freiburg/Rothaus-Poison-Bikes), Nina Wrobel (Freiburg/ Fujibikes-Rockets), Sabine Spitz (Murg-Niederhof/Sabine-Spitz-Haibike ProTeam)
Juniors: Luca Schwarzbauer (Nürtingen/Lexware-MTB-Team), David Horvath (Reutlingen/Lexware-MTB-Team), Robin Hofmann (Lohr/Haibike WombachTeam), Tobias Eise, Maximilian Brandl (Lohr/Haibike Wombach Team), Lukas Wälde (Gutach/LinkRadQuadrat) – Substitute: Lars Koch (Furtwangen/Lexware-MTB-Team)
Junior Women: Sarah Bauer (TSV Dettingen), Antonia Daubermann (Obergessertshausen), Lisa Neumüller (Kolbermoor/Team Corratec), Hannah Grobert (Remetschwiel/Focus XC-Team), Clarissa Mai (Steinach/LinkRadQuadrat)
U23 Women: Majlen Müller (Solingen/Team FujiBikes Rockets), Lena Putz (Röhrnbach/SSV Mounty Altenberg), Helen Grobert (Remetschwiel/Focus XC Team)
U23 Men: Georg Egger (Obergessertshausen/Lexware MTB-Team), Martin Frey (Dettingen/Team Bulls), Julian Schelb (Münstertal/Multivan-Merida), Louis Wolf (Untermünkheim/Team Cube), Ben Zwiehoff (Essen/Team Bergamont), Christian Pfäffle (Neuffen/Rothaus-Poison-Bikes), – Substitute: Aaron Beck
Eliminator/Sprint Race:
Women: Veronika Brüchle (Niederstaufen/Stevens MTB-Racing), Lena Putz (Röhrnbach/ SSV Mounty Altenberg)
Men : Heiko Gutmann (Freiburg/Rothaus-Poison-Bikes), Andy Eyring (Münnerstadt/Team Bergamont), Simon Stiebjahn (Titisee-Neustadt/Red Bulls)