Cycling: There was no meeting at the World Cup, but at the third event of the KMC MTB Bundesliga next weekend in Schopp, the Belgians in particular will challenge the German riders. Markus Schulte-Lünzum is flirting with victory and a top-class three-way battle is expected for the women. The world champion is at the start of the Eliminator on Saturday.
7:1, it won't be as clear on Sunday in Schopp as it was in the semi-finals of the World Cup. And whether there will be a German victory in the Palatinate Forest is far from certain. Markus Schulte-Lünzum is one of those who could make sure of that. He is considered one of the greatest talents in German cross-country sport. The West Munsterlander, who turns 23 next week, became the first German to win an overall World Cup ranking in 2013. Although "only" in the U23 category, but that gives hope.
Last year he was third in the German Championships in the elite category and he would like to repeat this success on July 20th in Bad Säckingen. "It would be a lie to say that the Bundesliga race in Schopp isn't used to prepare for the German Championships. But a good result is also important for your head," admits Schulte-Lünzum. He looks very confident. "The break after the European Championships did me good, my feeling in training is great and the measurement data confirm me. I really hope it's enough for the podium, maybe even more.", says the holder.
In this case, more means: victory. In addition to the German champion in the Eliminator Sprint and current Bundesliga leader Simon Stiebjahn, the Focus driver has to watch out for old master Wolfram Kurschat. The 39-year-old speaks of the fact that he "not at 100 percent" be, but wants to be "not hide".
In this case, the biggest international competition comes mainly from Belgium. Sebastian Carabin and Kevin van Hoovels can challenge the Germans for victory in the C2 race. The U23 European Championship third Bart de Vocht has decided to start with the elite. The Belgian should also have a say in the fight for the podium places.
National driver Markus Bauer from Kirchzarten can also play a good role. "It went really well in training again", Bauer is optimistic.
Ladies: A trio at a high level
In the women's category, a Belgian will probably get involved in the fight for victory in the KMC Bundesliga. A top-class three-way battle between the Belgian champion Githa Michiels, Alexandra Engen and Adelheid Morath is expected there.
Above all, the form of the day decides. The EM fifth Githa Michiels is something like a climber of the season, at least she has improved a lot compared to last year. At the European Championships in St. Wendel, she even finished ahead of Alexandra Engen, but only because the Swede was on her way to winning two titles "stupid" falls allowed. The fifth in the world rankings is actually a mentally very strong driver who - when it comes to the final - can always add a few percentage points.
Adelheid Morath from Freiburg comes from altitude training in the Engadin. For them, too, Schopp is a stopover on the way to the German championship. “The training up here went well”, lets Morath know from Switzerland. "I'm curious how things are going in Schopp. I'm sure I won't be that recovered at the start, but I'm hoping that I can drive a good race on Sunday. Of course, the overall rating is also a motivation.”
One can also be curious about Nina Wrobel, who is gradually approaching the “old days” when the Freiburg native provided world-class performances.
Eliminator on Saturday: DM podium and world champion
The Eliminator Sprint on Saturday also offers the audience a top-class line-up. For the women it is the double world champion in this discipline, Alexandra Engen, who meets the strong Germans around the world championship fourth-placed Nadine Rieder from Sonthofen.
The German sprint champion Simon Stiebjahn is at the start for the men. “Of course I want to collect as many points as possible for the overall standings”, announces Stiebjahn, who suffered a little from an irritation in his knee at the beginning of the week. The 24-year-old from Titisee-Neustadt is dealing with Markus Bauer and his Kirchzarten flatmate and teammate Heiko Gutmann, the silver and bronze medal winners of the Sprint DM.
Gutmann leads the sprint classification after his victory in Heubach, when he beat world champion Paul van der Ploeg.