In Lennestadt-Saalhausen, the season of the international KMC MTB Bundesliga will open on Sunday. With the two Olympic champions Gunn-Rita Dahle-Flesjaa and Sabine Spitz as well as Vice World Champion Manuel Fumic, the race in Sauerland has prominent names on the start list.
Gunn-Rita Dahle-Flesjaa is the most successful female mountain biker of all time, her success stories fill the entire evening. Olympic champion in 2004, nine times world champion, the record number of 28 World Cup victories make the 41-year-old Norwegian a living legend.
The emphasis is on "live", because she still drives at the very highest level, as proved by her second place at the World Cup opener in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, in April.
Dahle-Flesjaa won the race in Haiming, Austria last Sunday. "My form is very good, but I need the races, like in Saalhausen, to be in top form at the start of the upcoming World Cups", says the Multivan Merida driver. For her, the KMC MTB Bundesliga prelude is also about pushing the limits of intensive resilience upwards.
In Saalhausen, the Scandinavian meets the second great lady of cross-country sports. Sabine Spitz has been at the top of the world for 15 years, collects medals like other people collect stamps - including three Olympic medals - and has proven in the two World Cup races in South Africa and Australia that she is still with the music. Sixth and fourth place, despite a defect, speak for themselves.
Sabine Spitz is cautious about her ambitions for Saalhausen.
While Dahle-Flesjaa skipped the trip to Australia, Sabine Spitz suffered from the after-effects of climate change and time differences last week. "The journey home from Cairns was tough and I felt pretty tired for days", explains the Haibike athlete. That's why she'll drive the race more "out of training". “Those who stayed at home certainly made better preparations”, believes the 42-year-old, who is the oldest ever World Cup winner in the annals of MTB sport (Andorra, July 2013).
Last year's winner Alexandra Engen from the Ghost Factory Team will be a third rider from the top six at the World Cup opener in Saalhausen. She is also the defending champion of the KMC MTB Bundesliga.
She also had her problems with the time difference, but she is in a good mood as usual. "Saalhausen can come. I always enjoy driving there because the track is a bit different. You stay together longer in a group”, says the Swedish sprint world champion and pushes Gunn-Rita Dahle-Flesjaa as the favorite.
As a podium candidate, you also have to act Adelheid Morath. Sabine Spitz's teammate has worked her way up to the top of the world. However, the climbing artist had problems with the consequences of a fall at the World Cup in South Africa until the beginning of the week. "I hope things will get better soon. Recently, no effective training was possible", restricts their prospects.
Belgian champion Githa Michiels (KMC-Trek), who surprisingly finished second behind Dahle-Flesjaa in Haiming, is also a serious opponent for the three luminaries mentioned above.
In the men's category, the path to victory probably leads above all to Vice World Champion Manuel Fumic. The Cannondale rider took some rest after the World Cup in Cairns. "I want to use Saalhausen to get my rhythm back. I wouldn't call it a training race for me, more like a preparation race.", says Fumic with a view to the upcoming World Cup races in Nove Mesto and Albstadt. However, he proved that he is in top form this year with a strong performance at the first World Cup in Pietermaritzburg, where he took an excellent second place.
The Swede Matthias Wengelin is likely to be one of his biggest competitors. Last September at the World Cup finals in Hafjell, the Swedish champion advanced to the top of the world for the first time, finishing sixth.
Dutchman Rudi van Houts also has the potential to pose a threat to Fumic. He was also in the top ten in the World Cup.
In the case of Markus Schulte-Lünzum, however, one can be very excited. The West-Münsterlander from Haltern am See had expected a lot more from the first two World Cups. A 33rd place finish in Pietermaritzburg wasn't what he had hoped for and in Cairns his race was over after 200 meters when he was involved in a crash that demolished his bike.
Actually, he feels in good shape. "I'm confident, but after the last few weeks I'm also excited and a little nervous", says Schulte-Lünzum. Focus' third-place finisher in the DM is considered to be one of Germany's greatest hopes for the future.
This also applies to Julian Schelb, who skipped the sprint championship the day before to have one more training day. The Multivan Merida biker became vice world champion in the U23 in September, but will start in the elite in Saalhausen.
He leaves the Sprint DM in favor "a training day" whizzing, although he triumphed in fifth place in Cairns.