Cycling: The season for cross-country bikers has started in Cyprus and then in the USA. The German Vice Champion Manuel Fumic now has three races behind him. But his first highlight of the season comes much later: The UCI Mountain Bike World Cup presented by Shimano on May 31 in Albstadt
Manuel Fumic's entry into the 2015 season doesn't sound great. Tenth place in the Afxentia stage race in Cyprus, a good bit removed from the level of performance shown by winner Florian Vogel (Focus XC). At the US Cup in Fontana things went a little better with third place.
But the Kirchheimer took the underwhelming start to the season calmly. “Not a positive surprise, but not a disappointment either”, that was for him. The form curve should only reach its apex in eight weeks. When the World Cup races in Nove Mesto, Czech Republic, and on home soil in Albstadt follow one after the other.
“This is the first highlight for me”, lets Manuel Fumic know. That's no surprise. On the one hand, because these are the first high-paying races. And on the other hand because the Cannondale pro feels at home in Albstadt. It was 2005 when he competed in Bullenäle for the first time, it was about the German championship title, which his brother Lado then won. Manuel Fumic took silver.
The enthusiastic, home crowd really fired up the vice world champion of 2013. “That always pushes me even more”, admits the 32-year-old. And this year it should be different than 2014. He made mistakes in training beforehand and only finished seventh. Nevertheless, Fumic had the best season of his career: fifth in the world rankings and fourth in the overall World Cup standings are proof of that.
[iframe src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/eZvVTC36L5g” width=”620″ height=”349″ iframe]That makes the Swabian more self-confident. "We're still missing a win. My Cannondale team and also in Germany. That would be a personal highlight for me and it would help the sport here," says Manuel Fumic about reaching for the stars, "but we've been talking about that for 15 years." In 1993 in Houffalize, Belgium, Mike Kluge was the last time a German was at the top of the World Cup podium among the male elite. And since the Australian Daniel McConnell in Albstadt in 2013, there hasn't been another World Cup winner apart from Nino Schurter, Julien Absalon and once Jaroslav Kulhavy.
Nevertheless, that is feasible, believes Manuel Fumic. "Three years ago that was still unrealistic for me, but the gap to (Julien) Absalon and (Nino) Schurter has narrowed, the chance has increased.", estimates Fumic. The first comparison with the defining figures of the sport will come in April. Being close would certainly feel good for him. What is decisive, however, is how the situation develops on May 31 in Bullenäle.