Cycling: There are no absolute top favorites before the 14th European Marathon Championships. The battle for the European title at the Rothaus Hegau Bike-Marathon is as open as rarely before, even if the defending champion Christoph Sauser and the Olympic champions Jaroslav Kulhavy, Gunn-Rita Dahle-Flesjaa and Sabine Spitz are mentioned most frequently.
The audience in the Hegau can look forward to the most exciting conditions for a high-class mountain bike event. After the women's cross-country world rankings first Jolanda Neff (Stöckli Pro Team) and, for a short time, ex-European champion Esther Süss (Wheeler-iXS) joined the ranks of favorites, it will definitely be top-class riders who will remain without a medal on Sunday.
Gunn-Rita Dahle-Flesjaa (Multivan-Merida) anticipates a " tactical race" over the 80 kilometers and hopes – which sounds modest for a nine-time world champion – to "fight for a top-three finish . " "I can't expect more. Of course, when you're on the starting line, you always have a chance to win. On a good day, I can also fight for the victory ," the Norwegian explains her expectations.
“I would certainly prefer a course that is a bit more technically demanding. But I also have to say, I think it’s great that there are so many different types of trails in mountain biking ,” she says about the course she rode for the first time during the week.
Sabine Spitz, who won bronze at the 2013 European Championships in Singen, has set her sights on another medal this time. It would be her twelfth European Championship medal overall. "My preparation for the Marathon European Championships went largely well. This included the cross-country races in April to get used to the race pace again. I managed this better than expected, especially in the first race. Therefore, I think my form should be good for the European Championships ," she said confidently.
The three-time Olympic medalist anticipates an exciting race, "especially on a course like the one in Hegau, which, in addition to its many short climbs, is also characterized by long, flat sections that are often very exposed to the wind. So far, I haven't had much luck in Singen. I hope I can change that next Sunday."
Sally Bigham achieved the remarkable feat of finishing second four times in a row at the European Marathon Championships. Naturally, she's aiming for her first international title. Therefore, it's no surprise that she withdrew from the British Championships last weekend due to an infection.
“I didn’t start because I want to be 100 percent fit for the European Championships ,” the Topeak Ergon rider hints at how focused she is.
Esther Süss took a long time before she decided to register for the European Championship. The Swiss won the title in Singen in 2013, but will still be active in Solothurn on Saturday.
German marathon champion Silke Schmidt (Best wishes from Cyprus) is scaling back her ambitions as a full-time working lawyer. "A top-ten finish would be a fantastic result given the circumstances ," says the Munich native.
If you go through the starting field before the 98-kilometer men's race, you can see that tactics will play an even greater role in the fight for the blue European Championship jersey than in the women's race. Team tactics above all. With Olympic champion Jaroslav Kulhavy and defending champion Christoph Sauser, Specialized Racing has two absolute aces up its sleeve, who will also support each other up to a certain point.
Kulhavy could perhaps be described as the top favorite on this course, but since the Czech is using the race more as "preparation for the World Cup" and only speaks of "90 percent" performance, his opportunities are reduced.
Topeak-Ergon is sending three top riders to the race, starting with Alban Lakata, who became European Champion at the Rothaus Hegau Bike Marathon in 2013. The East Tyrolean seems confident. "My form is steadily improving. After the Cape Epic, I was pretty exhausted, as always, but I'm slowly getting the expected boost from that tough race. I've had the pleasure of winning in Singen a few times already. It would be great if I could add a third European Championship title to my list of achievements there ," he states confidently, but also warns: "It won't be easy to prevail on this not exactly selective course and against such a strong field of competitors."
His teammate Kristian Hynek won the Lake Garda Marathon last Saturday, but that's not why he's on the favourites. With Robert Mennen, the team from Koblenz has a third trump card up their sleeves. Whether the German champions from 2013 can hold their own against a Kulhavy or a Sauser remains questionable, but the Nörvenicher has surprised everyone more than once.
“I feel well prepared for the European Marathon Championships. It’s a highlight of my calendar this year. The last marathon in Lassaic and also my fourth place on Saturday in Houffalize have motivated me to believe I’m on the right track and that I’ve recovered well from the previous stage races (Andalusia and Cape Epic) ,” explains Mennen, who suffered a mechanical while leading in Houffalize.
He prepared specifically at a high-altitude training camp in Livigno and likes the rolling terrain in the Hegau region. "Of course, we hope to be able to utilize our team strength, but I will be competing on my own."
Team Bulls is also fielding three candidates who are considered medal contenders. Karl Platt, the 2008 German Marathon Champion in Singen, also points to the tactical aspect: "We'll definitely make sure we act as a team. Urs (Huber), Tim (Böhme), and I certainly won't be racing against each other. We'll work out a strategy and see how everyone is feeling. Going off on your own won't get you anywhere here. Even if Simon (Stiebjahn) attacks, they won't trust him anymore ," the Osthofen native explains.
He also refers to the Olympic champion: "Jaroslav Kulhavy, that's a special case. If he gets away, he'll see it through, provided he's as strong as he was at the Cape Epic ," Platt says, showing great respect for Kulhavy.
Local favorite Tim Böhme is somewhat skeptical. "I lack competitive sharpness; I'll have to wait and see." The shoulder injury sustained at the Cape Epic, which forced him to abandon the race and take a break from training, has primarily deprived him of the opportunity to participate in preparatory races. "I also realize that I'm missing the Cape Epic as a stage race in my training plan. I actually feel like I'm in pretty good shape, but without competition, you never know what it's worth. Basically, I've been training in a vacuum ," says the rider from Singen, who now lives in Frankfurt.
The Centurion-Vaude team deserves the outsider role. At least when it comes to medals. Jochen Käß has already been within reach of a medal at world championships, but it has never been enough for the three-time German marathon champion. He emphasizes that he drives as a semi-pro against full professionals.
“We will not decide on a captain beforehand, but will see who is still feeling well after a round ,” explains Käß, who also had to contend with an infection during the preparation, which robbed him of some training time.
Team colleague Markus Kaufmann has gotten back into shape after breaking his collarbone at the end of February. It remains to be seen what the two Germans can do together with their Austrian teammates Daniel Geismayr and Hermann Pernsteiner.