MTB cycling: After the opening of the UCI MTB World Cup season 2016 in Cairns, Albstadt is the second stop on the program on May 22nd. World champion Nino Schurter and Annika Langvad, winner in Australia, will start the race in the Swabian Jura in the new retro leader jersey. In Albstadt, however, it is not only about important points for the World Cup, but also about participation in the Olympic Games.
After the race in Cairns, the cards will definitely be reshuffled in Albstadt. The race in Australia undoubtedly took place under special conditions. In addition to the sweltering heat in the rainforest, the XC riders had to come to terms with a course that made it very difficult to gain positions. Julien Absalon was plagued by bad luck, who was thrown back in the first lap almost without a chance due to a defect. The Frenchman, who was finally able to fight his way to 38th place in Cairns, is very confident about the race in Albstadt. For other participants, Albstadt also means a race within a race! The major sporting event, the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, plays a major role for these drivers. In the Bullentale, three German women are fighting for two tickets for Rio, and seven men from Switzerland are fighting for three more tickets.
As part of the Gonso Albstadt MTB Classic, the UCI Junior Series is back this year on the Swabian Alb after a one-year break. The German juniors can prove themselves again and qualify for the World Championships in Nove Mesto. The question of young talent has been the subject of heated debate in Germany for several years. Sabine Spitz is the most successful German driver - and that at the age of 44! Adelheid Morath (31) and Helen Grobert (24) have caught up with the world leaders. So it's going well for the ladies! The situation is a bit different for the men: there is a bigger gap behind Manuel Fumic (34) and Moritz Milatz (33). All eyes are hopeful in the direction of the Bullentaele, there are definitely top five results for the German juniors. "I think we're well positioned across the board. I also prefer to have two or three people up front than depending on one guy who gets a medal and the next one gets 25” says youth national coach Marc Schäfer.