Bike event: The Glemmride Bike Festival presented by BMW took place in Saalbach-Hinterglemm last weekend for the fifth time. From July 03rd to 07th, 2019, testing, celebrating and the finest supporting program were once again the order of the day in the "Home of LÄSSIG". The timetable was littered with top-class contests, lots of expo action and countless side events. One of the big highlights of this weekend was definitely the unique GlemmRide Slopestyle Contest, which ran right through the center of Hinterglemm. The Expo, with its more than 60 exhibitors, left nothing to be desired by bikers. From bikes to material to a cool beer, everything was on offer. Musical entertainment was also well taken care of on the main stage, the Harley Bar or in the Goassstall.
GlemmRide 2019 presented by BMW
The Glemmride Slopestyle Contest took place for the fifth time in the center of Hinterglemm. The route led over the legendary "Goassstall slope" in the upper part and over the balcony of the 5-star hotel "Alpin Palace" in the lower part. The finish jump was right in the center of Hinterglemm and led across the Saalach to the main stage of the Glemmride Bike Festival.
As part of the Freeride Mountain Bike World Tour, the GlemmRide 2019 as an FMB Gold Event once again attracted some of the world's elite riders. Among others, Nicholi Rogatkin, Emil Johansson and last year's winner Torquato Testa were there.
Already on Friday, 40 drivers competed against each other in the pre-qualifying. The top nine of this pre-qualifying qualified for the slopestyle qualifying on Saturday, where they could compete with 15 invited riders.
During qualifying on Saturday, 12 athletes qualified for the final of the GlemmRide Slopestyle on Saturday evening. Personally, I was particularly pleased that there were four guys from German-speaking countries among the final riders: Erik Fedko, Johnny Kielhorn, Peter Kaiser and Lukas Schäfer.
The final on Saturday evening was extremely exciting and eventful, especially due to the rain that fell shortly before the end of the second run. So David Godziek, Emil Johansson and Erik Fedko had to give up their second run and the first final run was counted. But the level of the first run was also absolutely top-level.
Surprisingly, David Godziek, who comes from the BMX scene, was at the top of the podium with an unbelievable run. The Pole's winning run included tricks like a double backflip X-Up and a twister no hand. Sweden's Emil Johansson took second place and Germany's Erik Fedko was third. Best Austrian was Peter Kaiser in ninth place. He was also able to secure the Hero of the Weekend title after the fight through pre-qualifying.
Here you can see all the results of the GlemmRide Slopestyle Contest powered by BMW
Expo area at the Glemmride Bike Festival
The expo area of the Glemmride Bike Festival opened its doors on Thursday at 12:00 p.m. From now on you could test the latest bikes and parts from almost all well-known manufacturers. But there shouldn't be a lack of bike accessories, protectors, refreshment stands and music either. There were articles at fair trade fair prices or cool giveaways almost everywhere at the Expo. Hardly a minute went by without the Expo bursting at the seams, which was partly due to the fantastic weather until Saturday evening.
With the test materials, I and most of the others headed out onto the trails, diligently testing, trying and, above all, having fun. With five mountain railways, 18 single trails and downhill routes, the offer was huge in the bike mecca of Saalbach Hinterglemm. The Hackelberg trail in particular, which was easy to reach over the Glemmride weekend, was incredibly popular with bikers. Since the Blue and Pro Lines were overloaded and partially closed due to the downhill race, festival visitors had to resort to one of the many other routes.
A little tip: a visit to the Bergstadl Hütte via the Hackelberg or Bergstadl trail. There you can end a beautiful trail ride relaxed with the best panorama.
Program and side events at the Bike Expo at the Glemmride Bike Festival
The Expo Area's program was packed to the brim and was well received by the visitors. Regardless of whether it was the Ride with the Pros, the Capuco Ladies Ride or an E-MTB Ride powered by Northwave, every visitor from young to old found the right activity for themselves. Anyone who would like to see more information and image/video material should take a look at the Saalbach Hinterglemm homepage or visit one of their social media channels.
Lines bike pulling
Two adults who pull a pallet from A to B on children's bikes and the faster one wins. Fun and a good mood are guaranteed at this event. This spectacle should not be missed when visiting the Glemmride Bike Festival.
Scott Pump Track Area
The Scott Pumptrack Area was located at the valley station of the Reiterkogelbahn. A mobile pump track was set up here, which was perfectly sonicated by the Mountain Reggae Radio Stand in the background. In this area, children and young people in particular had a lot of fun pumping. But they also trained hard for the upcoming pump track final on Sunday. Unfortunately, the Scott Pumptrack Session final overlapped with the Specialized Rookies Cup race, so I couldn't fully follow either event. However, the organization cannot be blamed here, as it is simply not possible to schedule everything without overlapping at a bike festival of this size.
Downhill & Specialized Rookies Cup presented by iXS
From midday on Friday, training for the race on Sunday was possible on the pro line. With the best weather, it was immediately noticeable that the field of drivers was motivated and the rush was huge.
The race course led once again over the mountain station of the Reiterkogelbahn down into the valley to the terrace of the Goassstall. On the 2,3 kilometer long pro line, the riders were able to prove themselves on root fields, stone passages, tables and gaps.
On Friday evening the track walk was still on the program and on Saturday the mandatory training and the seeding run had to be denied.
On Sunday, the race started punctually at 11:30 a.m. after it rained heavily during the official practice session. But when the first riders had crossed the finish line, it stopped raining and the track dried out pretty quickly. The first runs of the race were for the iXS Downhill Cup, which comprised three classes. Followed by eight classes of the Specialized Rookies Cup by iXS. The race was well organized and the races were very well attended. Unfortunately, it is beyond the scope of this article to detail each race category in equal detail. Therefore I will refer you with a link to the homepage of Saalbach Hinterglemm, so that you can at least take a look at the results. Of course, I can only recommend you to rummage around on social media. There will certainly be a lot of aftermovies and the like on the appropriate channels.
Here you can take a look at the result lists of all classes
My summary of the Glemmride Bike Festival 2019
Hardly any other bike festival attracts as many visitors as the Glemmride in Saalbach Hinterglemm. Year after year the Expo seems to be growing and the crowds are getting bigger. Hardly any manufacturer in the bike industry misses out on this highlight in the Salzburger Land. I can only warmly recommend anyone who has not been there to visit this spectacle at least once. The Glemmride Bike Festival 2019 was not my first and certainly not my last.