Cycling: Marco Brenner successfully defended his German championship title in the U19 time trial. Hannah Buch won the women's U19 class.
Brenner lives up to his role as favourite
A few weeks ago we received the news that the only 17-year-old Marco Brenner (Auto Eder Bayern) had signed a professional contract with Team Sunweb for 2021. Today he successfully defended his German championship title in the time trial on the 25,5-kilometer course in the U19 class. In Esplingerode he was 13 seconds ahead of his teammate Luis-Joe Lührs (Auto Eder Bayern) and 29 seconds ahead of Moritz Czasa (LV Baden). In the women's U19 time trial, Hannah Buch (Tuspo Weende) triumphed on the almost 17-kilometer course by 10 seconds ahead of Paula Leonhardt (SC Berlin) and Selma Lantzsch (RSV Unit Lübben).
Marco Brenner:
“I am happy that I was able to defend the title. This shows that we are in good form despite the long break from competition.”
The time trial was also the start of the Bundesliga
Today's time trial in Esplingerode wasn't just about the coveted German championship jerseys. At the same time, the event marked the start of the 2020 cycling Bundesliga. With the double success, the Auto Eder Bayern team took the overall lead in the team ranking. The Berlin-Brandenburg team is ahead of the women. According to BDR Vice President Günter Schabel, the event, which was held under strict precautionary measures, was a complete success. Without a start holder or a railing, the participants had to start the race from a standing position. And during the award ceremony, the necessary safety distance had to be maintained. There was even no honoring of the teams at all.
BDR Vice President Gunter Schabel:
“It was a superbly organized championship. The organizers had just three weeks to prepare everything. We are glad that we had the courage to organize this championship. That makes me confident for the upcoming races and the rest of the season planning.”