After that we used the following three weeks for a little holiday - first “just” one day of the popular Jazzfestival at Wiesen - not Weisen - with 12 hours of hot music non stop and then we needed a rest of at the Hungarian side of the Neusiedler See. Of course with some tours to bike.
On the way back home I checked the status at Kirchdorf where my Co-Sponsor Bike-Shop-Lang is set - many thanks to them again for new bottles, a new bottom bracket and of course my Simplon raceframe that has never coursed any bad result or anger so far.
To split the long cartravel we used the chance for a guided biketour around the area - that was really fantastic - thanks to Benedikt and good luck for all targets to solve.

So I’m finally happy back home and train -next to the whole set of forms to be filled for my study- for the next Hessencuprace at Haiger …

Till

Not much time is left till my highlight of this season the German Championships starts, so I want to use some to resume the last weeks of preparation.
After an expedition of the Max Planck Institute to the slovakian High Tatra and sampling many many soilsamples a short formrebuild was planned. On the 7th of June the start at the Hessencuprace at Rodheim-Bieber that was also the German Academy Championship should force the ability of quick power again.
As expected my start was bad but the racetrack was in most sections soft forestground with many roots and sharp curves and little jumps so that I had best conditions. Together with a group of three riders place after place we rode nearer to the lead. It was a hard fight but the position of the hunter and the ability to overtake riders infront pushed me in the middle of the race but near to the end the laps got longer and longer and the body empty. The last round was nearly a collaps - I needed two minutes more than the rounds before … I reached the fourth place what was good after two weeks without riding any bike.
After this competition the training filled a lot of time to avoid such incursions after longer racetimes in future.
To the next MDC race at Beierfeld on the 22nd of June I brought much motivation, a good fitness an the best weather with me. It was realy hot and sunny and after midday also very muggy but there where no thunderstorms like nearly everywhere. During the first round my drive became realy good and the group around me was one of the fastest. In the third round the misfortune followed me once more and the rearwheel lost its power but the pitstop was fast and with my second rearwheel I wanted to recapture my good position. The euphoria helped as I noticed that not just the fealing but also the speed was fast indeed. The 10th place in the elitefield with many very good riders made me happy even though it would have been probably maybe perhaps possibly by any chance better if the tire wouldn’t have lost its air …
One week later I finally wanted to take the time fore one Swisspower Cup race in this season at Champery.
The journey should solve also an other very important quest - the admission procedure of the MCI (Management Center Innsbruck) where I applied to study biotechnology.
Our car finally decided that the first stage is enough and stopped with a demaged generator. It was very hard to let the hours go by and don’t be able to reach champery right in time … the following days we spent waiting for a replacement and exploring the mountains around Innsbruck what was nice also
But the luck is still not back so far - an illness that required antibiotics stopped also my way to the next Bundesligarace at Saalhausen …

Now I never the less hope the best for the German Championships at St. Märgen - my start will be at 16:45 on 19th of July - a livestream will be presented at the website of Bike Arge St. Märgen so maybe you will hope with me

CU Till

To start with the first the setting is a little sports field within a little forest at Naumburg (Hessen) near Kassel. The first race of this year’s Hessencup promised not to be a big or extraordinarily important one but a nevertheless fast and funny contest under nice blue sky. The track also wasn’t that difficult but with one running-section, many little uphills and sharp curves on the rooty forestground the pace would make the risk. So the start was accordingly fast and narrow and the downhill claimed a coolly hand at the top speed of 50 kilometers per hour. When the whole crowd passed the running section the first time I unfortunately was hindered by the rider infront of me and lost the connection to the group in the lead. The course without any long uphill was not my favourite one and my trim not yet good enough so I rode the following eleven short rounds my own permanent speed. The third place in the elite category was a result which could gratify.

The second station near Giessen offered a racetrack in an old sand pit. It was clear that the little difference in altitude wouldn’t make the trouble but the officials marked a really cornered course out with many banked curves, bumps and jumps. All in all a very technical track that became very dusty in the nice sun. On raceday the organisation of the start can not be praised - it was delayed for two hours and then happened without a warning … I still laughed while trying to get in front of the field again. In progression the race became really hard - the bike was not easy to contol and the dust dried the body out. In the end I could be satisfied again to slip out just one time and reach the finishline on second place of the under 23 class.

Two very hard weeks of training followed and yesterday - yesterday was the second start for the mountainbike Bundesliga - my first one in this season. Heubach was the organizing town once again with its very hard AND very difficult track. The motivation was high, the trim good and the new bike really perfect. We arrived on Saturday and the weather was warm and sunny and the track in its best condition so I looked happily forward to nextday’s race. Unfortunately there was one more analogy to the last year - it rained at night and it rained in the morning … I was glad to have some sunrays for motivation shortly before the start. The track was muddy, the bike became muddy and me as well but nevertheless I pushed through and was able to upgrade my place from the startposition around the 80th to the 20th place after the first round. The steepest sections of the downhill were runningsections for me because “the toppled man is the loser” and I was even faster than the riders in front of me. The second round followed on schedule. But then … no the luck is still not with me at the Bundesliga … in the downhill some very hard bumps squeezed the air out of my fronttyre and kicked me according to the loss of control ungently off my bike. Maybe the tyre lost air weaseling for the whole time and in the end wasn’t tighten enough to stand this power … but there I sat in the mud and no time for arguing. Even while running the whole round before getting a new frontwheel I was sure to ride this race till the end …

Yes the end - I reached the finishline after two more rounds as the 31st in the under 23 class in this B-race. With the seizable 11th place still in my head I couldn’t be pleased but shit happens - so many other riders fell during the training and the competition and had even worse injuries so wasn’t I lucky once more?

In the evening of the day the sun was warm and the sky blue and the course dry again - like a spook.

not the end - never the end

Till

So I hoped for the first Bundesligarace at Münsingen one week later. But it was hopeless … the brakes of both of my bikes gasped for air and didn’t think of braking the wheel and my licence wasn’t anywhere at all.
At Goseck I was very happy to be able to start even without my licence - at this point many thanks to Winfried Kreis of the White Rock eV. - but at the Bundesliga there is no way …
Away from home on a seminar for the week I couldn’t manage these problems in short time - what a disappointment!

Now I’m still hoping for a usable bike and my licence and focus on the second Bundesligarace at Heubach and the championships of Middlegermany at Sebnitz. For testing and preparation I’ll take part in the Hessencup at Naumburg and Wieseck.

hope till the end Till

so long Till

speed up Till

To talk about the next bikingseason I will ride the MDC-sequence and take part in the Budesliga as well as in some Marathons - same procedure as last year. But the colours will be new. My new Bikeframe will be a superlight and fast Haibike “Hai End Carbon Plus”. My new racebike with many great parts will be presented within the next two months.
The new Team I thank for their support is the “Harz Racing Team - Becker Carbon”.
Of course many thanks also to the Bike-Team Xtreme for their help during my long pause (because of back trouble) and the restart. I left amicably and with just good memories.

Now I focus again on the german and middlegerman championships and each race around - and the undertaking to start at an X-Terra triathlon is not at all out of my head. Let’s try how it feels to ride within the next age group - elite under 23 - as one of the youngest.

C U Till

keep watching - Till

keep fit Till

It is not easy for me to write about this race because I’m still very frustrated abaut the result. The track itself would have come in handily with its very long uphill, some serpentines and the steep and difficult but rideable downhill with a drop, two jumps and some bumps. I didn’t like the long section on asphalt in the city centre but the major part was to be solved on forestground. So I started optimistically but unfortunately short-dated only at 11.00 am one hour later than planned startingtime out of the 5th starting grid. That disturbed my rhythm a bit. The bad startposition was no problem at all because of the long wide uphill up to the highest point of the racing course at the beginning of the startloop. According to my climbingabilities my position was the 18th at the top of the hill. I felt good in the downhill and had the rearwheels of the riders in front always in reach. But then the exit came. At the first jump I took a lot of risk as well as in the whole downhill but in a second of unconcentration I missed the edge and displaced the body weight behind the saddle too late. The flight was rather fast, long and spectacular but not nice for me because the landing on the front-wheel was the beginning of a hard flashover . I jumped     to my feet and tried to ride on - blessing in disguise that I was fine in the main. But already at the first meters my left shoulder hurt maniacly and I was not able to hold the bar tightly.
Nothing was broken but the shoulder was badly contusioned the hospital diagnosed, too. I’m still annoyed at myself - how could I be so unconcentrated at this moment?
That was the end of my last chance for this year in the Bundesliga - to sum up these six raceshadn’t been a lucky ground for me except from the contest in Albstadt the chance to show my abilities with good placements on the lists was not given to me.

Now concentration is needed for the next MDC-races to defend my leading in the overall ranking. Maybe I’ll venture on a next try in the Bundesliga in the season to come…

go on, Till