German Track Championships x Pushbikers

This year, another Pushbiker competed in the elite men’s category at the German Track Championships. And many Future Stars who have their home at RSV Irschenberg and have been learning and loving track cycling for years. The results speak for themselves: Moritz Malcharek wins a total of two gold medals in the elimination race and the Madison. Our young male and female riders are convincing in a large number of races in their respective age groups. Reason to rejoice for the Pushbikers family and reason to be really proud!

“Due to the fact that I was ill for quite a long time at the beginning of the year, I unfortunately missed a lot of races and I lost some of my race toughness. But with the BDR I was still on the road in Prague, Brno and at the four-track tour on concrete tracks, which was very convenient for me for the German Championships, because in Cottbus there is also a 330 metre open concrete track”, Moritz Malcharek sums up at the end. The individual pursuit on the first day was more of a test race for him, who hadn’t been on a time trial bike for almost a year. He also approached the elimination race with relatively few expectations, as it is not his special discipline, but rode relatively much from the front and was able to assert himself well, especially against the large number of riders from the Rad Net Oßwald team. So his first German championship title was a relative surprise. And certainly gave motivation and drive to show the spectators and participants his strength also in the following days.

The Madison race, on which Moritz Malcharek had set his focus, took place directly the next day. He was actually supposed to compete in the Madison with Tim Teutenberg, but he was unable to start with him due to the Giro Next Gen. And also for the “supreme discipline” some luck accompanied him, because ex-pushbiker Moritz Augenstein was back from the USA, the two had harmonised well at the track tour and so it came to the duo of the “two Moritze”. “I`ll come over for you”, said Augenstein. A good decision, as he had already won two gold medals in the points race and scratch, while Malcharek was not able to catch the group and reach the podium in the scratch race.

The task in the Madison: 90 laps, 30 kilometres, six classifications. “Moritz and I both knew that we were in a good shape.” As few pairings had entered this year, it was clear that the race would come down to the sprints, so the duo of Augenstein/ Malcharek rode in “relatively thick gear”. At the beginning, the two still had to get into the swing of things, the favourites Kluge/ Reinhart were ahead. But then it went so well that it was already clear two scores before the end: The Moritz duo won the German championship title ahead of the reigning European champions Roger Kluge/Theo Reinhart. “It was a fair race, more or less a one on one race, I guess you have to say” Malcharek concludes afterwards.

A total of six Future Stars riders competed at the German Championships in Cottbus, coached by Johannes Kahra, Mario Vonhof and Bayern U17 state coach Stefanos Georgiadis.

Hanna Dopjans started as the oldest junior rider in the elite class and won two gold medals right at the beginning. She started with the Olympic and World Champion Franziska Brauße as well as Lea Lin Teutenberg and Lana Eberle in the team pursuit. After a harmonious ride, the team won the final with a seven-second lead over Team Thuringia. In the Scratch, Hanna dares to attack, can hold on to the front and wins the final sprint ahead of Justyne Czapla, with whom she later wins silver in the Madison.

Bei der weiblichen U17 gelingen Sophie Schuster in ihrem ersten Jahr gleich zwei große Ausrufezeichen: Im Ausscheidungsfahren lässt sie sich nicht einsperren, reagiert gut und hat im Endspurt noch die Kraft zum Sieg. She won gold medal number two in the team pursuit in Team Bavaria with Paula Gloning/ Josefine Wingand/ Sophie Schrödel, six seconds ahead of Team Baden-Württemberg. In the points race Sophie just missed the podium with 4th place.

Great results also in the U19 age group: Gold for our Future Stars Magdalena Fuchs and Pia Grünewald. Silver in the 4000 m team pursuit for Magdalena Fuchs/ Pia Grünewald/ Laura Kastenhuber/ Lilly Walter as Team Bayern in the jersey of Team Mangertseder Bayern, which is completely provided by riders of RSV Irschenberg.

Great results also in the U19 age group: Gold for our Future Stars Magdalena Fuchs and Pia Grünewald. Silver in the 4000 m team pursuit for Magdalena Fuchs/ Pia Grünewald/ Laura Kastenhuber/ Lilly Walter as Team Bayern in the jersey of Team Mangertseder Bayern, which is completely provided by riders of RSV Irschenberg.

Also in the U19, Maximilian Weiß took part in a total of four races and was always able to finish in the top 8. “My best result was 5th place in a hard-fought elimination race. In the points race, I scored points in three out of 10 scores and finished 6th overall. In the single pursuit I finished 8th and in the Madison, which I rode with my national team mate Paul Petry (Lower Saxony), I managed to finish 6th.” For him, it’s now back on the road and to the DM in Offenburg-Fessenbach next weekend.