The 2016 Specialized-SRAM Enduro Series has begun at last and celebrated this occasion with a brilliant weekend in Treuchtlingen, Germany. Premek Tejchman (CZE – Specialized) and Raphaela Richter (GER – Radon Magura Factory Team) went fastest and took home the first victory of the season.
Treuchtlingen once again opened the Enduro season and it seems that its popularity has grown even further. More than 600 riders registered for the race with additional 150 riders on the waitlist, which set a new record in 2016. This is not too surprising however. After all, with riders from 16 different nations it definitely belongs to the few German enduro races with international reach.
Kevin Dewinski
The organizers reacted to increasing numbers of riders and growing popularity in general by adjusting the overall concept of their track, providing the participants of the pro categories with 7 and the open categories with 5 stages for their respective races. The two categories then started in different directions in order to make sure that not all riders would reach one of eight total stages at the same time. A logistical challenge that was solved perfectly!
Of course enduro races completely depend on the track: if your track is great, so will be your race, if not, wellŠ this is what the organizers in Treuchtlingen already understood years ago and this is why they always add some new features and completely new sections, always keeping it fresh and interesting. After all, it admittedly is extremely demanding to live up to the riders¹ expectations and it would not have been possible without the help and understanding of all the different proprietors and tenants who agreed to provide the organizers with their land and property.
On Saturday the riders took some time to get to know the track in the first open training session. The most important task is of course to internalize the order of the different stages and to find the fastest lines for the race on Sunday. Especially the pro riders usually take this opportunity very seriously and meticulously prepare for the race run. During the training sessions it soon became clear that the race would be rather demanding especially after it had been raining all night leaving the riders with nearly no grip on the track.
Unfortunately also Sunday morning only brought more rain and moisture. With conditions like these it is impossible to get through without making mistakes, let alone saving time and effort. Still, Sunday¹s race already started very early for some of the riders. Participants of the Open Women category started on the track already at 10 to 8 am, followed by the new Open Junior category. After that the riders started in groups of 10 in 5-minute intervals. The Pro categories entered the race at half past nine. The last group to start shortly past 11 am consisted of the leaders of the ranking with Leonhard Putzenlechner, Premek Tejchman, Marcus Reiser, Fabian Scholz and Michal Prokop.
Michal Prokop
One of the first Elite Women riders in the finish area was Raphaela Richter (GER – Radon Magura Factory Team) who immediately took the lead with a time of 20:10.74 minutes. Scoring best times on 6 out of 7 stages she step by step extended her lead to over a minute and seems to take up exactly where she left of at the end of last season at the top! Veronika Brüchle (GER – Stevens MTB Racing Team) finished in second place, while Stephanie Teltscher (GER – Focus) came in third.
The Elite Men category, however, also provided some surprises. Zakarias Johansen (NOR – Specialized Nordic) who usually belongs in the downhill section turned out to be the underdog in Treuchtlingen. He set a time of 14:43.52 minutes already early into the race and set the bar extremely high for all competitors to follow. How high exactly became clear when also some of the odds-on favorites like Michal Prokop (CZE – Ghost Factory Riot), Marcus Klausmann (GER – NOX Cycles) or Fabian Scholz (GER – Focus Trail Team) did not reach his time. It was not until Premek Tejchman (CZE – Specialized) crossed the finish line that the lead finally changed. With best times on 5 out of 7 stages Tejchman set an incredible time of 14:04.35 minutes with an overall lead of 39 seconds and thus sealed the deal. While Zakarias Johansen took a very well-deserved second place, Christian Textor (GER – Team Bulls) completed the podium in third, followed by Gustav Wildhaber (SUI – Cube Action Team), Michal Prokop and Matthias Stonig (AUT – MS Mondraker).
Elite men podium
Looking back on this first race of the 2016 series all that is left to say is thank you for a perfect start into this new season! Treuchtlingen once more proved to be the perfect host for the occasion as the best enduro race in Germany, and the only thing that still could be improved is the weather. And speaking of the weather: hopefully the sun will be at its best again in time for the next stop of the SSES at the Bike Festival in Willingen in late May. For more information and the full results visit enduroseries.net.