Frischi Update: World Cup - Offenburg, Germany

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Offenburg (Germany) held a World Cup race for the first time and they put on a race that was way better than most of the other World Cup races I have seen. Especially because the course they built was spectacular and fun to ride. Way above average of every European race courses.

Unfortunately (for the promoter and the spectators not for me) a thunderstorm hit Offenburg right before the start of the race. Luckily the many spectators where already on site and they got to see some good action since riders were crashing all over the place and the race saw many changes in the standings due to this crashes and mechanicals.

It seemed like only one rider made it trough the race without any troubles-Julien Absalon-. I had an OK start riding the first half of the race with Christoph Sauser right in the top ten while my Swisspower teammates Florian Vogel and Nino Schurter were sitting in comfortable 2nd and 3rd behind Absalon. It was slippery as hell. The conditions I like and usually do well in. Finally it seemed the luck was on my side for a change. Not so for Florian and Nino. Within 500 meters they both ripped their derailleur off. Bad for Nino, because it would have been his first World Cup podium; especially bad for Florian, because he started way back (zero points from Houffalize) and made it all they way to the front of the race. Now he still has zero WC points.

After the rain the sun was out again and started to turn the slippery course into a cloggy muddy one. Many riders had to deal with mechanicals. So did I. Just when I was on the move up to 5th place I started to have some serious shifting problems too. The last two laps I had only one gear in the big ring left. That means I had to run everything that was not ride able in a 44-23. Luckily my tubulars helped to get enough traction uphill pushing such a big gear.

I had Filip Meierhages breathing down my neck and was running for my dear life to keep him behind me (old story-old battle). He made me go so fast last lap I even bridged up to Sauser on the last kilometre to finish right with him in 7th place. Last weekend I was 7th with only one nation. Same result now but with 25 nations.

This is my best World Cup result in more than two years. Finally I was able to prove myself that on a good day I' can still be up there. I'm sitting in 9th place overall now-looking forward to the next World Cup in Champery, June 9th in my home country.

Ride on
Frischi

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