Report: European Enduro Series Round 3 – Kronplatz
We have now reached the half way point in the European Enduro Series presented by XS Power Drink, three races down, three more to go! The third race was held in Kronplatz, Italy, and underlined the high-class character of the young series. The organisers put on an event that challenged both rider fitness and speed and after six demanding special stages and more than 2500 meters of timed descents it was Matthias Stonig (AUT – MS Mondraker) and Raphaela Richter (GER – Radon Factory Enduro) who were victorious in their categories.
While the riders had to pedal to stages 1 and 2 under their own steam, the other four stages were accessed by lift – a welcome help in the big mountain terrain. After the hard and pedal-heavy second stage, it was Matthias Stonig who proved he had the most powerful legs.
Kronplatz is famous for the legendary Herrnsteig trail, dropping over 1300m in just 7km, a relentless collection of berms, jumps and woodwork. The organisers were keen to showcase the awesome trail and included parts as special stages. The third stage was a perfectly built rollercoaster track with countless flowy berms, speeds were high and arm pump was an issue. The forth stage was more natural, with one of the most scenic starts on an enduro race so far, capturing the Alpine feel with breath-taking views from the 2275m summit. It was an enduro riders dream, taped wide to allow options in line choice, the stage dived through open alpine meadow, rocks and roots hid under the heather and wheel holes were everywhere! Stages five and six were more bikepark-like again, punctuated with some exciting wooden elements. Despite having no uphill sections, they were very physical due to their sheer length: Even the fastest riders had times around 10 minutes.
After the last riders crossed the finish line, the winners received their awards under the Italian sun: Matthias Stoning (AUT – MS-Mondraker) would improve his fourth place in the prologue and take the win in the Pro Men category, with a 14 seconds lead over Ludwig Döhl (GER – Cube Action Team). Marco Arnold (SUI – Giant-Swiss-Team) took third, followed by Heyden Lee (NZL – Giant/Fox Gravity NZ) and Robert Williams (GBR – UK WTB enduro team).
With the fastest times on all stages, Raphaela Richter (GER – Radon Factory Enduro) dominated the Pro Women category, Birgit Braumann (AUT – Trek Gravity Girls) finished in second place and Alexa Hüni (GER – Team Centurion Vaude) third. Sandra Börner (GER – Fahrwerk Farnau/SG) took forth, followed by Stephanie Teltscher (GER – Carver Trailfoundation).
Rüdiger Jahnel (AUT – Specialized-mountainbiker.at) managed to maintain his first position from the prologue and win the Masters category, followed by Benedikt Purner (AUT – O’fetzn racing) and Walter Martinschitz (AUT – mountainbiker.at).
Fastest Amateur at the race was Tobi Müller (GER), with a 1 minute lead over Kurt Exenberger (AUT – Bikeacademy.com). Felix Förster, the winner of the prologue, got third. Stephanie Frankl (GER – WOMB Girlsridetoo.de) won the Amateur Women category in front of Denisa Szucsova (SVK – Cykloklub Galanta) and Céline Beer (SUI – bergvelo.ch).
The great race action in Kronplatz whets the appetite for more exciting action in the next three races of the European Enduro Series: The next stop is in August 23th & 24th at Reschenpass in Austria.
Results: http://www.enduroseries.eu/media/2535.pdf
All details: www.enduroseries.eu
Did you enjoy this article? If so, we would be stoked if you decide to support us with a monthly contribution. By becoming a supporter of ENDURO, you will help secure a sustainable future for high-quality mountain bike journalism. Click here to learn more.
