SES_HEADER_Round_4

Willingen was the venue of the fourth race of the Specialized-SRAM 2014 Series this weekend. Unperturbed by the Football Worldcup kicking off in Brazil, more than 320 made their way to the most northern stop of the series and enjoyed a perfect race weekend.

A classic slalom course down a meadow - the prologue was great fun for riders and spectators
A classic slalom course down a meadow – the prologue was great fun for riders and spectators

The XS Power Drink Prologue, held on Saturday after practice, was the first highlight of the event. The classic slalom course down a meadow, directly next to the expo area of the BIKE Festival, provided great fun – a nice alternative to the traditional pedal-intensive prologues that normally feature in the series, offering plenty of spectacular drifting action. When the results were collected, the Focus Trail Team scored a double victory with Markus Reiser just in front of Fabian Scholz. Third place went to XC-Worldcup-experienced Belgian, Jeff Luyten (BEL – Two racing), despite his crash in the upper section – wow! The fastest lady on track was Kerstin Kögler (GER – BMC Enduro Racing Team) with Laura Brethauer (GER – Cube Action Team) close behind, followed by Birgit Braumann (AUT – TREK Gravity Girls).

Es galt, den Untergrund optimal einzuschätzen - nicht allen gelang das immer.
The challenge was, to chose the right speed.
 While the first startes  - here Petrik Brückner (Radon Flow Team) - had to deal with foggy conditions, sun came out later.
While the first starters – here Petrik Brückner (Radon Flow Team) – had to deal with foggy conditions, sun came out later.
Oliver Fuhrmann auf einem der Bikepark Abschnitte in Stage 1
Oliver Fuhrmann in one of the bikepark sections.
Focused: Joseph Nation from New Zealand riding the first stage.
Focused: Joseph Nation from New Zealand riding the first stage.
Focus Trail Team rider Tobias Reiser chrashed two times in the race - not so happy with his 17th place.
Focus Trail Team rider Tobias Reiser chrashed two times in the race – not so happy with his 17th place.

But a prologue isn’t the full race and a top time does not guarantee overall victory! There were five stages left to be raced on Sunday, offering a diverse mix of the best trails around Willingen. While Stage 1 was a real mixture of flowing trails, rough and steep sections, and used some of the bikepark tracks, stage 2 had only one motto: full speed ahead! With top times taking over four minutes, stage 3 was the longest of the day, featuring a long pedaly section followed by a challenging technical part.

Cube Action Team Rider Laura Brethauer on the technical, fourth stage.
Cube Action Team Rider Laura Brethauer on the technical, fourth stage.
 Loose soils and offcamber sections challenged the riders
Loose soils and offcamber sections challenged the riders
Stage 5 was full speed over some meadows.
Stage 5 was full speed over some meadows.

Stage 4 on the other hand, followed gravity once again and pleased the riders with a mix of loose soils and rocky sections. The final, fifth stage was full speed over meadows, ending with another run down the slalom course of the prologue- marking the finish of a long total course length of 27 km with 1000 meters of climbing.

André Wagenknecht is back! In his first race after his injury, he got second!
André Wagenknecht is back! In his first race after his injury, he got second!

While the finally recovered André Wagenknecht (GER – Cube Action Team) had a great comeback with second place, followed closely by Fabian Scholz (GER – Focus Trail Team), the first place went overseas: Joseph Nation from New Zealand gained precious seconds on stage 1 and 3 and took the win with a total time of 12:05.03. Radon Flow Team pilot Petrik Brückner got forth, followed by Marco Widmer (SUI – Giant Swiss Team).

Jung und verdammt schnell: Raphaela Richter
Jung und verdammt schnell: Raphaela Richter

The total Stage time of the fastest lady was 14:35.43: After taking the wins in stages 1 and 4, Raphaela Richter (GER – Radon Factory Enduro) proved too hard to catch and was faster than Kerstin Kögler (GER – BMC Enduro Racing Team) and Birgit Braumann.

Auf geht's! Daniel von Kossak (Propain Factory Racing) auf dem Weg zum Sieg in der Amateur-Klasse.
Let’s go! Daniel von Kossak (Propain Factory Racing) on his way to victory on the amateur class.

In the Amateurs class, Daniel von Kossak (GER – Propain Factory Racing Team) managed to continue his series of victories – with a fast time of 12:15.85 he would have come fourth in the pro class! Second fastest amateur of the day was Hannes Brändlein (GER) in front of Kurt Exenberger (AUT – Bikeacademy.com). The Amateur Women class was won by Jana Goetze (GER – Last National Team), followed by Anja Düthmann (GER) and Christine Vöhringer (GER).

Das Podium der Pro Men
Podium Pro Men

Die kompletten Ergebnislisten inklusive Stage-Zeiten findet ihr hier (PDF).

The next stop of the Specialized-SRAM Series is in two weeks in Kirchberg, where new challenges await the starters!

Potos: Christoph Bayer Words: Aaron Steinke


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.

About the author

Aaron Steinke

Aaron was our first employee and actively helped make our company what it is today, significantly shaping the look and direction of our various magazines. Aaron has been pursuing his own projects since mid-2020 but he continues to advise and support us on issues of marketing and technology. For many years, you would usually have found Aaron at casual enduro races, but increasingly you'll find him riding his road bike – long live freedom on two wheels!