The Cross Country World Championships in Cairns, Australia, of course, were the highlight of the season, an event that Franziska Koch, Leonie and Antonia Daubermann of STEVENS MTB Racing Team [Link] already had qualified for early in the season. Leonie and Antonia Daubermann were part of a fight for the Bronze Medal in the U19 Juniors’ race – but eventually they weren’t lucky.
Positioned in a safe third place Leonie crashed heavily and eventually finished - regarding the severity of the crash - a still very good 10th. Franziska on the other hand had to work her way from way back to the front of the race; so her fifth place does not reflect her huge effort during the race.
In the Women’s U23 race, Antonia Daubermann was held back by a crash – when she finally had room to move, she went full throttle to come in 14th in the end.
Prior to this event, at the European Championships in Darfo Bario, Italy, STEVENS MTB Racing Team had been one of the strongest contingents of German Cycling Federation’s team selection.
'Never Stop' for David Horvath
David Horvath had focussed on the Eliminator Sprint after fracturing his fibula at the beginning of the season. So after a couple of good international results he was qualified to enter this discipline at the European Championships. Here he showed that in the Sprint he has arrived at the top. Up until the final run he advanced with ”almost no effort”. In the finale, though, he crashed shortly after the start. Yet, David was not about giving up. Despite several injuries he just ran the one kilometre course ahead of him because he was not ready to accept a ”DNF” in his record - perfect ”never stop” attidude!
Franziska Koch, who already had qualified for the Euros early in the season, was nominated for the relay race. With her relay team she missed to win a medal by a very narrow margin. And in her U19 race she, being one of the younger riders in the U19 field, reached a respectable sixth place. Leonie Daubermann at the time still had to deal with an injury she had suffered in the German Championship race in Bad Salzdetfurth.