#2 UCI World Series Lenzerheide

For the second round of the Cross-Country World Cup as part of the UCI World Series, the Cube Next Generation XC Team from Untermünkheim went to Switzerland. In Lenzerheide, Kira Böhm secured a top 10 finish twice.

The race in Lenzerheide has been an integral part of the UCI World Cup for several years now and so the scene made a stop in the canton of Graubünden again this year. The location of the race in Lenzerheide, right next to the beautiful Heidsee, is breathtaking for riders and spectators. Already on Thursday Kira Böhm had to compete for her second shorttrack start. The shorttrack has been established for several years before the actual cross-country race and since this year it is also held for the first time in the U23 class. Here it is about 20 minutes full to the point. On a shorter course, the riders fight for the first 16. places for the first two starting rows of the actual race, the following Sunday. After her fifth place in Nove Mesto na Morave in mid-May, Kira Böhm wanted to confirm her performance. From the beginning she dictated the pace together with the favorites. But halfway through the race the pace became very high and Kira Böhm had to slow down a bit. Towards the end, however, she was able to step on the gas again and finished the race in eighth place. Thus she was allowed to start from the first row on Sunday.

On Sunday, the young rider from Weilheim started at 8:30 am. The course in Lenzerheide is very technical, because of the many roots and stones on the course, you have to be able to bike very well and smart. Kira Böhm got off to a good start and was able to hold her own in the top ten right from the start. Lap after lap she made up seconds on her pursuers and in the end she was only a few seconds short of an even better placing. Kira Böhm crosses the finish line in Lenzerheide as 7th!!! Awesome!!!

"I knew after the race in Nove Mesto na Morave that I have to manage my strength better in the beginning. Because of the altitude in Lenzerheide you also have to be smart. Today I managed to do that well. Moreover, this track is so much fun. I am super happy!" said Kira Böhm happily at the finish.

Fabian Eder started from 87th place in the U23 men's race. His goal was to make up as many places as possible. The Schwäbisch Haller Lars Gräter unfortunately dropped out due to a persistent cold. A few meters into the race Fabian Eder had to avoid a mass crash at the start. Some riders fell, but the Töging rider just manages to get by. After the start lap, the young Bavarian is among the first 60 and can keep up this pace well. Without major complications he rode a clean race and finished in 58th place.

For Sven Straehle it was a matter of making up as much ground as possible from a starting position around 100th place. Unfortunately, the Böbingen had not the luck of his teammate, there was also a crash in the elite men and Sven was in the middle of it. Shortly off the bike, back into the pedals it went on the chase. From 90th place it went for the 27-year-old steadily forward and he made up position after position. Almost 200,000 spectators followed the spectacle on Lenzerheide and especially cheered for their local hero Nino Schurter, who dominated the race from the start. He won near his hometown and crowned himself the best rider in World Cup history. The Swiss, who hails from Chur, has won a World Cup race a total of 34 times. No one has ever managed to do that before him. For Sven Straehle all this was just a minor matter, he concentrated on his race and wanted to reach his goal, the top 60. Due to the fall and the lost time, the Böbingen racer also ran out of steam at the end and came in a very close 61st place, which was ungrateful. A place outside the World Cup points, very sad.

Already next weekend, the team continues to Austria, where the next round of the UCI World Series will take place in Leogang.