BIKE Festival made Saalfelden Leogang the centre of the scene

In addition to the large outdoor trade fair, a packed timetable awaited with five bike competitions. And one thing is already certain: it will be continued. The successful Austrian premiere of the BIKE Festival heralded the start of the autumn season for mountain bikers in Saalfelden Leogang. And the bike spectacle lived up to its reputation last weekend. A large exhibition centre with almost 80 exhibitors from the MTB and eMTB scene and three days of exciting bike competitions ensured top-class mountain bike action. In addition to plenty of all-round action, there were also five sporting highlights, including three series finals.

 
Cesnaková and Holz win Rocky Mountain BIKE Marathon

Czech Milena Cesnaková and German Max Holz secured the coveted titles in the first edition of the Rocky Mountain BIKE Marathon in Saalfelden Leogang. Cesnaková, eighth in this season's European Championships, relegated Tyrolean Lena Koller (AUT) and Nina Hartleb (GER) to second and third place. Holz won after initial technical problems and a solo ride of almost 75 kilometres. Behind the man from Bavaria, Antonin Marecaille (FRA) and Alexander Stöckl (AUT) completed the men's podium in the long distance. Overall victory in the three-part Rocky Mountain BIKE Marathon series, which took place for the first time this year with stops in Saalfelden Leogang, Riva del Garda and Willingen, went to Jana Zieschank (GER) and Sascha Weber (GER).

 
Wiedenroth and Prokop storm to the enduro title with victory

Tough single trails and technical challenges awaited the Enduro riders on the route from Leogang via Saalbach Hinterglemm at the series finale. Here, Sofia Wiedenroth (GER) and Michal Prokop (CZE) celebrated the series titles in the SCOTT Enduro Series in addition to the daily titles. Wiedenroth impressively beat Tyrolean downhill specialist Simone Wechselberger (AUT) and Melissa Jenull (AUT) in Saalfelden Leogang. Together with the winners of the Riva del Garda stop, Tanja Naber from Germany, and the Willingen stop, Stefanie Mohnhausen from Germany, she thus tied for overall victory in the SCOTT Enduro Series.

While three riders shared the premiere title in the women's elite category, Michal Prokop lived up to his role as favourite in the men's elite class. The three-time 4X world champion confidently relegated downhill specialist Connor Fearon (AUS) and German Felix Heine to second place.
 

SCOTT Junior Trophy, Ghost Recon Ride and Austrian Pumptrack Series rounded off the bike spectacle

Before the adults took to the tracks on Saturday, the SCOTT Junior Trophy kicked off for the young bikers. More than 50 young participants took up the challenge and proved they had plenty of muscle power on the track, but above all, they enjoyed the sport of biking.
At the finale of the Austrian Pumptrack Series on Friday, the more than 50 starters, from the runbike class to the elite class, had to pump as hard as they could. In the elite classes, two familiar faces of Austrian gravity sport came out on top: Elke Rabeder in the women's class and Manuel Widmann in the men's class. The participants also showed their fighting spirit in the première of the Ghost Recon Ride, which involved using a GPS transponder and map to reach the finish line via ten landmarks and four action points. Benjamin Perty and Sarah Laschober secured the titles in the premiere edition.

Second edition of the BIKE Festival from 13 to 15 September 2019

The organisers are also satisfied with the outcome. The BIKE Festival was the crowning finale to a summer of events that began back in June with the Out of Bounds Festival, explains Marco Pointner, Managing Director of Saalfelden Leogang Touristik: "Although the weather didn't quite play ball over the last three days, we are still very satisfied with the first edition. Numerous well-known brands from the industry used the weekend as a stage for their new products, so that the event was fully accepted by the scene. In addition, despite the sometimes difficult conditions, almost 750 active mountain bikers took part in the various race formats, so we are already looking forward to next year's edition," says Pointner. And the date for the second edition of the BIKE Festival Saalfelden Leogang has already been set for 13 to 15 September 2019.

Photo: Mihamatavz