German WorldTour professional Max Walscheid has brought his cycling career to a spectacular close. He dominated the time trial around the Austrian lake. His time of 0:52:54 significantly beat the previous course record and also marked his personal best on this course. Walscheid was riding for Lidl-Trek and had announced his retirement just one day before the race. Sebastian Niehues took second place with a time of 0:54:48, whilst Benedikt Helbig finished third with 0:55:43.
Walscheid was delighted with the event: “This is a wonderful race! The setting is absolutely picturesque and the route is unique. Riding an individual time trial on roads of this quality is something really special! I’d set myself the goal of breaking the course record, but I didn’t expect to be able to ride that fast. I’ve finished in the top 10 at the World Championships, European Championships and on the World Tour on several occasions, but in terms of my performance, today’s time trial was the best of my career.” It’s likely that, as well as being in good form, he also had a lot of fire in his belly. In the time trial at the World Cycling Championships in Montréal, he’d only finished 27th – a result he described as a disappointment.
Fast women at the King of the Lake
Leila Gschwentner from Kufstein won the women’s elite category in a time of 1:04:11. The Tyrolean completed her longest ever time trial and came out on top against a strong field. Tirza Wisse from the Netherlands finished second in 1:04:18, whilst Birgit Stegmeier completed the podium with a time of 1:05:08.
In the women’s amateur category, Pia Pfeiffer from Seekirchen won on her debut with a time of 1:06:13. The local favourite was already familiar with the course from training and benefited from the support of the spectators lining the route. Anna Kofler, Queen of the Lake 2023, took second place in a time of 1:07:41. Victoria Achtig repeated her result from last year and finished third in 1:07:56.
Julian Braun moved down to the amateur category for the first time after five elite victories and clocked his second-fastest time at Attersee with a time of 0:55:23. The time trial specialist was competing in the KOTL for the eighth time. Daniel Hochstraßer from RSV Atterbiker, the local favourite and defending champion, secured second place with a time of 0:56:04. Louis Kitzki from Germany completed the podium with a time of 0:56:46.
U23 course records at the King of the Lake
As well as finishing second in the elite women’s race, Tirza Wisse also claimed victory in the U23 category. Her time of 1:04:18 set a new course record for this age group. The Dutchwoman had stepped in at short notice to replace a friend who had fallen ill and had not undergone any specific preparation. Defending champion Elisa Winter had to settle for second place with a time of 1:05:51. Carolina Trattner took third place with a time of 1:07:50.
Benjamin Eckerstorfer from Upper Austria improved on last year’s third-place finish to take the win. With a time of 0:55:55, the U23 rider set a new course record in his category. Louis Kitzki finished second in 0:56:46, whilst Aaron Imhof from Switzerland came third in 0:58:10.
Team time trials with best times
RH77 Factory Racing defended their title in the 10-man team time trial and improved their own best time to 0:56:22. The team led by René Haselbacher came out on top against 26 other teams. Four teams broke the one-hour mark. Cycling Team Schwingshandl repeated last year’s second-place finish with a time of 0:57:34. Team Geizhals.at VICC Racing Division Rockets completed the podium with a time of 0:58:29.
In the 4-man time trial, there was a new winning team for the first time in four years. RH77 Factory Racing also claimed the title here and set a new record time of 0:57:38. 105 teams lined up at the start in this category. The Radl-Eck Racing Team Fast Boys finished second with a time of 0:58:39. Radsport Team Gaimersheim I, the long-standing dominant force in this class, took third place with a time of 0:59:50.
Organisation and framework conditions
The route around Lake Attersee, which was completely closed to traffic, offered 47.2 kilometres of traffic-free riding. 150 emergency service personnel from the fire brigade, police and Red Cross secured the route. 20 motorbike marshals accompanied the race. Conditions were ideal, with late summer sunshine and water as smooth as glass.
Alongside Walscheid, other prominent riders such as former Bora professional Marcus Burghardt also took part. A live stream with commentary brought the action to viewers at home. Erwin Mayer from the Atterbiker cycling club gave a positive assessment: “It was a perfect day all round: top performances, thrilling duels and a great atmosphere – it couldn’t have gone better.”
Kristian Bauer
Editor