For three days, the spa town in the Black Forest hosted licensed races, the German Championships and a three-day stage race. The programme ranged from balance bike races for the youngest participants to the German Under-17 Individual Time Trial Championships for both boys and girls. The German Mountain Championships for women and junior women, as well as three points-scoring races for the Women’s and Junior Women’s Cycling Bundesliga, rounded off the sporting programme. Despite the high pace and challenging routes, the races were largely free of crashes.
German Championships and the Cycling Bundesliga
Ronja Eibl secured the title at the German Women’s Mountain Championships on Saturday. The route covered 104 kilometres and 1,400 metres of elevation gain. On the same day, the Brazilian Gabriela Guerra celebrated a solo stage victory in the Women’s Cycling Bundesliga – though she was not included in the classification for the German Championship. Ronja Eibl (of Team Origine) was crowned German Mountain Champion. “It wasn’t easy. First of all, we had to work our way through the entire U19 starting field. I didn’t feel particularly comfortable or confident during that. In the end, though, I was able to rely on my final sprint,” the Grosselfingen-born rider told the daily newspaper “Schwarzwälder Bote”. Eibl had only become German gravel champion at the Nürburgring at the end of July. Spectators watched the races in late-summer weather along the routes and in the start and finish areas.
RiderMan Stage Race
Reinhardt Geyser from South Africa won the men’s stage on both Saturday and Sunday. However, the overall classification was won by Florian Sauer of Team Strassacker, who put in the most consistent performance across all three stages. In the women’s race, Lydia Ventker dominated the event with stage wins on Friday and Sunday. She laid the foundations for her overall victory on the very first day and controlled the three-day race.
Jan Ullrich Cycling Festival with Social Ride
Saturday’s Social Ride with Jan Ullrich brought cycling fans together on the course. This was followed in the evening by the Come Together Fan Party, where participants and fans came together in a relaxed atmosphere. The balance bike race gave the youngest participants their first taste of racing. The expo and catering area became a meeting place for participants, families and cycling enthusiasts.
RiderMan Digital Reporting
The RiderMan and Rad-Bundesliga races were livestreamed over several hours. The digital coverage raised the profile of cycling in Bad Dürrheim beyond the region. Numerous spectators lined the race routes to watch the competitions on all three days. There were particularly large crowds around the start and finish areas.
A look ahead to RiderMan 2027
The next RiderMan will take place in Bad Dürrheim from 3 to 5 September 2027. Further information and all results are available at www.riderman.de.
Kristian Bauer
Editor
