The Velofondo Bike Festival, a mass-participation cycling event held at the DEKRA Lausitzring, has once again reported an increase in participant numbers. From ambitious racers to families, cyclists from all over Germany and neighbouring countries gathered at the circuit. The event is one of the largest mass-participation sporting events in eastern Germany and, according to the organisers, provides a significant boost to hotels, the hospitality sector and tourism in the Lausitz region.
Velofondo with a 24-hour race
Participants could choose between various formats at the Velofondo Bike Festival. For the distance races, there was a choice of 68 and 100 kilometres. The time trials ran over 2, 4, 8 and 24 hours, with both individual riders and teams taking part. The circuit measures around 11.2 kilometres per lap. The 24-hour race began on Saturday afternoon. The teams racked up kilometres over the course of a day and a night, either taking turns or riding continuously. An autumnal wind challenged the riders throughout the entire distance. During the night, the weather took a turn for the worse, bringing rain. Floodlights illuminated the course, whilst the riders’ rear lights glided through the darkness.
Velofondo Team Results
In the four-person team category, “KOM oder Krankenhaus” secured victory at the Velofondo Bike Festival with 88 laps in 24 hours 09 minutes 22 seconds. That equates to 986 kilometres. Team Enke Steuerberater won the two-person team classification with 82 laps. In the eight-person team classification, the KDH cycling team came out on top with 76 laps.
At this point, you will find external content that complements the article. You can display and hide it with a click.
Individual participants in the Velofondo
Bernhard Lebesmühlbacher completed 78 laps in the 24-hour individual race, covering 874 kilometres. Anne Stephan completed 60 laps in the women’s race, covering 672 kilometres. In the shorter time trials, Denny Dressler from Team Enke Steuerberater won the 8-hour race with 29 laps. Ines Beck won the women’s race with 24 laps. Robert Lüderitz from Athletics Team Dresden rode 15 laps to victory in the 4-hour race, whilst Melanie Behr completed 13 laps. In the 2-hour race, Xaver Wenzel from KLW Velo Club won with 8 laps, as did Jule Duge in the women’s category.
Endurance races and fastest lap
Lars Meseberg won the 100-kilometre race in 2 hours 18 minutes and 9 seconds. Yvonne Naumann completed the course in 2 hours 20 minutes and 29 seconds. Kay Laubmann from RSV Peitz won the 68-kilometre race in 1 hour 37 minutes and 29 seconds. Victoria Niemand followed in 1:37:53 hours. Markus Krauß from Team MenschMaschine clocked the fastest lap of the entire Velofondo Bike Festival in 14:23 minutes.
Outlook for 2027
The Velofondo Bike Festival is set to return to the DEKRA Lausitzring on 4–5 September 2027. Ronny Winkler, Managing Director of maximalPULS GmbH, emphasised the festival’s importance for the region. Registration and further information will be available on the event website at velofondo24h.maximalpuls.com.
Kristian Bauer
Editor
