More than 1500 Mountain biker met up last weekend in Seifen, Germany for the EBM -  the oldest mountainbike marathon in Germany. Following a rather hectic and unsettled orienteering’s lap of the streets, the course took a turn up into the shade of the local woodland - a welcome escape from the high temperatures the day had provided so far.

Ralf Kropp managed to put distance between himself and his competition fairly early in the race and  was therefore able to settle into his own pace, relieved of the pressure to exceed his comfort zone in the steep downhill sections. As such Ralf crossed the finish line in first place with a time of 4:28:09

Impressions from Kropp: The course suited me well and the technical areas were extremely good to ride - very fun! My arms began to hurt more and more following each round of the course and a stone also managed to hit my toe in an incredibly sensitive way but otherwise all went well. The win quickly helped my forget any fatigue or pain I was feeling. The number of spectators lining the streets, especially on the steep ascents, definitely helped us all. They seemed to have an endless amount of energy, able to shout encouragement at every athlete. That definitely helped me find that little extra energy to put back into my pedals.