After a knee operation, Mondsee long-distance runner Hannes Stöckl had to give up his running career three years ago after 320 competitions. The vocational school teacher therefore switched to the knee-friendly balance bike (kick bike) – and that’s where he got ambitious. Now he promptly won the bronze medal in Estonia in his first World Championship participation in the veteran class on the long distance over 39 kilometers. The day before he had reached fifth place in the criterion over 12.6 km.
Footbiking – also known as kickbiking or scooter riding – is a popular sport, especially in the Netherlands, the Czech Republic and Finland, and is almost completely unknown in Austria. While there were eleven Austrians at the last World Cup four years ago, this time Hannes Stöckl was the sole representative from Austria.
Whenever his job as a vocational school teacher allows him, Stöckl can be seen training with his kick bike in Mondseeland. He often drives along the foot of the Drachenwand, has circumnavigated the Attersee and the Mondsee countless times or conquered the Gaisberg, the Postalm and the Rossfeld. Stöckl drives between 8,000 and 9,000 kilometers in training every year.
The almost 2,000-kilometer journey by car from Mondsee to Pölva in Estonia was a major challenge for the amateur athlete, especially in terms of planning. In the end, however, contacts with top Czech athletes helped, and so a carpool was realized. In the World Championship run, he was able to pull off a top performance over 39 km on a very selective route and fight for the bronze medal in difficult external conditions, sometimes heavy rain and a slippery track.
Now the Mondseeer has a new goal: On August 28th, the Austrian Footbike Championships will take place as part of a European Cup race at the Salzburgring. Stöckl trains for the competition.
Source: Nachrichten
