Was his instinct wrong, or is Daniel Turek just a very good poker player? The Czech professional cyclist, employed by the Wels Felbermayr team, won the traditional domestic cycling season opener in Leonding yesterday – even though he didn’t expect his legs to be up to par before the first Bundesliga race. It was already the eighth success for the Messestadt-based company in the last ten editions.
“I haven’t felt anything special since Wednesday,” said 29-year-old Turek. The day before he had finished second at the Czech E-Cycling Championships. This February he already won the mountain jersey at the Tour of Antalya in Turkey. A good form that was undeniable in the end.
With the best weather yesterday, many spectators gathered along the selective route. At the Aichberg, the frequent executioner of the race, Upper Austria’s top professional Michael Gogl, who was among the best at the E3 Prize in Belgium last time, also positioned himself.
He and many others saw Turek and Philipp Hofbauer (WSA) alone in the front. The duo had already separated a few kilometers after the start. When it came to the final, Turek, who repeatedly had time for jokes in front of the motorcycle camera during the live broadcast, broke away from his escape companion and after almost 145 kilometers in the lead brought victory ahead of Felix Ritzinger (WSA) and his Wels team colleague Daniel Federspiel home. Others were less fortunate. Due to illness, the Steyrer Hrinkow team only started with four men, favorite Daniel Auer suffered a defect in the final.
Fall went off lightly
The women started their second league season in Leonding, with Petra Zsanko, a Hungarian who drives for Cookina Graz and comes from speed skating, was able to celebrate. Olympic champion Anna Kiesenhofer, who starts in April, also drives for this club. Sabine Stadler was sixth as the best Upper Austrian, who crashed Lisa Fernbach from Waldingen, but the Vöest driver was given the all-clear in the hospital.
A Hungarian, Gergö Magyar, also won the junior competition, while the amateur race that was also held there at the same time went to Christoph Mick.
Three-time Leonding winner Riccardo Zoidl was the big absentee. He drove with his new team, Team Vorarlberg, at the Tour of Rhodes and finished fifth overall.
sensation by Girmay
Biniam Girmay from Eritrea (Intermarche) was the first African to win the Belgian cycling semi-classic Gent-Wevelgem yesterday after 249 kilometers. “This is a brilliant day for the whole continent,” said the 21-year-old. In 2025 the World Cycling Championships will take place in Rwanda. Colombia’s champion Sergio Higuita (Bora) took overall victory in the Tour of Catalonia, with Christian Pömer, who was born in Traun, acting as sporting director. Meanwhile, European champion Sonny Colbrelli, who collapsed at the start of the tour and had to be revived, has returned to Italy.
Source: Nachrichten
