XTERRA Germany This Saturday

Written by "Kahuna Dave" Nicholas: This weekend starts back-to-back XTERRA European Tour races in Germany and Austria.  Saturday’s race in Germany takes place in the small community of Zittau (pictured) in the former East Germany.  This fabulous city sits in a narrow part of the country bordered by Poland and the Czech Republic.

The Tour has been quiet since the Czech Championship in late June and our European brothers and sisters are ready to get back to the battle.

Frenchman Franky Batelier has won the first two rounds of the Euro Tour and is gunning for the hat trick in Germany.  Batelier won XTERRA Germany in 2007 and has been getting steadily better on the mountain bike.  Last year the 31-year-old military officer was hampered with a sciatica nerve problem that hurt his run, which has not been a problem for him in ’09.

Czech Pro Karel Zadak has been having a great season with a second place finish at home in Hluboka and a close 4th behind Olivier Marceau in Italy.  Michi Weiss, winner in Austria and runner-up at Maui Worlds last year, is trying to peak later in the season and has to be considered a very serious threat in Germany and to repeat in Austria. Top German Ronny Dietz lives close to the race site and has to be the local favorite, while young gun Felix Schuman has not been training due to University studies but will want to do well at these two events.

For the women, the battle seems to come down to three-time XTERRA European Tour champ Renata Bucher, three-time XTERRA Germany winner Carina Wasle and the reigning European race champ Sibylle Matter.  Renata won Italy, Carina won in Czech and Sibylle is a several time winner that can never be counted out.  Joining them will be three Americans.  Neo-Pro Brandyn Roark-Gray and USA Tour veteran from New Zealand Jen Smith will race both Germany and Austria.  Hot from her 2nd place finish in Mexico, Rebecca Dussault will race in Austria.

It is great to see our U.S. athletes racing in Europe.  Barbara Peterson has done it for years as have dozens of others that show up from time to time.  The experience is fantastic as you get to see great cultures and visit legendary places and meet XTERRA people who will welcome you with open arms.

The great spirit and enthusiasm for life you find in East Germany is infectious.  Every American should go and visit these folks and see just how precious true freedom is.  Remember they were under Nazi or Soviet domination for the past 70 years.  What they have done to bring back cities like Dresden (just an hour from Zittau) and Berlin are unbelievable.

Zittau was a coal mining center for the Soviets, yet now, just 20 years past the fall; the city has returned its classic buildings and architecture to perfection and the park and lake that are the focal point of the festival was once a mining pit.  Now with long, grassy fields and beaches and even a small museum and walking tour to show you what it was and compare with what the citizens have made it now.

More to come next week about the XTERRA European Championship in Austria…

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