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XC EURO CHAMPIONSHIPS: ISRAEL

Robert Mennen was the highest placed of two German starters at the European Cross Country Championships which took place in Israel this past weekend. The 25 year old’s start was hampered by poor signage, causing him to lose a number of places.

The cross country championship this year took place in Haifa, a town north of Tel Aviv in Israel. The 6.9km long course was full of surprises for a lot of riders. “It wasn’t easy. There was only one ideal line, and then the next lap would see that line change as the loose rocks moved. It was dry, and rocky and very technical. There were a lot of mechanicals”.

For Robert, who this year already has a stage of the Trans Germany to his name, the race started really badly. Shortly before the start, the organizer changed the route, and many of the favorites found themselves as a result on a poor line, and being swallowed into the back of the field. “It was frustrating. In addition to this, I crashed on the fi rst lap. Then I just played damage limitation, but didn’t have the power needed to pull things back” Robert said, post race.

The race was 7 laps long, and Robert was the only German to finish. He was disappointed on the day. The disappointment is something that he hopes to overcome next weekend, with the German national championships taking place.