Mountain bike start

Giro hero Pöstlberger lets Kamptal shine in pink

Lukas Pöstlberger rode in the pink jersey at the Giro, now he will start on his bike at the Kamptal Trophy.(Bild: GEPA pictures/ Luca Bettini)

(Bild: Lukad Pöstlberger)

(Bild: Lukad Pöstlberger)

(Bild: GEPA pictures/ Luca Bettini)

(Bild: GEPA pictures/ Luca Bettini)

In 2017, he was the first Austrian to win a stage at the Giro d'Italia and also slipped into the pink jersey - on Sunday, Lukas Pöstlberger will make the Kamptal shine in pink! The road pro has switched to the mountain bike camp - at least temporarily.

In 2017, he was the first Austrian to win a stage at the Giro d'Italia, thus also slipping into the pink jersey - on Sunday from 9.30 a.m., Lukas Pöstlberger will make the Kamptal shine in pink! A historic moment for the mountain bike classic, even if it was born out of necessity

After the departure of Jayco, "Pösti" was unable to find another WorldTour team, so the road pro switched to mountain biking without further ado. "To be honest, this is my racing bridge until the Tour of the Alps," reveals the 32-year-old Upper Austrian. He will then compete for the national team there, "Biking is a great alternative, even if it's a completely different story." Not just when it comes to crashes: "If it throws you, you save yourself a tarmac rash."

Road pro Lukas Pöstlberger tries his hand at mountain biking in Kamptal.(Bild: Lukad Pöstlberger)

Nausea and a taste of blood

The tactics are also different, as he found out last week at a race on Lake Garda: "You can't compare it to a road race, when you're biking you're riding at full speed right from the start." To exaggerate: "The nausea and taste of blood right after the first lap are unique."

Was he inspired by former road world champion Peter Sagan, who now wants to shine on his bike at the Olympics in Paris? "No, we already have quite good bikers in Austria. It would be a misconception to think that I can ride at full speed after ten years as a road pro." In Zöbing near Langenlois, however, he will give it a go on Sunday - also against mountain bike national champion Max Foidl, Mario Baier and three-time Kamptal winner Ondrej Cink (Tsch).