This year's edition is a special occasion, as Ilmenau has once again been awarded the contract to organise the German Championships. The most important race on the national scene is returning to Ilmenau for the fifth time.

Highly desired title

The awarding of the championship titles is always a guarantee for the participation of the German top elite. This weekend, the long-standing history of the Absolute Downhill continued with another highlight. The race was highly popular with over 500 participants from 19 nations.

The absolute track

The track on the Lindenberg was almost completely rebuilt for the event, as the ongoing forestry work has changed the mountain considerably. The problem with the bark beetle has ensured that the beautiful forest is now history, giving the course a completely new and unfamiliar look. The conditions on Friday and Saturday were very summery, warm and dry. As a result, the ground turned to dust and more and more rubble emerged.

Seeding Saturday

Saturday morning got off to another warm start with very dusty training conditions. The afternoon was then reserved for the seeding run, which made things exciting for the first time. Decent times were set in the licence-free categories, so the moderator duo Uwe Buchholz and Steffen Marquardt discussed when a time of under two minutes would be set for the first time. The fastest of the day was Max Hartenstern (GER - Factory Racing), who clocked a time of 1:55.318 minutes to beat his rivals by almost five seconds. In the women's race, it was the defending champion Nina Hoffmann (GER - Santa Cruz Syndicate) who clearly demonstrated her ambitions for the final with a clear lead.

Final Sunday

Everything was different on race day. The bad weather returned just in time for the start of the race and turned the track into a wild water track. More than 500 riders suddenly had to contend with slippery and wet conditions, making the race for the title extremely exciting once again.

In the Elite Women class, the favourite Nina Hoffmann was unable to prevail due to a crash. In the end, Raphaela Richter (Simplon Trailblazers) secured the German championship title. This is her third national title. She was followed by Helen Weber (Rotwild Schwalbe Gravity Team) in second place and Hanna Blochberger (Fahrrad Eberhardt Racing) in third place.

The Elite Men class provided plenty of excitement. The early hotseat occupation by Henri Kiefer (Canyon Collective) did not make it easy for the field of riders. Kiefer crashed in the seeding and therefore started very early. However, he was able to hold on to his position until the end and secured the title of German Champion once again. Hannes Lehmann (Holy Molys Development Racing) took second place. Julian Steiner (Pumptrack DE) celebrated his first podium success with third place. Watch Henri Kiefer's winning run here.

Proper award ceremony

Anyone who has ever attended an award ceremony in Ilmenau can certainly imagine how these podium places were celebrated. Chainsaws, champagne, beer and a great atmosphere heated up the finish area despite the rain. Hundreds of fans celebrated the new and old German champions and there was plenty of stage diving too!

Thank you

A weekend full of emotion, drama and of course the finest racing comes to an end. Thanks once again to all the helpers, the team in the background, the ILRC, the fans and of course the drivers. It was an absolute party!