The BikeArena in Steinach hosted the third round of the iXS Downhill Cup. Almost 400 riders from 20 nations answered the call and raced for victory in the Thuringian Slate Mountains. In the end, Lea Stornebel and Nico Lamm won.

The weekend started dry, but changed briefly to rainy conditions on Saturday morning, before clearing up and providing ideal conditions for the rest of the competition. With pleasant temperatures of around 20 degrees, the participants kept their hands off the brakes on Sunday and ensured exciting racing action.

The 1750 m long track in Steinach left little room for error correction and required maximum concentration over the 250 metres of elevation gain. The course began relatively flat, then quickly became quite demanding and changed to the typical slate rock surface in the middle section. Technical faults were just as common as riding errors due to physical fatigue.

The fastest rider this weekend was Nico Lamm (GER), who secured the Elite Men victory with a time of 2:05.840 and a wafer-thin lead over Niall Clerkin from Ireland.

Lea Stornebel (GER - Ergotec Racing Team) took the top spot on the podium in the Elite Women's category. Lea Kumpf (GER - DH Talent Team) and Roos op de Beeck (BEL - Loose Riders) finished just a few tenths behind.

The BikeArena on the Silbersattel is closing its doors for the time being for extensive renovation work. In the near future, a new chairlift will be built and the range of trails will be significantly redesigned and expanded. We are therefore already looking forward to the new look in the year after next.

You can find the results of the race here.