European Track Cycling Championships in Munich - titles seven and eight for Friedrich and Kluge/Reinhardt

Lea Sophie Friedrich as well as Roger Kluge and Theo Reinhardt won titles number seven and eight for the German track cyclists on the final day of the European Championships.

After her success with Emma Hinze and Pauline Grabosch in the team sprint, Cottbus native Friedrich also won the keirin sprint in Munich and secured her second gold. With a magnificent final lap, the world champion relegated Urszula Los from Poland and Olena Starikowa from Ukraine to the following places. "I'm delighted that I was able to defend my title," said the double European champion.

Superior success in the Madison

In the last European Championship decision, Berlin's Kluge and Reinhardt celebrated a superior success in the Madison. In the two-man team race over 50 kilometres, familiar from the six-day races, the duo won with 101 points ahead of France (91) and Belgium (58). They achieved the feat of scoring points in 22 out of 25 classifications. "Nobody has ever managed that before," said Kluge. "We showed today that we are helping to create the world's best. We have seen that we are internationally competitive. There's no need to hide the fact that this gives you a boost," said partner Reinhardt.

Maximilian Dörnbach had also previously won silver in the keirin. Only the Frenchman Sebastian Vigier was faster than the Cottbus native. Marc Jurczyk from Erfurt came eighth.

Great results for the BDR

With eight gold, four silver and one bronze, the German Cycling Federation (BDR) was the most successful federation in the track events. "We were able to present ourselves very well in front of the home crowd and are satisfied. That's a great result," said BDR Sports Director Patrick Moster.

However, he also admitted that the strongest competitors were not at the start in all disciplines. "This is an assessment of where we stand, which is positive. But it also showed us a few things that we need to work on," he said. With a view to the World Championships from 12 to 16 October in Paris, the result nevertheless gave him "huge self-confidence". The path taken with the new national coaches Jan van Eijden (sprint) and Tim Zühlke (endurance) was the right one. Everything has harmonised well. "That also surprised me personally," said Moster.

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