Top athletes in Erding: First the autumn festival, then Hawaii

Created: 09/01/2022Updated: 09/01/2022, 15:45

By: Dieter Priglmeir

A successful season: Weißbräu boss Werner Brombach (middle), his daughter Claudia and the managing directors Sepp Westermeier (left), Stefan Huckemann (front, 4th from left) and Stefan Kreisz (right) meet with the top athletes from Erdinger Active Team to a successful season.

© Erdinger Wei§bru/ picture alliance /Felix Hrhager

The Erdinger Active Team, led by Ironman Patrick Lange, stopped at the sponsor.

Erding

– Hard to believe, Vanessa Hinz describes herself as “half an Erdinger, because my dad is an Erdinger”.

And yet she had never been to the autumn festival before.

All the better that the biathlete has been a member of the "Erdinger Active Team" for years and therefore has to be here for purely professional reasons.

Or “may”, as the three-time world champion (three relay gold medals) emphasizes.

“The Autumn Festival is simply beautiful.

It's not as small as our folk festivals at home," says the 30-year-old from Ruhpolding, "but it's not as huge as the Wiesn either.

Exactly right then.”

In addition to Hinz, many other top athletes from the team supported by Erdinger Weißbräu accepted Werner Brombach's invitation.

Among the biathletes were Lukas Hofer and former top biathlete Erik Lesser.

And the triathletes were also represented in large numbers: for example Daniela Bleymehl, who won the Ironman Frankfurt this year.

Andreas Dreitz, Frederic Funk, Nils Frommhold and Carolin Lehrieder enjoyed the wheat beer, as did team manager Wenke Kujala and triathlon legends Nicole and Lothar Leder.

And of course superstar Patrick Lange was there too.

For him, the fall festival is "a fixed point, the initiator for the final preparation in Hawaii".

The 36-year-old told the local newspaper that he would fly to the USA on Sunday so that he would be in top form in six weeks.

A corona infection in June cost him four weeks of training.

"I was quite ill for two weeks despite the vaccination." Nevertheless, Lange made it to second place at the Ironman in Roth this year, "but not everything was as it should be".

In Hawaii, where Dreitz and Bleymehl also compete, he has won twice and been on the podium three times, with a total of four starts.

"I don't have to prove anything to anyone anymore," he says.

That's why he doesn't feel any pressure - but a great drive, "namely the perfect race".

But didn't he already have that in 2018, when he not only successfully defended his Ironman World Championship title, but also broke the eight-hour mark for the first time with a time of 7:52:39?

"Swimming was really bad back then," said Lange.

And besides, there would still be the last Ironman before Corona when he had to get off.

No, he had a lot planned for October 8th.

That's why the Darmstadt native held back a bit in the Weißbräu tent on Tuesday evening.

"In the current phase, we're not exactly the biggest party beasts," he explains, but off-season, in winter, "the triathletes are among the most persistent at parties."

The biathletes are also in the middle of their preparations, says Vanessa Hinz, which is why a party competition between biathletes and triathletes would probably be more of a snail race at the moment.

"But if we can really celebrate, then we probably don't give each other much.

Then we have hits, I don't know what kind of music the triathletes listen to."

Sport is the order of the day anyway.

Her preparations are "so-so".

Because of back problems, she was unable to take part in the Summer World Championships at home in Ruhpolding, but Hinz is confident that this winter will be better and more successful than last year.

Some subtleties were changed last year.

"And sometimes it just takes a little longer." She can no longer be influenced by public pressure anyway.

"I'm only 30 years old, but I'm already an old hand," she said confidently.

“You get up early every day, do your stuff and give up so much.

If it doesn't get around that much, you're the most disappointed yourself."

When is a season a good season for you?

"When I notice in every race that I've been able to get the maximum out of it.

If it's only tenth place and the others were better, that's okay too.

And if I'm lucky, it's enough for the podium.”

Werner Brombach clearly enjoyed the evening.

Having all of his top athletes around, "that's an important day for me," said the head of the Erdinger Weißbräu.

Another could be October 8th, when he will support Patrick Lange and his teammates, "morally, but also loudly," as he emphasizes.

Brombach is not only a sponsor, but also a profound knowledge of the scene.

He has spotted a few Scandinavians who made their debut at Roth and may be among Lange's competitors.

Nevertheless, he is optimistic: “Patrick is number one in the world in the marathon.

So if he's in a good position on the bike course, I trust him with everything.” The goals in biathlon are currently somewhat more modest, “but we have very promising talent there”.

A team needs good runners and fighters, says Brombach, "but you have to win here and there."

Speaking of success: Brombach noted that the German team did so well at the European Championships, “but not as well as in Rome”.

Rome?

Yes, in 1960 at the Olympic Games, when Armin Harry had previously won gold in the 100 meters despite a false start "and we were in the top three or five in all running disciplines up to the 10,000 meters," says the Brombach Lexicon of Sports gushed out.

A man is speaking who has been there himself at 13 games and thinks the Olympics in Munich are "a very good idea".