"Just mega": Wimmer and Grünebach convince in the EM Germany dress
Created: 08/25/2022, 09:50
By: Paul Hopp
Thumbs up under the Olympic Tower: Peter Grünebach was happy with his placement.
© Private
Dominic Wimmer and Peter Grünebach took part in the age group European Championships as part of the European Championships.
A special experience for both triathletes.
Munich – At the "European Championships" in Munich, not only the elite classes were at the start.
In triathlon, the "age groupers", the athletes divided according to age groups, also determined their European champions.
Dominic Wimmer (Dießen/Post SV Weilheim) and Peter Grünebach (Polling/Team Erdinger Non-Alcoholic) were there.
They had to swim 750 meters, cycle 21.8 kilometers and run 5 kilometers.
Dominic Wimmer thinks the EM participation is "just mega"
The appearance at the home EM has special after-effects for Dominic Wimmer.
The fact that he was allowed to take part in the title fights "was just great and still gives me goosebumps," said the Post SV Weilheim athlete on "Facebook".
On the one hand he made his debut in the national jersey at the European Championships, on the other hand he came full circle in the Olympic Park: in 2014 the father of a son competed in his very first triathlon competition there.
With a time of 1:07:37 hours, Wimmer took 25th place among 63 athletes in the “40-44” class as the fourth best German.
For him, the result is "completely fine, especially since in the past few years I have only focused on the long distances".
Two Frenchmen landed right at the front: Cédric Hervio (1:02:36) and Lionel Roye (1:03:09).
Bronze went to the German Hendrik Becker (1:03:12) from Wolfenbüttel.
The athletes in second through sixth were within 34 seconds.
Dominic Wimmer is 25th in class “40-44”
If the race had gone a little more favorably for Wimmer, it might even have been possible to place in the top ten.
But the swimming didn't go well enough for that.
"Unfortunately I didn't find my rhythm in the water this time and somehow I didn't have the power," reported the man from Diessen.
A few weeks earlier he had started the Olympic distance, also in Karlsfeld.
On the swim course that was twice as long, “I swam a significantly faster pace”.
After 12:25 minutes, Wimmer got out of the water this time.
Smiling on the home stretch: Dominic Wimmer from Post SV Weilheim completed a competition for the first time in the jersey of the age group national team.
© Private
At first he was alone on the bike, but eventually he bumped into an Austrian.
In the further course, a group consisting of six athletes came up from behind, so that better slipstreaming was possible.
A breakaway attempt by Wimmer came to nothing, no one wanted to go along.
"Unfortunately it wasn't quite a 40s average," he reported.
He completed the 21.8 kilometers on the bike in 33:09 minutes.
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The final five kilometers of running over the Olympiaberg were tough.
"By the way, it not only looks steep from below, it really is," says Wimmer.
On average, he ran every kilometer in 3:50 minutes and made up several places as a result.
After 19:01 minutes, Wimmer had completed the last discipline.
The next goal is already there: "I'm already looking forward to the 70.3 World Championships in the USA," said Wimmer.
Peter Grünebach had to borrow a bike for the EM
Peter Grünebach (74) had not set his expectations too high in advance.
He was "rather not a sprinter," said the Pollinger.
On the other hand, he did very well in the “70-74” age group.
With a time of 1:23:51 hours, he took seventh place among 37 finishers.
The gap to fourth, Italian Corrado Capelli, was only 44 seconds.
Grünebach's conclusion after the competition: "Great event."
The veteran had to change for the European Championship.
Unlike the long-distance competitions that he is used to in triathlon, slipstreaming on the bike was allowed in Munich.
For this reason, no time trial bikes were allowed.
Pollinger had to borrow a set of wheels - Gerhard Steinl from Deutenhausen, a passionate racing cyclist and mountain biker, helped out.
Peter Grünebach extremely strong in swimming
When swimming in Karlsfeld Lake, Grünebach was at the forefront.
With 14:01 minutes he set the second fastest time.
This also meant that he was alone on the route in the direction of the Olympic Park for a long time, consuming quite a bit of energy.
According to Grünebach, when slipstreaming is allowed, “the cards shift in favor of tactics on the bike”.
He was eventually caught up by a group.
His bike time was 39:00 minutes (8th place).
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Before the second transition zone, he made “a tactical clumsiness”, as he called it.
The Pollinger took his feet out of his cycling shoes a little too early, which cost a lot of time.
He couldn't make up for it by running.
The competition was fast and "your own legs were heavier than expected".
He completed the five kilometers in 26:11 minutes (10th place).
In the final count, Grünebach was by far the fastest of the athletes born in 1948.
The German Roland Kashamer (born 1952) won gold with a time of 1:18:00 hours.
The performance in the Olympic Park brought back memories for Pollinger: During the Olympic Games in 1972, the then career soldier was deployed to support the press center.
"My group of operators operated the telex facilities and the teletypewriters there," reported Grünebach.
