At speed, Wolfgang Sacher races uphill from behind in the final sprint, but then a competitor leans over and Sacher has to brake rapidly. As a result, the expected medallion is gone by three hundredths.
Cologne/Wolfratshausen – Victory in sight – and finally just over. Such was the case with Wolfgang Sacher in handicapped cycling at the German Championships last Sunday. The 2008 Paralympic winner had a good strategy in mind: Coming from behind with a lot of momentum, he wanted to attack from behind his opponent’s slipstream in order to overtake the competition in the final meter. A plan that almost worked. “But only about,” Sacher says. “While I was at that level, a driver suddenly came up next to me and pushed me into the barrier. I immediately had to push harder and completely lost my speed advantage,” Penzberger continues, explaining that Why was there no medal hope in the title fight.
The final result of the 50-kilometer road race showed how good Sacher’s chances of winning a medal were: despite a braking maneuver in the final metre, the president of RSC Wolfratshausen finished fourth and the bronze medalist by just three hundredths of a second. missed out on , “It’s no secret that I was very angry at the finish. If my opponent had held his line, I would have won the medal.
time trial reduction
For Sacher, the German Paracycling Championships was the highlight of the nearly six-week competition phase from late April. After good placements in World Cup races in Belgium and Germany and a strong fifth place at the European Championships in Austria two weeks ago, the 55-year-old was looking to qualify for a starting spot at the World Championships in Canada in August. Podium finish – an undertaking, however, which had already been done, faced tough conditions in the 20-kilometer time trial on Saturday. “My legs didn’t heal from sitting in the car for so long a day ago, I noticed that as I warmed up. As a result, things didn’t go so well in the race,” says Sacher, who nonetheless achieved the second-fastest time in his C4 racing class. “Unfortunately, my direct competitor for the World Cup ticket, Thomas Schaefer, was 22 seconds faster. I was even better at the European Championships, but bicycles can go so fast,” Sacher concluded.
World Cup tickets now away
In Sunday’s road race, the 55-year-old was out for redemption and ran an active race from the start. “I must have attacked four or five times. But on the flat track no one was able to back down decisively. The decision then came in the sprint, in which I always have a one-handed disadvantage compared to two-armed athletes,” said Sacher, who nonetheless performed well in the finals – and his tactical moves to attack from behind with extra momentum. , almost even landed a surprise coup.” Had a bicycle chain – unfortunately that doesn’t count in the game. Fourth place is certainly thankless, but I showed everyone that I’m still capable of doing well at 55. Even though the ticket to the World Cup is a long way off now,” says the cyclist.
Collaboration with a former sponsor
However, he doesn’t want to give up on a possible missed participation at the Paracycling World Championships in Canada in August, although nominations won’t take place until July. Instead, RSC Boss is focusing on his next game moves. “2022 is only my first real season after a competition break of almost ten years. I still have a lot of work to do — from training to materials,” says Sacher, who wants to team up with her former sponsor, Penzberg entrepreneur Ernst-Otto von Drachenfels, and her company Nutridual-Nutrition Supplements.
Sachar’s next sporting event is called the Tour Transalp, in which he will contest together with his national team colleague Erich Winkler. The seven-day stage race begins on Sunday 19 June. Werner Muller-Schael
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