Final Five cycle-ball tournament: RMC Stein come out on top in Großkoschen
The Bavarian cycling federation reports a tournament win for Michael Birkner and Robert Mlady: the RMC Stein pair took the Final Five, beating hosts RSV Großkoschen 5-4 in the final.
Stein had won three of their preliminary-round matches – comfortably against Waldrems (9-4), more narrowly against Naurod (4-2) and in a goal-fest against Großkoschen (6-5). Only the last group match was lost, 3-4 to Gärtringen. That was still enough for the final, as Stein and Großkoschen were the two strongest teams in the field.
The win counts towards qualification for the World Championships. According to the federation, the last tournament in that ranking is the German Championships on 25 and 26 September in Sulzbach.
Where the Worlds themselves will be held is currently open: the original host, Derby, cannot stage the event on 16 to 18 October, as the UCI announced on 11 September, and a new venue is being sought.