After the hard, intense but also successful first half of the season with top placings at the DreiländerGiro, Maratona dles Dolomites and the Bundesliga race in Leonding, Freyung cyclist André Reinlein is now fully focusing on the Ötztaler Cycle Marathon on September 1st.
“The break after the Dolo did me a lot of good. Mentally and physically I was pretty empty,” says Reinlein, looking back on July. “Now I’m feeling great again and I’m motivated for my second half of the season.” This includes the Ötztal Cycle Marathon, which is probably the hardest one-day race in the amateur sector in terms of distance and competition. The race is 228 kilometers and almost 5400 meters of altitude, against the stars of the amateur scene, reigning professionals and ex-professionals. In the remaining five weeks until the race, the Franconian native still has to find the final touches to his form and weight. “The development of his weight in particular makes me feel positive, as it is heading strongly towards the targeted 70 kilograms,” says Reinlein. At the moment, however, he has to reduce the intensity of his training due to a corona infection. “I am symptom-free, my performance and heart rate are top notch, only the intensive intervals have been postponed a bit, but I’m still fully on schedule.”
For Reinlein, it will be his sixth time taking part in the Ötztal Cycle Marathon. In 2023, he was able to make it into the top 50 for the first time in a time of 7:30 hours. This year, he wants even more, because with a time of under 7:15 hours, he wants to place in the top 25. However, the middle school teacher will not be competing in the blue and red colors of RSV 1895 Passau as usual, but for Team VeloLease. “I know most of the guys from VeloLease quite well, if we all reach our potential, then we should be in the running for the team ranking. That would be pretty cool,” comments Reinlein, who adds aggressively: “This year, I’m going in with the approach: Either I achieve my goal or it could end up pretty badly.”
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