Best Team of the Day: A Season Finale to Remember in Königswiesen
Updated: 1 day ago
Four states. Three days. One mission and a season that came down to the very last race.
The Bikeleasing VERGE VICC women's team wrapped up the season with an intense racing weekend that stretched across four Austrian states, building to a dramatic Sunday showdown in Königswiesen, Upper Austria. And this time there was more on the line than a result sheet, the team's place in the season-long standings was up for grabs.
Friday — Salzburg & Vienna
It all kicked off at the Cycledome Criterium in Salzburg, where Melanie Brunhofer flew the flag with a strong, gutsy ride, sprinting to 5th place and onto the extended podium. On the same day, over on the climbs of the Wienerwald, Jacqueline took the fight straight to the field at the Sophienalpen Classic in Vienna and delivered a superb 2nd place. Two races, two results and real momentum heading into the weekend.
Saturday — Pama
Saturday brought one of the standout stories of the weekend. Jennifer Jantschgi lined up for the very first gravel race of her career, and it just happened to be the Austrian National Gravel Championships, in the Women Elite category, at the 3. Pama Energie Gravel in Burgenland. Thrown straight into the deep end, she tackled a fast-paced race on a technical course made even tougher by a fresh, deep layer of loose gravel laid down since the last edition. Jennifer held her own superbly and rolled home in 8th place, an outstanding result for a gravel debut, and at a national championships no less.
Sunday — Königswiesen
The big one. Seven VICC riders lined up for the season finale, the Mühlviertler Hügelwelt Classic in Königswiesen and the stakes could not have been clearer. All season long the team had been locked in a direct battle with Cookina Graz for the overall standings, sitting 4th. The math was simple and brutal: to move up, we had to beat Graz to the line.
So that's exactly what we set out to do. From the gun, Luzie Meister, Kira Herlemann and Magdalena Papst made the team impossible to ignore, attacking, animating the race, and piling pressure on the competition from the very first kilometre. Melanie Brunhofer rode selflessly to protect them and keep them out of the wind, while Anja Vogel, Sabrina Kuhn and Sabrina Schär put on a masterclass in team-first racing that held the whole effort together.
And it paid off in full. Bikeleasing VERGE VICC was the best team of the day in Königswiesen. Luzie Meister powered onto the podium in 3rd, four riders crossed the line inside the top 11, and — in the head-to-head that mattered most, the team overhauled Cookina Graz to reclaim 3rd overall in the season standings.
What a way to close out the season.
To our riders who left everything on the road (and gravel), to the staff behind the scenes, and to the families and sponsors who make it all possible — thank you. This one was won together.
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