At the MTBO U23 World Championships with KEEGO ambassador Georg Koffler - guest article
Hello to the KEEGO Community!
My name is Georg Koffler.
SinceI approached KEEGO this summer, I have been a member of the KEEGO Ambassadors circle. Since it is important to be fast in my sport, there is no time to lose when drinking. The one-handed drinking and easy squeezability of the KEEGO help me enormously in this. I'm also convinced that it can't be good to ingest masses of plastic particles through the drink. That's why I'm happy to ride my bike with KEEGOs.
I am pleased to introduce you to my sport of mountain bike orienteering (MTBO) in this blog post.
Meanwhile, it's been 5 years since I've been doing MTBO on a competitive level. MTBO is not only about the physical performance of an athlete, but also about the orientation ability and concentration under high load. The goal is to use a map and compass to pass all the checkpoints marked there as quickly as possible and cross the finish line. The decisive factor here is above all choosing the right route and making as few mistakes as possible.
Since 2017 I am a permanent part of the Austrian national team in the different age categories and was already allowed to represent Austria at some World and European Championships.
Since the current season I start my races in the elite category due to my age. The big jump from the juniors to the world elite went better than expected. Although currently one of the youngest athletes, I was able to qualify directly for the European and World Championships - a huge success!
Accordingly, I was able to measure myself against the international competition for the first time this year and collect my first World Cup points.
In September I went to my season highlight: the U23 World Championship in Bulgaria. Since this took place in the course of the Elite World Cup, the individual races of the U-23 athletes were evaluated in the World Cup, as well as in the World Championship.
While the maps at the World Cup in Sweden and the European Championships in Lithuania showed a dense network of trails and thus demanded a lot in terms of orientation, the maps in Bulgaria proved to be "easier". The difficulty of the map determines the pace of the races. My preference: easier maps, because they increase the hardness and intensity of a race. Similarly, I prefer long distance to sprint distance.
U-23 World Championship Day 1: Sprint Distance
The U-23 World Championships opened with the sprint competition. The race was held on a simple map, which depicted a typical Bulgarian village. A mixture of forest roads and asphalt roads, which mainly met at right angles, made for a checkerboard-like competition area. The race became incredibly fast and required a lot of concentration to never lose contact with the map. Crucial to this race was the choice of route: it was necessary to avoid as many changes of direction as possible so as not to have to brake at the control posts. Far from all my expectations, I finished this race in 4th place (only 5 seconds behind the medal places) and thus my second individual diploma, ex aequo with my compatriot Hannes Hnilica.
All the more impressive for me was the result in the Elite World Cup: 10th place (ex aequo with 4 other athletes). My first top 10 result in the World Cup - and that in my first elite season!
U-23 World Championship Day 2: Long Distance
On the second day of competition, medals were fought for over the long distance. Since long distances suit me better, my expectations of myself were correspondingly high.
With the super result from the previous day behind me, I went into the race with a good feeling and got off to a great start. The challenge in MTBO: Choosing the best route. That's exactly what I didn't manage to do on this day. Due to the wrong route choice I was rather slow and lost a lot of time.
The physically demanding race dragged on. In the last third, we entered an area that demanded a lot of concentration from us athletes. Not easy after more than 70 minutes with full concentration alone in the forest.
I did my best, but too much risk was punished with several small mistakes that cost me some time.
At the finish I missed the diploma ranks with the 7th place. In the World Cup I made it to the 22nd place.
Additionally I qualified for the first mixed relay of the Austrian national team. Together with Jana Hnilica and Andreas Waldmann we finished the team competition on the great 9th place - congratulations also to them!
My performances and successes in Bulgaria make me look forward to the coming seasons with confidence. For 2022, the racing season is over for me. After the results and successes, I'm already looking forward to the 2023 season!
For an athlete, an outside support is always an additional drive to pursue their goals and keep at it, so I am very happy to share KEEGO's motto and values - KEEP GOING!
P.S.: If you are interested to learn more about MTBO or to be a spectator or athlete at a competition, please contact me.
The sport is for young to old and lives mainly from families who practice this sport together in their spare time.
Just write me on Instagram: @kofflergeorg
