KMC Becomes Title Sponsor of Bundesliga

Source: press release

A strong partner will support Cross Country series MTB Bundesliga International in 2014. Taiwanese bycicle chain company KMC will be the title sponsor of the five part competition in Germany.
 
KMC already collected experiences with the Bundesliga events in Bad Säckingen and in Heubach in the past few years. “We were very happy with the Sabine Spitz Gold Trophy and the BiketheRockâ€�, explains Michael Stichling. The sales manager at the world biggest bycicle chain company is responsible for the distribution of the brand in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
 
The professional cross country teams of the Olympic champions Julie Bresset and Sabine Spitz rely on the strong connection with KMC. Bresset and Spitz, both were riding different Bundesliga races in the past.  “This makes it consequent to support the whole Bundesliga serieâ€�, Stichling says. “The MTB Bundesliga is one of the series with the highest quality world wide and we are looking forward to be their partner.â€�
 
Udo Sprenger, vice president of the German Cycling Federation BDR, comments on the contract: “We are happy about this partnership and we hope to improve the series with the support from KMC.�
For the organizers, the head of BiketheRock organizing committee, Eckhard Häffner, points out the „extremely pleasant and reliable co-operation with KMC�, they experienced in Heubach the years before, when the chain company supported his event.
 
For 2014 the MTB Bundesliga comes out with five cross country races and four Eliminator competitions. For the German riders the German Nationals in Bad Säckingen are added, but there are no points for the overall classification. The town at the boarder to Switzerland was awarded for the elite and masters nationals. Therefore the Sabine Spitz Gold Trophy is to be missed as Bundesliga event.  
 
Neustadt/W. and Schopp are first time part of the Bundesliga series. They both starts are confirmed as C2 category. Schopp already has experiences from the 90s, being part in the German national series.
 
The spring classic in MĂźnsingen withdraw for 2014. The club after 27 editions in a row claims a break, but does not exclude a comeback in 2015.
 
Four times Eliminator, double points at Bad Salzdetfurth
At all five Bundesliga stops it is foreseen to organize an Eliminator, which counts to the Bundesliga overall classification by half of the cross country points. The German National Championships in this discipline are to be held in Saalhausen during the Bundesliga weekend, but due to the fact that there are no international riders are allowed to take part, there are no Bundesliga points given for it.
 
The Bundesliga association also decided to honor the final races in Bad Salzdetfurth with the double amount of the points scale, for both, cross country and Eliminator. By this the attractiveness of the finals and the excitement should be raised for the last races of the season.
 
KMC MTB Bundesliga International 2014
April 5/6       Neustadt/WeinstraĂŸe
May 11       NC XCE Saalhausen
May 12       Saalhausen
May 17/18      Heubach
July 12/13       Schopp
July 19/20       NC XCO Bad Säckingen (no Bundesliga points)
September 13/14    Bad Salzdetfurth (double points)