Photo report Schöckl Downhill 2026

05.05.26 10:21 1652026-05-05T10:21:00+02:00Text: PM, Erwin Haiden (translated by AI)Photos: Bernd GruberExciting kickoff to the auner Austrian Gravity Series: Rabeder and Frey dominate, while international riders made a strong showing in the race and the local youngsters from Bikeclub Stattegg also delivered.05.05.26 10:21 1762026-05-05T10:21:00+02:00

Photo report Schöckl Downhill 2026

05.05.26 10:21 1762026-05-05T10:21:00+02:00 PM, Erwin Haiden (translated by AI) Bernd Gruber

To the original text in German

translated by AI

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Exciting kickoff to the auner Austrian Gravity Series: Rabeder and Frey dominate, while international riders made a strong showing in the race and the local youngsters from Bikeclub Stattegg also delivered.05.05.26 10:21 1762026-05-05T10:21:00+02:00

The Schöckl is back on the AAGS race calendar for the first time since the legendary 2003 European Championship. At the season opener of the auner Austrian Gravity Series, Graz’s local mountain showed its best side: perfect weather, a great atmosphere, and with the 300er Trail a course that, while not very steep, was all the more demanding. Dusty conditions, many light changes, root sections in the lower part and an exhausting whoop section turned the race into a real test of fitness for the roughly 130 starters.

The international field was also well represented, with riders from Slovenia and the Czech Republic especially mixing it up at the front. In the U17, Gaber Novak came out on top and thereby takes the lead in the Rookie-King ranking. In the girls’ category, Kiera Katzer is leading.

In the elite categories, Elke Rabeder and Valentin Frey posted the fastest times of the day. Rabeder won convincingly with a clear margin, while the men's contest was much tighter: Frey just edged out Paul Knaller and Dominik Gradnitzer, with Nico Ofner completing the top group – an exciting fight for the overall standings is taking shape.

There were strong performances in the other categories as well: Johannes Hwang won Masters 2 despite a crash, Hannah-Magdalena Höfinger dominated the U15 girls with a large lead and was overall riding at nearly women's best-time level. Jörg Neuhart also posted a Masters 1 time that would have been competitive in younger categories. The local racers from Bike Club Stattegg were able to deliver consistently solid results: Wolfgang Tüchler took 5th place in Elite, Matteo Godin 4th in U13, and Maximilian Pichler managed 18th in U15.

All results can be found here: https://my.raceresult.com/392292/#0_456483

Links:

Schöckl Trail Area
Bike Club Stattegg

After the successful opener there will be a short break before the race continues at Weissensee – this time exceptionally on a Thursday.

Alle Termine der auner Austrian Gravity Series 2026

2026-05-02	Schöckl Downhill	Stattegg	MTB (Downhill/Freeride)
2026-05-02 Schöckl Downhill StatteggMTB
2026-05-14	Weissensee Downhill 2026	Weißensee	MTB (Downhill/Freeride)
2026-05-14 Weissensee Downhill 2026 WeißenseeMTB
2026-07-04	Ride Free Downhill Race	Lienz, Osttirol	MTB (Downhill/Freeride)
2026-07-04 Ride Free Downhill Race Lienz, OsttirolMTB
2026-07-18	aAGS #4 – Lermoos, Tiroler Zugspitz Arena	Lermoos	MTB (Downhill/Freeride)
2026-07-18 aAGS #4 – Lermoos, Tiroler Zugspitz LermoosMTB
2026-09-05	aAGS #5 - Bikepark Semmering	Semmering	MTB (Downhill/Freeride)
2026-09-05 aAGS #5 - Bikepark Semmering SemmeringMTB
2026-10-04	aAGS #6 – Bikepark Leogang	Leogang	MTB (Downhill/Freeride)
2026-10-04 aAGS #6 – Bikepark Leogang LeogangMTB