Photo story: Pumpiläum Stattegg – Youngsters Cup Final 2026

07.10.26 13:41 12026-10-07T13:41:00+02:00Text: PM, Erwin Haiden (translated by AI)Photos: Bernd Gruber/Mehrzweckraum125 young riders, three Austrian championship titles and a village-square party: the third Pumpiläum hosted by Bikeclub GIANT Stattegg, in pictures.07.10.26 13:41 612026-10-07T13:41:00+02:00

Photo story: Pumpiläum Stattegg – Youngsters Cup Final 2026

07.10.26 13:41 612026-10-07T13:41:00+02:00 PM, Erwin Haiden (translated by AI) Bernd Gruber/Mehrzweckraum

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125 young riders, three Austrian championship titles and a village-square party: the third Pumpiläum hosted by Bikeclub GIANT Stattegg, in pictures.07.10.26 13:41 612026-10-07T13:41:00+02:00

You can let a long mountain bike season quietly fade away. Or you can do it the Stattegg way. Pin on a race number one more time, pump up the tyres and switch into race mode. Bring parents, coaches and fans to the course one more time. And once the final seconds have been timed and the last medals handed out, everyone celebrates together.

The third edition of Bikeclub GIANT Stattegg’s Pumpiläum hosted the Cycling Austria Youngsters Cup final on 3 October. And the conditions could hardly have been better for a season finale: blue skies, glorious sunshine and dry courses, providing photographer Bernd Gruber with some sensationally atmospheric images. The mood around the pump track, Höllbach Arena and village square was every bit as good.

The programme certainly left little time for standing around: the U13 to U17 categories started on the pump track at 12 noon, followed at 2 pm by the XCC Short Track, which this year also doubled as the Austrian Championships.

The field keeps getting tighter
A philosophical Stattegg take on the field

Pump, pedal, suffer

The youngsters faced one last serious challenge to round off their season. The pump track and short track double-header demanded distinctly different qualities: momentum, line choice and as few unnecessary pedal strokes as possible in one, full gas from the start and no time for tactical contemplation in the other.

The short track in particular delivered plenty of action for the spectators too, with short laps, tightly packed fields and the resulting frequent battles for position.

And this time, more was at stake than the final points in the Youngsters Cup. The XCC also decided the Austrian championship titles in the youth categories. From a Styrian perspective, there was plenty to celebrate: six of the twelve possible victories across the two events went to Styria. On top of that came three Austrian championship titles. Florian Lang from Laßnitzhöhe took gold in the U13, while Bikeclub Stattegg’s Lola Friedl and Lorenz Galli were crowned Austrian U17 champions.

There was certainly no shortage of competition. A total of 125 young riders from all over Austria lined up, including Sandra Pink, Lola Friedl and Luca Schaschl – every Austrian U17 medallist from the 2026 Youth European Championships.

Finale to a long season

Stattegg also marked the end of the 2026 Cycling Austria Youngsters Cup. For the U13, U15 and U17 categories, it was therefore not only about the day’s results, but also the final points towards the overall standings.

For Bikeclub Stattegg, the verdict was once again pretty emphatic: its young riders again won the club standings – scoring more points than the second-placed Atterbiker, Haiming and rts Bikekids in positions two to four combined.

In the individual standings, however, the competition was considerably closer. Despite numerous podium finishes, the Styrian riders managed just one overall victory this time. It went to Lola Friedl, who followed her bronze medal at the Youth European Championships by also claiming the Austrian U17 title at the Pumpiläum.

Of course, the importance placed on youth development in Stattegg is nothing new. Back in 2025, the bike club won the Youngsters Cup club standings for the ninth consecutive time. And after this year’s Mountainbike Junior World Festival in July, at the latest, it should also be clear that they are far from finished with youth development at the foot of the Schöckl.

Little ones first.

While the older youngsters were still battling for seconds, points and championship titles, the next generation was already waiting on the village square. There, the stage belonged to the youngest riders.

And then there was the party

Once the podium ceremonies were over, heart-rate monitors and lap times were finally put aside. From around 6 pm, the action shifted for good towards the marquee and village square.

There, of all people, Eliminator European champion and world championship silver medallist Theo Hauser took charge of the music. Meanwhile, prosciutto, Montasio, burgers, Prosecco and beer provided the kind of sports nutrition rarely found in training plans.

And so, race numbers and race bikes gradually disappeared as the action moved towards the marquee. After a long day of racing, the end-of-season celebration was finally allowed to become properly laid-back. Not that it was really over: the next day, the party flowed more or less seamlessly into the Stattegg village festival.

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