The first race of the 2024 Bundesliga season is now less than two months away. Before the first division teams descend upon Kraichgau, though, there has been plenty of action in the transfer window. More than perhaps any year in recent memory, this winter truly has been a “silly season” of switches like no other.
Among the biggest recent announcements was that David Cantero del Campo has signed to race for Köln. Cantero dramatically out-kicked Lasse Nygaard Priester on his way to victory at the Valencia World Cup last September. Priester won multiple Bundesliga stops in 2023, indicating that, in Cantero, Köln have found a ready-made gold medal contender.
The Spanish athlete also finished 5th at the Hong Kong World Cup at the weekend, logging the fastest run split of the race. Should he start at multiple races this year, KTT 01 will be a significant proposition to overcome.
Simon Westermann has also made the switch to Triathlon-Team DSW Darmstadt. Westermann memorably won Bundesliga Tübingen last year after crashing during the bike and combines experience in the series with the profile of a rapidly rising athlete. The Swiss racer was a member of the now-disbanded EJOT-Team TV Buschhütten team last year. Going forwards, he will almost certainly be a central component of the Darmstadt squad.
Whereas Cantero and Westermann are two rising forces in the sport, an athlete at the other end of their career has made a move.
Justus Nieschlag has signed for Hylo Team Saar, the 2022 men’s champions, He was dropped from German national squad at Christmas in 2022 and has since moved on to long distance triathlon. However, the Tokyo Olympian will now return to the Bundesliga scene, adding much-needed depth to the pre-season favourites.
The changes have not been consigned only to the men’s competition. On the women’s side, Team Berlin have strengthened. For example, they have recruited Leann Dietzel, formerly of Potsdam, to their ranks. A young athlete, Dietzel logged two top-20 finishes in the Bundesliga last year and brings valuable depth.
Furthermore, Berlin have added Kim van ‘t Verlaat and Sara Crociani to their squad. Having finished 2nd overall last year, Berlin stand as the early favourites for this year’s championship given the folding of Buschhütten.
However, they will not have things their own way.
Witten have continued to strengthen and have added even more firepower to an already-daunting line-up. They recently announced that Rachel Klamer will be starting for them this year. The addition of Klamer comes after WTCS medallist Annika Koch also signed for the team. Both Koch and Klamer raced for Buschhütten last season.
Witten already have Marlene Gomez-Göggel and Anabel Knoll in their ranks and so can now call upon four medal contenders at any given event. After the team struggled with depth in 2023, it looks like they will be a key player in this season’s title race.
Klamer’s partner, Richard Murray, has likewise made the move to Witten following the exit of Buschhütten.
In more ways than one, the closure of Buschhütten has really shaken up the division. Compared to the last season, the landscape is entirely different.
Two other big moves brought about by the loss of Buschhütten are the signing of Lena Meißner and Tanja Neubert by Viernheim. Currently, the plan is for them to attend one or two races this season.
Viernheim are looking to rally after a slightly disappointing 2023 season. With Neubert and Meißner onboard, they will push for a top-5 position overall as they did in 2022.
The silly season has therefore showed no signs of abating recently and several teams have recruited wisely for 2024. All the pieces are therefore falling into place for an explosive campaign to unfold.
