Buschhütten took the win in the opening round of the Bundesliga in Kraichgau. With four rounds remaining, they will have to defend their spot at the summit from a number of challengers. Similarly there are sub-plots throughout the rankings to keep track of as teams look to push to new levels and others seek to avoid relegation.
Without further ado, then, read on to find out the breakdown of each team’s points and how they fared at the weekend.
1st) EJOT Team TV Buschhütten – 20 points
With the win in the bag, Buschhütten can be immensely satisfied with their weekend.
Two of their heavyweight athletes, Henri Schoeman and Jonas Schomburg delivered in the opening pair. Meanwhile Vetle Bergsvik Thorn was great and sealed the deal by breaking clear of Tim Hellwig at the finish.
Their win sets them up for season and at full strength they will be tough to beat. The only question is whether there will there be any races at which they cannot put out as many of their stars.
2nd) Hylo Team Saar – 19 points
Hylo Team Saar got the job done at the weekend. Tim Hellwig and Valentin Wernz were very impressive and logged the best legs of any men in the field. However the decision to put Harry Leleu and Chris Ziehmer in the opening pair did not quite pay off as they conceded time to Schoeman and Schomburg.
A 1 point deficit after the season opener is no problem, though, and Hylo Saar are firmly in the hunt for the title. With the next round in Schliersee clashing with WTCS Montreal, there is a chance that both Buschhütten and Hylo Saar lose an athlete or two. Whichever team can navigate that the best will likely hold the overall series lead after round 2.
3rd) PSD Bank Tri Post Trier – 18 points
What a brilliant day for Trier! The whole team was near-flawless as they took a shock 3rd place. In our race preview we had suggested that they could impress but a top-3 completely surpassed expectations.
Cedric Osterholt and Gjalt Panjer did every asked of them as the opening pair and were crucial in setting the platform for the second pair. A special nod should also go to Lucas Cambresy. He was a very late sub in for Gaspar Riveros and really stepped up. He helped Jonas Osterholt bridge to the leaders and played an essential team role in putting his team mate in a position to fully utilise his run.
After his team had done so much work, Jonas Osterholt then sealed the deal. He had a wonderful run to earn the fourth fastest split overall.
If Trier can keep their team together throughout the season, and maybe add Riveros here and there, then a top-3 position at the end of the year could be on the cards.
4th) Sportunion Neckarsulm – 17 points
Few teams nailed their tactics as well as Neckarsulm.
Eric Diener was great on the first leg and had the best opening showing of anyone not from Buschhütten. Thereafter Simon Henseleit had a very mature race. On the first lap of the run it looked like he had the gas to go with the likes of Hellwig and Thorn. However he knew he had to bring Dietrich through to maximise the team’s chances.
Dietrich, for his part, held up his end and ran well to deliver 4th place overall. Although Fabian Schönke had a difficult day, he will come good this season.
In light of their promising start, it is clear that Neckarsulm will be challengers for the overall podium this year.
5th) Team Berlin – 16 points
The American John Reed dropped a big leg to bring Berlin through the field. Without him, they would likely have languished several places lower. Nevertheless, 5th place keeps them in contention for the future races.
A switch to the more classic format of Sprint triathlons and mass starts will likely benefit Berlin. If Reed can be persuaded to race as often as possible, he will likely carry the team’s aspirations.
6th) Triathlon Team DSW Darmstadt – 15 points
Darmstadt’s opening pair of Fabian Kraft and Lennart Sievers stayed together and delivered a decent position.
The handed over to the young tyro Euan De Nigro who had a very good race. De Nigro snuck into the top-15 legs and provided the spark the team needed to finish well.
With the likes of Henry Graf still to race, Darmstadt can be confident of rising through the ranks. After the success of Trier, it is clear that outsiders will have a shot at the overall podium this year. If the cards fall right, it could be Darmstadt’s year.
7th) Triathlon Potsdam e.V. – 14 points
Luca Fahrenson and Malte Kreibich got Potsadm off to a solid start. In the second pair, though, Justus Töpper put in a huge performance to help the team jump a couple of places.
In our preview of the season, we had anticipated that Schomburg would be racing for Potsdam. In addition Fabian Schönke was also on their roster last year but popped up for Neckarsulm in Kraichgau. Losing both hurts their depth considerably and probably limits how high they can push this year.
Last season Potsdam finished 7th, the same position they took in Kraichgau. By the end of the year, it would not be a great surprise to see them in the same spot. They could nab a few more places, but it might be a quiet season.
8th) SSF Bonn Triathlon Team – 13 points
The most important thing for Bonn was that Lasse Lührs got through the race unscathed. Following injury, it was Lührs’ first triathlon of the year. Having proven his fitness, he will now be a focal point of the team whenever he is able to race.
In Kraichgau, Lührs stayed with Jonathan Trebst as part of the second pair. This was smart tactically and also allowed Lührs to get back into racing without having to over-exert himself.
While Lührs was the one to watch, Bonn had another athlete that stood out. Neilan Kempmann had a very promising performance on the first leg, one that will stoke optimism among Bonn’s management. With Kempmann earning a place among the top-15 splits, he showed he can be counted upon going forward this season.
A combination of Kempmann and Lührs will be key. If both can fire (and at multiple races), Bonn could improve from thieir current position.
9th) PUSCH-DATA-Team AST Süßen – 12 points
Süßen will be a little disappointed with their showing.
Nicoló Ragazzo and Duncan Frey got them off to a fast start in the water and then held position well. Linus Lehnen sealed their 9th place with a calm second leg.
However, last year the team finished 4th overall. Any hopes of building upon that will be hurt a little. It should be noted that they finished 10th and 13th at two races last year so 9th is hardly a deal-breaker. Yet Süßen also finished 2nd, 2nd and 4th in 2022. With other teams looking good it is hard to see them matching such brilliant highs.
A battle for the top-6 looks to be on the cards, then. If they can extract a little more from each of their athletes, they can overtake the teams ahead. Everyone, though, will have to bring their best form.
10th) Team Weimarer Ingenieure – 11 points
Team Weimarer Ingenieure had a decent day and will be happy at taking a spot in the top-10. They got their tactics right and executed a well-thought plan.
Alexander Kull had a good race from the first pair while Aaron Hüter and John Heiland balanced their efforts against one another in the second pair.
Overall they looked too good to worry about relegation this season, although it remains to be seen whether they can push any further into the top-10.
11th) SV Würzburg 05 – 10 points
The newly promoted outfit really showed up in Kraichgau. Henning Scholl got the ball rolling from the first pair while Joey van t Verlaat and Seppe De Graef stayed together in the second pair.
10 points is a perfect start to their campaign and should give them encouragement that they can avoid the drop.
If they can repeat their performance in Schliersee, maybe a top-10 could be on the horizon.
12th) WEICON Tri Finish Münster – 9 points
Although Lukas Merta did not finish, Thomas Sayer had a good day and used his experience to keep Münster alive. He then handed over to Alejandro Canas del Palacio and Luca Heerdt, both of whom were solid.
Enough 12th place finishes will keep them safe from relegation. The top-10 overall, however, currently seems like it could be a step too far for Münster.
13th) Absolute Teamsport KTT 01 – 8 points
The reliable Belgian pair of Peter Denteneer and Tuur Lemmens led off for KTT. The German pair of Nicklas Hogervorst and Jan Rudolf then finished the race without any drama.
They are hovering a little precariously above the relegation zone. If they can put together a strong race at Schliersee next up they could earn some breathing space. For now, though, they will need to walk the tightrope as one bad race could spell trouble.
14th) triathlon.one Witten – 7 points
Witten did not get their order right and had an underwhelming day.
Max Meckel and Jonas Mier were decent but lost a lot of ground in the first pair and Lukas Meckel could not make up the deficit. That saw them slip to a disappointing 14th place. In general it was not Witten’s weekend in either race and they will be hoping for better days ahead.
15th) Triathlon Team KSV Baunatal – 6 points
On the surface, finishing 15th was an off-day for Baunatal however last year they finished 13th overall so they were not far off their general level.
Dario Ernest led off and Paul Weigand and Moritz Werrbach stayed together on the second pair. Baunatal will be hoping Weigand can repeat his strong showing at Schliersee from last year and that some of their international athletes like Kurt Wesley and Dome Hornyak can race soon.
16th) Team B&H Sport-Club Itzehoe – 5 points
Itzehoe were a little out-gunned but they were not over-awed by the occasion. Last year they earned promotion after finishing 7th in Bundesliga Nord so this season was always going to be a challenge.
However, Itzehoe made it clear they will not simply roll over.
Junias Benjamin Groth and Daniel Roggenland kept them in contention in the first pair and both will be very important for the team’s prospects. Look for them to try to grab points wherever they can.
It will be an uphill battle to stay in the first division, especially after finishing last at the opening race. However, while they may be the underdogs, Itzehoe’s challenge is not impossible.
