The men’s race in Tübingen saw Buschhütten extend their lead at the top of the Bundesliga after Simon Westermann recovered from a fall on the bike to take a brilliant win.
Whereas Team Saar seemed like they would close the gap after a comprehensive win in Düsseldorf, they found themselves on the back foot in the penultimate round of the season.
Further down the rankings, three teams are tied on points in the race for the top-4. As the campaign enters its final round, a number of teams could make last-minute moves to snatch high finishes. Moreover, at the foot of the table, one team produced a stirring performance in Tübingen and could yet achieve a last-gasp escape from relegation.
1st) EJOT Team TV Buschhütten – 79 points (no change)
With their overall win in Tübingen, Buschhütten should now win the title. Barring collapse, they will not give up 3 points to Team Saar at the final race in Hannover.
Simon Westermann deserved the plaudits after his win. He led out the swim and the way he recovered after a fall on the bike was impressive. Buschhütten, though, were also carried by a 3rd place from Stefan Zachäus, which was his best result of the year, and a 5th place from Thomas Bishop.
More than anything, this season has been an illustration of the advantages of Buschhütten’s depth. Whereas other teams have suffered when key athletes have been unavailable, the Buschhütten train has continued to chug along.
2nd) Hylo Team Saar – 77 points (no change)
Team Saar missed their chance to move alongside Buschhütten at the top of the table in Tübingen. Realistically, they will not close the gap, especially given that Buschhütten have won three of the four rounds this year.
The loss of Lasse Nygaard Priester hurt Team Saar but they still managed to finish 2nd.
Dominic Coy took 4th place after a great run saw him rise through the standings. Chris Ziehmer ended up in 7th after making it into the breakaway while Emil Holm was solid in 10th place, although the team would have hoped for more from him.
At their best, Team Saar can definitely compete with Buschhütten. The lesson of this season, though, is that their depth currently leaves something to be desired.
3rd) Team Berlin – 64 points (up 1 place)
Once again, Rico Bogen was the star of the show for Berlin. He won another silver medal to continue a very good season.
William Hirsch followed in 11th place however Benedikt Bettin could only manage 41st. In the end, that put Berlin in 5th overall. That was enough to move up a spot in the standings after a poor weekend for Neckarsulm sunk their hopes of a top-3 finish.
Alongside Buschhütten, Berlin are in a position to be one of the two teams to earn podium places in both the men’s and women’s competitions. If they can seal the deal in Hannover, it will have been a successful season.
4th) Sportunion Neckarsulm – 60 points (down 1 place)
Simon Henseleit pulled out of Tübingen with a stress reaction injury. After a heavy block of racing this summer, he now faces a race against time to make the start line at the Paris Olympic Test Event.
Without Henseleit, Neckarsulm floundered in 12th place. Amaury Dietrich was the top finisher in 25th while Silas Schmidt followed in 31st. Matteo Brian Kozka then completed the scoring in 56th place.
Without the medal-winning potential of Henseleit, Neckarsulm were left exposed. They will need a big race in Hannover to secure 4th place but based on Henseleit’s injury the omens are not good.
5th) PSD Bank Tri Post Trier – 60 points (up 2 places)
Trier finished 3rd overall for the second time this season. Notably, both instances occurred when only three athletes have counted towards scoring.
Jonas Osterholt was the top performer in 6th place and Gjalt Panjer also broke into the top-10 with a valuable 9th place. Cedric Osterholt then snuck into the top-20 with his 20th place.
As was the case in Kraichgau, that trio carried Trier. Assuming all three race in Hannover, they will fancy their chances of making it into the top-4. Going forward, the lesson of 2023 has been unequivocal: Trier need to find depth to build around their core trio. If they can do that, the likes of Berlin will be there for the taking in the future.
With a few more key names, Trier could even become contenders for the overall win. Recruitment in the off-season will therefore go a long way to determining whether that future will be possible.
6th) Triathlon Team DSW Darmstadt – 60 points (down 1 place)
Darmstadt took 4th place overall after putting three men in the top-20.
Ben Cumberland produced a very encouraging display to finish 12th. The Brit is in his first year out of the Junior ranks and stepped up from some otherwise disappointing results in 2023. If he continues to improve, Darmstadt will have a very handy athlete on their roster.
Fabian Kraft was close behind in 14th and reversed his bad luck from Düsseldorf where a crash ended his day early. Lennart Sievers then rounded out the scorers in 19th place.
Like Trier, Darmstadt will fancy their chances of securing a position in the top-4. It will be a tight finish, but they might just do it.
7th) PUSCH-DATA-Team AST Süßen – 55 points (no change)
In finishing 6th in Tübingen, Süßen have essentially locked up 7th place for 2023. They could make a run at a spot in the top-6 if any of the teams ahead falter. The likelier outcome, though, is that they remain in place.
Nicoló Ragazzo had a good race as he finished 8th. Michael Ziegler and Thomas Ott then finished in 22nd and 28th, respectively.
With no one likely to trouble them from below, Süßen should have a comfortable final race of the season.
8th) Triathlon Potsdam e.V. – 49 points (up 2 places)
An 8th place overall in Tübingen saw Potsdam move up 2 places. Joe Sherman was their top finisher in 13th place and Niels van Lanen narrowly missed breaking into the top-20 with his 21st place. Luca Fahrenson was the third scorer from 39th place.
In general, Potsdam had a solid day and can have few complaints. If they are to compete for a top-4 spot next year, though, they will need to regroup and re-tool ahead of 2024.
9th) Team Weimarer Ingenieure – 47 points (no change)
The disqualification of Alexander Kull hurt a lot. Had Kull finished, Team Weimarer Ingenieure would have been looking at a great result. Instead, they ended up in 13th place.
Theo Sonnenberg crossed the line in 24th place while Marcel Lehmberg was not far back in 32nd place. The loss of Kull will therefore sting as a great weekend was there for the taking.
While Potsdam overtook the team, they in turn passed Bonn. A top-8 finish remains possible, although anything in the top-10 can be counted as a success after finishing 14th overall in 2022.
10th) SSF Bonn Triathlon Team – 46 points (down 2 places)
Bonn had a worse day than Team Weimarer Ingenieure even without being affected by a disqualification. When a two-person team out-scores a three-person team, you know it has not been the best of races.
Nick Emde was their top performer in 40th place which basically sums up Bonn’s display. Jonathan Trebst and Paul Wiesner followed in 46th and 48th, respectively, but no one was really able to get going.
Last year’s 6th place looks a long way away even with the addition of Lasse Lührs to the team.
11th) triathlon.one Witten – 43 points (no change)
Witten were solid in Tübingen and took 9th overall. As a result, they can now look to push into the top-10.
Victor Goené led the way in 18th place and David Vollmann finished 27th. Samuel Linsenmeier was the third man home in 35th place. In general, Tübingen was one of Witten’s better races and if they can hold their form they might be able to nip ahead of Bonn.
12th) Absolute Teamsport KTT 01 – 38 points (up 1 place)
KTT 01 had a good day on their way to 7th place.
Their result was largely built upon the combination of Peter Denteneer and Brad Course, who finished together in 15th and 16th place. Pep Delvaux then finished around half a minute later in 30th.
Consolidating 12th place could come down to whether they can get Course to race in Hannover. If he does so, the team should be able to hold off any potential challenge from the teams below and can match their 2022 overall finish to wrap up a decent season.
13th) WEICON Tri Finish Münster – 35 points (down 1 place)
Münster’s weekend does not make for pretty reading. They slipped to 15th place and did not even have any DNFs to blame.
Sébastien Pascal was the top finisher in 37th after logging a super fast run split; indeed, his run was the fastest of the day. The problem was that he lost almost a minute to the leaders in the swim.
Unfortunately, neither of Münster’s next finishers broke into the top-50. Luca Heerdt finished 51st and Aron Thimm followed in 57th place.
The team almost certainly won’t be relegated this year however they have lost a lot of momentum. Hopefully a big performance in Hannover will help them to end their year on a high.
14th) Triathlon Team KSV Baunatal – 34 points (no change)
Baunatal should be safe. Should, though, is a big word.
Thomas Guilmot nudged inside the top-30 with his 29th place. Dario Ernst then claimed 38th place while Jannik Hoffmann was not far behind in 42nd place.
In general, Baunatal had a solid day. However, a big performance from Würzburg has seen them close the gap. Suddenly, with one race to go, Baunatal could be shock candidates for relegation.
Their 2 point advantage should be enough to see them to safety. Yet it could only take one DNF or disqualification in Hannover to put them in real jeopardy. All things considered, should is looking like a very big word indeed.
15th) SV Würzburg 05 – 32 points (no change)
Würzburg beat Baunatal by the skin of their teeth in Tübingen and in doing so kept their season alive.
Somehow they have to make up 3 points in Hannover but that is a lot more feasible than beating Baunatal by 5 points would have been.
The reason to be optimistic is that Würzburg finished 10th overall in Tübingen. Jonas Kreckel put in a very good display in 26th place while Seppe De Graef took 36th place. Simon den Braber then finished in 44th. In total that gave Würzburg 106 points to Baunatal’s 109.
The reason to be pessimistic lies in that points total. Somehow, they will have to beat Baunatal by an even bigger margin and it is hard to see Würzburg being a lot better than they were in Tübingen. It was probably the high point of their season and if they can replicate it in Hannover, they will have a chance. Even if they don’t, they have put up a good fight in this campaign.
16th) Team B&H Sport-Club Itzehoe – 21 points (no change)
It was last place again for Itzehoe but they will take heart from Junias Benjamin Groth’s 45th place. Top-50 finishes have proven hard to come by this year so they will be happy to see Groth improving.
Friedrich Hegge finished 55th and Daniel Roggenland took 59th place. Being well over 10 points away from safety, there will be no big comeback this year.
