Change has been afoot at the top of the table in the men’s Bundesliga.
In the last couple of seasons, Buschhütten’s strangehold over the first division has slipped and a new challenger has emerged. In 2021, HYLO Team Saar snatched the title. They very nearly defended it in 2022 however Buschhütten bounced back.
One of them has to win this year. Yet another contender could emerge from the pack.
A number of teams will be carried this season by some seriously talented athletes. The real battle, though, may lie in what the third and fourth best athletes on each team can do. With four of the five starting men counting towards a team’s final score, depth will be as important as a single great individual performance.
Some teams can count on depth whereas some will be reliant on a small core of star names. The luckier few can call upon a bit of both.
At this point the team lists have not yet been formally published, although this should happen in the coming weeks. As such there may be one or two changes to the below.
Already this year is shaping up to be another tightly fought campaign.
EJOT Team TV Buschhütten
2022 position: 1st
Star names: Hayden Wilde (NZL), Dorian Coninx (FRA), Márk Dévay (HUN)
After the upset of 2021, Buschhütten rallied last year to reclaim their title. After an uninterrupted run of success between 2011 and 2019, they will be hoping that 2021 was merely an aberration to be consigned to history.
To say their roster is loaded would be an understatement. Following the trend of recent history, Buschhütten possess the lion’s share of big names in the field. Among the wide range of athletes they can call upon are Marten Van Riel, Henri Schoeman, Sergio Baxter Cabrera, Richard Murray, Antonio Serrat Seoane, Joao Silva and Vetle Bergsvik Thorn.
With so much talent on offer, they will be contenders at every event.
However, Buschhütten also have an Achilles heel. What happens when WTCS or World Cup racing clashes with a Bundesliga race? It might be hard to get stars in Kraichgau between WTCS Yokohama and WTCS Cagliari. Likewise, Schliersee clashes with WTCS Montreal.
Ben Dijkstra and Anthony Pujades headline a corps of Buschhütten athletes that are not regulars on the WTCS scene, however they cannot be trusted in the same way athletes like Hayden Wilde or Dorian Coninx could.
Of their star names, Márk Dévay won in Schliersee last year. The team will be hoping for more big contributions from him this year.
However, losing Lasse Lührs could be a grave blow. Lührs helped Buschhütten win two races in 2022 and was a real focal point for the team. Without his points, the team classification gets a little more worrisome.
Buschhütten look strong, that much is sure. Yet they do not look unbeatable.
Triathlon Potsdam
2022 position: 7th
Star names: Jonas Schomburg (GER), Fabian Schönke (GER), Jorik van Egdom (NED)
Last season was a slightly underwhelming one for Potsdam. After finishing 2nd overall in 2011, 2015, 2018 and 2019, they slipped to 7th last year.
Led by Jonas Schomburg, the team will be hoping to step back up into contention.
A 12th place at last year’s seasoner opener in Kraichgau essentially sank the Potsdam ship before it ever really left harbour. Thereafter things never quite got going for them.
Justus Töpper was a reliable performer for them last year and will be counted upon to repeat his level this time round. Similarly Fabian Schönke could have an important role to play.
In contrast to Buschhütten, Potsdam do not have a great amount of depth to call upon. A return to the overall podium is therefore possible, but it will take an enormous effort.
Hylo Team Saar
2022 position: 2nd
Star names: Tim Hellwig (GER), Lasse Nygaard Priester (GER), Valentin Wernz (GER)
Team Saar have been the surprise package of the last few years. After stunning Buschhütten in 2021 to win the title, they followed it up with 2nd in 2022.
At last season’s opener in Kraichgau, they got off to the best possible start as Lasse Nygaard Priester and Tim Hellwig went 1-2.
Throughout the season, Priester, Valentin Wernz and Jonas Breinlinger all contributed 2nd place finishes. In the end, though, they could not keep pace with Buschhütten and in the final round suffered an ill-timed 10th place.
With Jannick Schauffler, Fabien Meeusen and Tom Lerno also on their books, Team Saar have both the individuals to fight for race wins as well as the depth to be consistent across the season.
In Kraichgau, they will miss Priester and Wernz who will instead race WTCS Yokohama. Their challenge will thus be to navigate an awkward first race of the season and build with every round if they are to win the title.
Triathlon Team DSW Darmstadt
2022 position: 8th
Star names: Alberto Gonzalez Garcia (ESP), Henry Graf (GER), Ignacio Gonzalez Garcia (ESP)
It has been a while since the glory days. In 1996 and 1998 Darmstadt finished 2nd in the Bundesliga however have since slipped into the midfield. Last year they took 8th place which was a solid, if unspectacular, result.
However, the signs are promising for Darmstadt.
They have a very young team that can be expected to improve as they mature. Leading the German contingent is Henry Graf, the 2021 European Junior champion.
Around Graf, Darmstadt have a group of men that are developing into reliable performers, such as Fabian Kraft. With two finishes inside the top-10 last year, Kraft could be a vital cog for Darmstadt.
Moreover the team can call upon international reinforcements.
Alberto Gonzalez Garcia is one of Spain’s most promising youngsters. Alongside Graf, Gonzalez could push the team to a new level. Indeed if the pair race regularly enough, the team could contend for an overall podium. That would require amazing seasons from both but it is not out of the question.
Ignacio Gonzalez Garcia will also be another key piece of the puzzle. He won the European Cup in Holten in 2018 and that year also logged finishes of 2nd and 4th at Bundesliga races. He therefore has the history to be vital to Darmstadt.
If the team fires at all the races this year, then it will be game on and they could rival the highs of the ’90s.
Triathlon.One Team Witten
2022 position: 9th
Star names: Max Meckel (GER), Bence Lehmann (HUN), Marcel Bolbat (GER)
Witten are in a similar boat to Darmstadt. Having been champions on six occasions, they only managed 9th overall in 2022.
Bence Lehmann helped with an 8th place in Nürnberg last year. If Witten are to improve this year Lehmann will likely have to play a big role. In an ideal world, he would bring multiple top-10 finishes to the table, although it remains to be seen how often they will get him to race.
Beyond Lehmann, Lukas Meckel and Marcel Bolbat were the most consistent German athletes on the team last year and will be needed again this year.
Across the board, Witten have a lot of potential but as yet there has not been a strong indicator that they are ready to challenge for the top-6. With the bulk of their team still developing, it could be another year fighting in the middle of the pack.
Absolute Teamsport KTT 01
2022 position: 12th
Star names: Tuur Lemmens (BEL), Brad Course (AUS), Peter Denteneer (BEL)
After opening with a 5th place in Kraichgau last year, KTT ultimately slipped to 12th at the end of the season. In large part, that came about as a result of their last place in Berlin.
In 2017 the team finished 6th overall and then repeated in 2019. This year, 6th feels like a realistic ambition.
Their group of young Germans seem like they are not yet ready to contribute in a major way. After all last season their most reliable performers were internationals. The Belgian duo of Peter Denteneer and Tuur Lemmens led the way in that respect and KTT will need another good season from both if they are to return to the top-10.
Brad Course is an interesting option for the team. As an Australian Junior that won’t race in the WTCS he could be around for several races, notwithstanding his French Grand Prix commitments. Already this year he has shown an ability to race at the Senior level in Oceania and so could chip in with important points.
The real issue for the team, though, is the fourth scorer. Even if Lemmens, Denteneer and Course all show up on form, they will still need a fourth man to score. Right now, there is no obvious candidate to do so which puts a ceiling on their hopes.
A top-10 is doable. A return to 6th, however, might be a stretch too far.
Pusch-Data-Team AST Süßen
2022 position: 4th
Star names: Nicoló Ragazzo (ITA), Philip Pertl (AUT), Magnus Männer (GER)
After finishing as runners up in 2016, Süßen took 4th overall last year. And what a year it was.
Süßen’s season could be characterised as nothing short of a rollercoaster. On the one hand, they finished 2nd, 2nd and 4th and looked like dark horses for the title at times. On the other hand, they also finished 10th and 13th.
If they can find some more consistency this year, expect Süßen to be in the fight for the top-2.
The team has the depth to contend at most races and last year received important contributions from Duncan Frey and Matthias Steinwandter.
Intriguingly, there are a lot of up and coming faces in the team, such as Ragazzo and Pertl. As such athletes improve, Süßen could become even more of a threat. In addition the team will not suffer very much from WTCS distractions and will hold their key men for pretty much every race.
Kraichgau and Schliersee, then, could be the make-or-break races for their season. If they show up there when other teams are a little more vulnerable, they could shock everyone.
Weicon Tri Finish Münster
2022 position: 11th
Star names: Sébastien Pascal (FRA), Jonas Hoffmann (GER), Thomas Sayer (FRA)
A decade after they were promoted, Münster finished 11th last year.
It was not the best season but it was one in which Münster demonstrated that they have matured into a consistent first division outfit. Thomas Sayer stepped up with a handy 5th place in Kraichgau.
Meanwhile Sébastien Pascal and Jonas Hoffmann were dependable campaigners. As an athlete with World Cup experience, Pascal will be needed to contribute in a big way this year if Münster are to break into the top-10.
It would not be a surprise to see them manage it, but as will be seen in tomorrow’s part 2 of the men’s preview, there are several teams that could lock them out.
