Forster and Albin on the podium at the Fullgaz MTB Race
With Lars Forster finishing second and Vital Albin third, Team Thömus maxon delivered a strong performance under extreme conditions at the Fullgaz MTB Race in Obergessertshausen, Germany. In a race marked by cold, wet conditions and deep mud, Vital Albin stood out with his aggressive riding, while Forster pushed his way onto the podium with a strong final lap.
Already in the first third of the race—part of the UCI Continental Series—a six-rider breakaway group formed, including all three riders from Team Thömus maxon: Lars Forster, Vital Albin, and Mathias Flückiger. While Flückiger didn’t have his best day and fell back halfway through the race, he still managed to hold on to sixth place.
Albin as a key player
An intense race unfolded at the front. Vital Albin was extremely active and repeatedly went on the offensive. Together with last year’s U23 world champion Finn Treudler, he entered the final lap. Albin, who was clearly aiming for the win, had to let Treudler go after an attack, however.
Meanwhile, Lars Forster didnt had the best feeling at the beginning but steadily worked his way forward. Despite struggling on the climbs early in the race, he made up time especially on the descents and improved significantly as the race progressed. In the final lap, he was able to pick up the pace once more and overtake Albin just before the finish line. Forster finished in second place, while Albin came in third.
Forster: «The longer the race, the better»
«I struggled on the climbs at the start of the race. I had fun on the descents and was able to make up time time and again. The longer the race went on, the better I felt. That’s how I was able to pass Vital,» Forster said at the finish line.
Vital Albin also drew a positive conclusion: «I feel really good and fought for the win today. Right at the very end, I couldn’t keep up with Finn (Treudler) and fell back. But third place is a great result.» With two podium finishes, Team Thömus maxon underscores its strong early-season form and looks forward to the upcoming races with optimism.