European Championships remain a good place for Lars Forster. He has already won the jersey with the stars twice. After his World Cup victory in Leogang, the St. Gallen native was all the more to be reckoned with. In fact, he was in the lead in Krakow, Poland, together with Vlad Dascalu until the final lap. He decimated the leading group with his attack on the final lap. On the final loop, however, the Romanian accelerates decisively and Forster finishes second. He had wished for a faster race at the beginning. On the final lap, Dascalu had the better legs, he says at the finish. But he had won silver and not lost gold.

Some of the top shots in the men's race, such as Tom Pidcock and Nino Schurter, were missing. In the women's race, the European part of the world elite was almost completely represented. Sina stayed at least within sight of the top for almost the entire race, mostly in third place, where she rode to the finish. Only the Dutch shooting star Puck Pieterse, the new title winner, and the Austrian Mona Mitterwallner rode the muddy laps in Krakow faster than Frei. She is delighted with the medal, which she also likes the look of. But as the next races are important for the Olympic selection, she is already looking ahead, says Sina Frei, summing up her feelings.