Kurt Exenberger is an impressive personality. The past tense is out of place here, because what Kurt stood for will live on even after his tragic death on Friday night. Kurt Exenberger's legacy can be found on the trails he built and made possible, in the races of his athletes, on the beaming faces of the countless children he infected with his enthusiasm for this sport. Anyone who was lucky enough to meet Kurt will always remember this encounter. With him, the Austrian, indeed the European mountain bike sport loses a part of its soul. He was one of the greatest in the sport, and not just physically.

Pioneer and coach

In the 1990s, Kurt was already one of the pioneers of mountain biking in the Alps. After his time as a racer, both on the road and off-road, he founded the Bikeacademy, Austria's first mountain bike school, in 1999. There, the riding technique guru from Kirchberg passed on his knowledge and skills to the first and many subsequent generations of guides and instructors. He also coached young cycling talents. Kurt made sporting history as coach of the Austrian national mountain bike team. In 2008, he accompanied Lisi Osl, his model student, to the Olympic Games in Beijing, and in 2009 she won the overall XC World Cup. Marathon king Alban Lakata has also honed his skills with Kurt as his coach. Just like countless other well-known names from the sport of mountain biking.

Aside from all his successes and achievements, Kurt always retained his original and almost childlike enthusiasm for cycling. He liked to tell the anecdote of how he became a mountain biker almost by chance thanks to a strict village policeman. Even the young Kurt was a daredevil on his bike and preferred to ride through the village on the rear wheel. When the policeman caught him doing this once, Kurt was banned from riding on the village roads for several weeks. He swerved into the forest without further ado and realized that shredding on trails was much better than just on the road. The mischievous grin with which he told these and many other stories will never be forgotten.

A formative figure in mountain biking

He passed on his passion for cycling to children with great dedication. Kurt never tired of organizing races and training sessions for the next generation. He passed on this joy of cycling, which filled him throughout his life, in this way. With great success, his legacy continues to ride with them on the trails of this world.

Even behind the scenes, Kurt was tirelessly active for his cause, mountain biking. Thanks to Kurt, the sport of enduro was able to gain a foothold in Tyrol very early on. The fact that the first European Enduro Championships were held in Kirchberg in 2015 is one of many legacies that Kurt has left behind for his beloved sport. And until recently, he also rode to the podium himself, for example in the Enduro Tirol series. The fire of the racer has always burned in Kurt. 

The great fighter

As combative and optimistic as he was on the trails and at races, he also tackled the battle with his serious illness. Kurt has been very open about it over the past few months and has not let gloomy medical prognoses get him down. The fact that he was unable to win this final battle is a painful and irreplaceable loss. First and foremost for his family, those closest to him and everyone who knew Kurt as the great person he was. Our sincere condolences go out to them all 

Instagram profile of Kurt: instagram.com/kurt_exenberger

Facebook profile of Kurt: facebook.com/kurt.exenberger