JULE MÄRKL CLAIMS GERMAN U23 NATIONAL CYCLO-CROSS TITLE

It was a weekend of true cycling duality. While the winter cyclo-cross season reached its important national championship mid-point, halfway across the world, the Australian Road National Championships signalled the start of the Down Under racing block.

For CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto, it was the team’s lesser-known, but no less committed, cyclo-cross racer who took centre stage. Jule Märkl lined up in Bensheim, southern Germany, to fight for national honours on knobbly tyres. She came out victorious, claiming the German U23 national cyclo-cross title by a commanding 1:27 margin – an especially satisfying outcome after previous nationals disappointment.

⁠”After last years race where I had a bit of bad luck with a puncture and a silly crash, I am more than happy to take the title this year. It was my goal and I knew it was possible but in cyclo-cross, you never know, so it feels great have won it in the end.”

For Jule, the race unfolded as she had hoped.

“I had a pretty good start and went in to the technical part in first position, which I could hold until the end. It was important to be at the front because the course was really tricky and there were many opportunities to make stupid little mistakes, but I could stay concentrated until the finish and it luckily worked out as planned.”

After racing three World Cups in December 2024, culminating in a fourth-place finish at last season’s German National Championships, Jule opted for a different approach this winter. She shifted her focus to the domestic German cyclo-cross Bundesliga, winning four races en route to the top step at nationals.

“I want to do cyclo-cross in the winter because I feel like I get some good advantages from it. It keeps my fitness high, and also my motivation. I have always done some CX racing in winter, sometimes international races but this year only at a national level; I didn’t want to put too much extra stress on my body with long travels and also, my focus is still on the road.”

Jule will soon put this cyclo-cross fitness to work in important on-road situations, such as the CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto Generation training camp starting on Jan 23.

“I really do feel that my fitness is on a high level at the moment, thanks to the races and training that I’ve done on my cyclo-cross bike. I hope that it will help me to have a good start into the road season.”

She is, however, leaving the door open for the UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships in Hulst, from Jan 30 to Feb 1. There may yet be an international race on Jule’s winter programme!