Home Mountain Potzberg
Marco König comes from Reichenbach-Steegen, a small town at the foot of the Potzberg, his home mountain.
“My dad rode a lot of mountain bikes, even did a few marathons, and I wanted to emulate him and found I had a lot of fun. When I was six I drove my first race, which I also won. Since then the passion has never let go of me and I especially like being in nature.
I like the idea of BIKE AID to make a difference with sport, exercise your own passion and do good. Help with donations, give athletes opportunities that they would otherwise never had. In terms of sport, I would especially like to support the team so that we can win as many races as possible", said Marco König.
From the cyclocross track to Opel
Marco König became German champion in cyclocross and on the road in 2013 and has been elected junior cyclist of the year; started at world championships and in the cyclocross World cup. He was faced with a lot of expectations, but somehow his professional career didn't get off to a great start. That didn't throw him off track, he did an apprenticeship at car manufacturer Opel, where he is now at 25 years old. And still remained true to his sport, Marco is one of the most successful athletes in the southwest, whether on MTB, racing bike or cross bike.
“Marco's signing may surprise some. I've been training with him a lot in the last days and I think he's only now at the point where he can really develop his potential in a team. He may have been less involved in international professional races lately, but he shows his skills in so many races in different disciplines, has an unbelievable ambition for training, is well organized, mentally tidy and balanced.
He has a passion for cycling like a 15 year old and is structured like an adult. That's why we believe that he can still achieve a lot in sport at the age of 25. If some underestimate him but he feels comfortable in our team and can implement what we believe, then it would be a great pleasure for us. We are just as happy that he will continue to represent BIKE AID at MTB and cyclocross races in the region", said Matthias Schnapka.
From Hamburg to K-Town
Our second new rider is 18 year old Jasper Pahlke. He is practically where Marco was a few years ago. Jasper is currently one of the young talents in the German cyclocross sector, became German cyclocross champion in the youth class in 2018, won five Bundesliga races last season and was second at the German Junior Championships . The native of Hamburg decided to take a big step for a young person: he moved from Hamburg to Kaiserslautern at his own request, in order to benefit from the talent development at Heinrich-Heine-Gymnasium Elite Sport School.
10 days Bike Bikepacking with Dad
“I started cycling with my father at an early age, starting with three days bike backpacking trips and later even up to ten days. At the age of 10 I started to ride my first races in the local cycling club and now 8 years later cycling is my passion and central point in my life. I associate many good memories, friendships with it, love being outside in any weather, discovering new places, and constantly exploring and exceeding my limits.
The opportunity to ride for BIKE AID is great. For me it is an exciting experience to be part of a very successful team and especially since there are not many teams that take part in cycling races all over the world. My goal is to develop myself as a rider and person and to integrate myself into the team“, says Jasper Pahlke.
We support Jasper's and Marco's activities in cyclocross and MTB
Team Manager Timo Schäfer: “With our regular riders we surprised ourselves again and again with successes not only in the last season. These guys have our trust and we hardly need to change the composition. So Jasper can develop without negative pressure. He can learn a lot from the older riders, but he also has a lot of talent, as he has clearly demonstrated in cyclocross. We are pleased that with Marco and Jasper we can increase the base of riders from the region, which is complemented by the BIKE AID community. Likewise, Jasper's cyclocross activities don't bother us, on the contrary, they increase the presence of our team ”.
