The second World Cup of the year and here too the Mountainbike Racingteam based in Aalen was strong again. Many curves and changes of direction characterized the race track on the classic Belgian inner-city course. In addition, stairs had to be managed both up and down. In 2020, the decision about the world championship title was made right here and so many eyes were on the natural obstacle, around 200 meters from the finish line, at the World Cup this year. After the double victory in Turkey, it was clear for the men that Simon Gegenheimer and Titouan Perrin-Ganier, who have not only been respectful competitors since January, but also teammates of the Aalen professional team, can be beaten again this year. And they seem to be growing together as a team, because in Leuven, the German-French mountain bike duo rode wheel to wheel for almost the entire race. As soon as a gap opened up, you could see the shoulder look at the other, so that they find each other again. “We are learning to take advantage. Steffen is not only the captain of the team, he is also an old hand in racing and keeps telling us that together we are strongest,” said the world champion from France about the team spirit of his new racing team. After the race, Simon Gegenheimer spoke of bad and tired legs, which was also the reason why he joined the Racingteam early on. In the final, the German rode the sprint of the field for his new teammate. In the sprint to the finish, the strength of the Aalener was still enough for third place, but Gegenheimer is sure that his form will be right at his home race in 6 weeks and he will then also have the backing of his Racingteam.

In the women's race it was Marion Fromberger who, after her victory in Turkey, started in Belgium with the World Cup leader's jersey. And Fromberger was extremely confident in training and also in the time trial. The German number one in the world rankings won here by a second, clearly signaling her ambitions for the
season. But even the best form is no guarantee of victory. A broken chain stopped Marion Fromberger and all her hopes of winning the World Cup again. "It's annoying but I'm trying not to let it throw me off track. From now on, my entire focus is on the Germany World Cup in Aalen. I would like to prove my strength here
and show that I am now also a winner in the World Cup,” said German champion Marion Fromberger after her elimination in Belgium. Her rival Gaia Tormena won in Leuven, taking over the current overall lead in the World Cup from Fromberger.