Rydzek and Rießle to start at Cross-Country sprint in Davos

Olympic champion Johannes Rydzek and teammate Fabian Rießle are using the free weekend for a little trip - to the Cross-Country sprint World Cup event in Davos (SUI).

As Cross-Country athletes Thomas Bing and Sebastian Eisenlauer had to sit out the weekend for various reasons, the German team offered the two start places to Rydzek and Rießle, who are excited for new experiences.

“First and foremost, this is a big gesture by the Cross-Country team to invest this trust in us and to really let us start”, an excited Fabian Rießle said. “I am looking forward to Davos, I really want to do this. I see this as an opportunity to learn something new, and especially looking at Cross-Country technique, we can still learn from the specialists.”

Johannes Rydzek is equally excited but realistic at the same time: “It is really exciting. I’d like to thank the Cross-Country team for this opportunity, I feel this is such a recognition. It’s a little dream come true for me. My expectations are not too high, though. I will try everything, want to set a fast time and just enjoy the experience, even though it will most likely not be more than the prolog.”

German Cross-Country head coach Peter Schlickenrieder met the two Nordic Combined athlete at last year’s ski marathon in Engadin and was impressed by their good performances. The idea to work together across disciplines was born and with the free starting places and the break in the Nordic Combined schedule, the perfect opportunity was born.