Disappointing Second Round for Team Riesenbeck International
Three rounds of the Global Champions League are taking place in France over the next three weeks, and the first of these French legs was held in Cannes on the French Riviera. Team manager Ludger Beerbaum selected the two Riesenbeck-based riders Philipp Weishaupt and Ciarán Nallon to represent Team Riesenbeck International.
Riding the ten-year-old Casalla Blue PS, Ciarán Nallon collected five penalty points in the first round after incurring one rail down and a time fault. Philipp Weishaupt and the twelve-year-old Oreo D.R. secured the team’s place in the decisive second round for the top ten teams with a faultless performance. None of the 17 teams managed to complete the first round without errors. With just two time penalties, New York Empire, represented by Ireland’s Max Wachman and Great Britain’s Scott Brash, led the standings heading into the final round.
Riesenbeck International entered the second round in fifth place. This time, Ciarán Nallon and Casalla Blue PS delivered a clear round, but Philipp Weishaupt and Oreo D.R. had to contend with four rails down. With a total of 21 penalty points across both rounds, the Riesenbeck-based team dropped to ninth place. New York Empire again incurred only four time penalties in the second round, securing victory in Cannes.
Team manager Ludger Beerbaum summed up the disappointing result:
"We had high hopes of finishing on the podium, but unfortunately it wasn’t enough this time. Now we need to analyze what went wrong, learn from it, and come back stronger next week in St. Tropez."
