The first half of the PROPAIN Rookies Cup ended last weekend in Saalbach Hinterglemm, Austria. The occasion was none other than the legendary Glemmride Festival. Over 300 athletes from 25 nations had traveled to the event and experienced a race that will live long in the memory.

The PROPAIN Rookies Cup was launched back in 2008 and is now in its 18th season. Over the years, there have been countless venues and some of them have become an integral part of the series. This is also the case with Saalbach Hinterglemm, where a race in the junior series was held for the first time in 2016. Big names have already appeared on the winners' lists, including three-time world champion and local hero Valentina Höll and later junior world champion Henri Kiefer.

All the less surprising is the huge response, which brought more than 300 riders from no less than 25 nations to the Kitzbühel Alps. The venue for the race was the Proline on the Reiterkogel with a length of around 2 kilometers and an altitude difference of 430 meters. The length in particular was a challenge for the youngsters, who once again provided action-packed sport.

On Friday, the course could already be ridden in normal bike park operation before the obligatory track walk was on the program. There were no big surprises compared to previous years, but the tried and tested shouldn't be changed either. After a rather wet Friday, the conditions changed on Saturday. The surface was still a little damp at the beginning, but was able to dry out in the course of the training session, so that optimum conditions prevailed in the seeding run in summer temperatures. Reid Simpson from the Boys U15 category set the fastest time of the day. The Briton needed 3:15.968 minutes for the course.

The situation was similar on the final day, as it rained again on Sunday night, ensuring that the first training runs took place in wet conditions. According to some of the participants, however, this did not necessarily make the course any less fast, as the grip was still there. Only a few boulders required extra attention as they were a little slippery. Just in time for the finale, the sun came out at midday and the finish area was filled with spectators.

While there was still plenty on offer at the Glemmride Festival in the village center, from test rides, bunny hop contests and pump track races to the latest products at the expo, the finish area at the valley station of the Reiterkogelbahn cable car saw racing action at its finest. The young riders battled it out for places and, of course, for valuable points for the overall standings. In the end, the previous day's fastest rider once again left no stone unturned and improved his time by more than a second, once again setting the fastest time of the day.

The complete results can be found here: