The next step

As a professional to the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles

Julus Scherrer was able to celebrate winning the U23 XCO title in Stattegg.

(Bild: zVg)

One U23 gold medal, one runner-up title and a third place in the UCI C1 race: Last weekend was highly successful for Julius Scherrer from Vorarlberg. Now the 20-year-old is hoping to make it to the World Championships in Andorra after all - before a new phase of his career begins in the fall.

"To be honest, I didn't expect things to go so well in Stattegg," admitted Julius Scherrer when the "Krone" caught him on the phone on Monday. Austrian champion in the U23 category in the XCO race, runner-up in the short track competition and then third place in the UCI C1 race on Sunday. "Of course I prepared very well for the three races, as they were already one of the highlights of my season. However, it was surprising how well I felt over the course of the weekend and that I was still able to set the same fast times on the second day as on the first."

Hoping for a World Championship ticket
Performances that definitely speak in favor of the 20-year-old from Übersaxen being nominated for the World Championships in Vallnord, Andorra (August 28 to September 1). "That should be decided this week," hopes Scherer. "I may have missed the required top 25 place in a World Cup race, but I was able to fulfill another qualification criterion in May at the European Championships in Romania in 20th place." However, Julius provided very good arguments for the upcoming coaching decision in Stattegg.

Julius Scherrer proved his current top form in Stattegg.

(Bild: zVg)

Army athlete from the fall
Depending on the outcome of the decision, he will then plan the rest of the season. In any case, it is certain that he will be an army athlete from October 1 after graduating from the HTL Rankweil - specializing in electronics and computer engineering. "The one-month basic training in Graz will then be waiting for me," says Scherrer, who will initially have an army contract for six months.

Not easy mentally
During this time, he would also like to recommend himself to a professional team as quickly as possible. "There have already been initial talks, but nothing has been finalized yet," says Julius, who found it difficult to concentrate fully on cycling in the first month after graduating from high school. "This change is not so easy mentally and it took me some time to get used to the new situation." The fact that it has worked out in the meantime is underlined by the successful run in Stattegg. Nevertheless, this should only be the starting signal for a successful future on two wheels. One of the big goals awaits in four years' time: "It would be a dream come true to take part in the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles."