The Tragedy in Maribor: Loss of Heart and Bikes

The call came in the morning from the hotel reception. Dani Herz, the team mechanic on-site, recalls it well: "I got a call telling me to come to the car. When I went to the team truck and opened the door, it was empty. The day before, ten custom downhill bikes, which we had worked on for months, had been inside. I just sat down in front of the truck and cried."

These bikes were not just competition equipment; they represented countless hours of work, dedication, and teamwork. Every frame, every component was perfectly tuned to the riders — custom-built machines that couldn’t simply be replaced.

The timing could not have been worse. The ROTWILD racers had achieved excellent results in the qualifiers and looked forward to the upcoming race with high hopes. But with the bikes stolen, it was all over. Without the competition bikes, there was no way to start the race — it was over before it even began.

In every setback, every crisis, there is always an opportunity. Suddenly, there is room for change, progress, and growth. This loss brought us back to our core values and motivated us to work even harder toward our goal of developing high-performance, competition-ready bikes that play in the top league. We view this setback not just as an obstacle but as a pivotal moment to realign ourselves and emerge stronger from the situation.

One Victory After Another: Rise in Cross-Country and Marathon

ROTWILD's commitment to racing did not end with downhill. The field was expanded, and soon the disciplines of cross-country and marathon — two of the most technically challenging and physically demanding forms of mountain biking — were added. Here, ROTWILD achieved some of the greatest successes in its history.

A highlight was undoubtedly the bronze medal won at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing by Russian rider Irina Kalentieva. Standing only 1.55 meters tall, Kalentieva rode a ROTWILD bike custom-built for her. "It was a huge honor," recalls Dani Herz. "Irina was our showcase athlete. She was small, petite, and extremely light, but her performance was overwhelming. Her success showed us what is possible when everything comes together — athlete, technology, and team spirit."

“It was a success story that ranged from the first World Championship runner-up to Olympic bronze and international titles in cross-country and marathon.”

Peter Schlitt, CEO

Several world titles in cross-country followed, and with her on our side, ROTWILD became a symbol of preci-sion and performance. Irina defined an entire era, bringing the team recognition and respect on the world stage of cycling with her top achievements.

But she was just the beginning. In the years that followed, ROTWILD collected numerous titles in various competition formats: world championships, European championships, and national titles in Germany, France, Austria, and the UK. "We always wanted to show that we could stand against the big names," says Peter Schlitt. "And we achieved that — often with a much smaller budget but all the more passion and inno-vation."

Equally impressive was the career of Austrian marathon professional Alban Lakata, who, through his long-distance successes, demonstrated the potential of ROTWILD bikes for extreme applications. Lakata’s skills on challenging marathon courses perfectly reflected what ROTWILD as a brand stands for: quality, endurance, and performance. "Our drive has always been to try new things and push the limits of what is technically possible," says Peter Schlitt, founder of ADP Engineering and ROTWILD. 

"Through athletes like Irina Kalentieva and Alban Lakata, we were able to show that ROTWILD bikes can compete at the highest level in international competition."
Peter Schlitt, CEO

Of course, we must not forget the many other team riders who have successfully conquered the world’s race courses for ROTWILD. Top athletes like Lukas Baum, Kerstin Brachtendorf, Mickaël Deldycke, Wolfram Kur-schat, Stefan Kudella, and Nadine Rieder, to name just a few, won numerous championship titles and World Cup victories. Listing all the victorious riders would certainly go beyond the scope here.

These unforgettable experiences and unique achievements of our athletes are deeply embedded in ROTWILD’s DNA. They represent the passion and the will to always surpass ourselves. For us, the ROTWILD Race Team means more than just victories — it means constantly reinventing ourselves and driving innovation forward.

„Wir waren die Ersten, die mit Carbon im Downhill experimentierten.“

Peter Schlitt, CEO

Our Milestone: The First Carbon Frame

When it comes to technological progress and innovation in mountain biking, carbon is undoubtedly ground-breaking. As a frame material, it offers enormous advantages but also requires a great deal of expertise, precision, and experience. Early on, we rose to the challenge of using carbon, applying it to downhill racing as well. Until then, this high-end material had mostly been used for road bikes, but we saw its potential for mountain biking, which involves much higher stresses.

"We were the first to experiment with carbon in downhill," says Peter Schlitt. "It was a bold step, but we knew carbon would give us an advantage." By using carbon, we were able to make our frames not only lighter but also more robust. This innovation gave us a clear advantage in competition and helped our riders achieve even better results.

In cross-country and marathon, too, we relied on the benefits of carbon. "With carbon, we were able to build bikes that were an excellent choice for both professionals and ambitious recreational athletes," explains Ole Wittrock, our marketing expert.

"The combination of lightness and stability made our bikes true all-round talents."

Ole Wittrock