From recreational training to World Cup racer - Blog Reutte Nature Park Region

My name is Nicolas Ostheimer, I am 20 years old, and I am from Vils in Tyrol.

Today, I compete for the Austrian national team in the elite category of bike trials. As Austria’s highest-ranked rider, I am currently among the top 15 in the world rankings. However, my journey to this point began rather unexpectedly.

As a child, I was initially involved in skiing and competed in alpine skiing. Looking for a complementary sport for the summer months, I took up motorcycle trials. It was there, at the age of eleven, that I first discovered bike trials. I quickly realised that the sport suited me particularly well and, above all, that I found it incredibly enjoyable.

As I had always been a passionate cyclist, bike trials turned out to be the perfect sport for me. At first, I mainly trained on my own and did not even know that competitions existed in this discipline. That only changed when I met Jonas Friedrich. He runs a trials academy near Pforzheim, where I trained regularly. Through him, I took part in my first competitions.

It quickly became clear that I was highly competitive. My early successes motivated me to invest more and more time and energy in the sport. In 2021, I competed in a World Cup event and a World Championship for the first time.

Over the following years, I won two Austrian junior national championship titles and achieved international success by taking bronze medals at both the European and World Championships. Since 2024, I have competed in the elite category, where I have continued to develop steadily. I am currently the highest-ranked Austrian rider in my discipline and sit 15th in the world rankings.

My goal is to continue climbing the ranks of the international elite and establish myself among the world’s best riders in the long term.

Nicolas Ostheimer

Since October 2025, I have been part of the Austrian Armed Forces’ elite sports programme. This allows me to pursue bike trials at an even more professional level and devote significantly more time to training, competitions and recovery. Over the past few months, I have made particularly strong progress in terms of technique, which is also reflected in my recent competition results.

Another important milestone for me was founding the Trial ON club in spring 2026. Together with those around me, we established our own bike trials club in Vils. Our aim is to introduce children and young people to the sport, support the next generation of riders, and establish bike trials in the region for the long term. The new training area has provided an important foundation for achieving this.

The current season has been progressing very positively so far. Thanks to the support of the Austrian Armed Forces’ elite sports programme, I am able to train with a clear focus and compete in international events. Several World Cup rounds and the World Championships are still on the schedule for the coming months.

2026 Competitions

3. April	C1-level competition	Viborg - Denmark
18. April	C1-level competition	Malvaglia - Swiss
8. - 10. June	World Cup	Dole- France
23. - 24. June	Austria Cup	Gmunden - Austria
11. - 12. July	Southern German Championship	Amtzell - Germany
31. Juli - 2. August	World Cup	Rzeszów - Poland
7. - 9. August	European Championships	Valberg - France
21. - 23. August	World Cup	Claußnitz - Germany
3. - 7. November	World Championships	Riad - Saudi Arabia

2026 Events

March	National team training	Vils
15. May	Trialshow - Bikepark Opening	Lermoos
4. July	Trialshow - Tannheim Valley Cycling Marathon	Tannheim
17. September	Trialshow - Car-Free Day	Reutte

I am especially grateful for the support I receive from my home region. Partners such as the Reutte Nature Park Region enable me to compete at this level while also helping to further develop bike trials in the Außerfern region.