The preparation for 210.2 km and 7119 meters of altitude…
The decision to drive the Trophy was made in August 2016 and the following training was decided: “higher, faster, further”; The motto is “head off, legs on”.
In addition to everyday training and around 300-400km per week on the MTB, RR or roller, races are the best preparation, among other things
– Kellerwaldmarathon 120km, AK place 11
– Willingen Bike Festival 130km, AK place 6
– SKS Bikemarathon Sundern-Hagen 100km, AK place 11
The diet was also changed to food rich in vital nutrients, lots of carbohydrates, good fats and drinking lots of water;
always have the ambitious goal in mind: start at 5 a.m., finish at 6 p.m.
The race July 15, 2017
3:00 a.m.… the alarm goes off… the day of days has arrived!
There was a heavy rainstorm outside... but after I had chronically studied the weather forecast for Bad Goisern the day before... it was now clear to me too... I was taking part in a rain race. Well, I'm not used to anything different from the Sauerland and I quickly came to terms with it.
But then again the question… what do I wear? My motto: less is more...
Rain jacket? I took one with me... but I knew when I was packing it that I wouldn't wear it... Arm warmers? Yes! It was a bit chilly outside. Wind vest? Yes!… but I didn’t bring ANY.
So it was decided: short cycling jersey with arm warmers, short cycling shorts, a full drinking bottle, an empty one with mineral powder, 6 gels and an energy bar, an air pump and the Sahmurai Sword, recommended by mountain bike professional Karl Platt (repair kit for tubeless tires), a small multi-tool , chest belt for heart rate, the Garmin navigation system and… me as the driver.
I was actually ready at 4:30 a.m.... but the heavy rain kept me in the car... so I drove to the starting grid at 4:45 a.m.... unfortunately a little late, so I had to start pretty far back and there were around 600 drivers in front of me (Number according to the interim time, after 4.6km there were still 568).
At 5 a.m. finally the starting signal, the relief and we set off, shaking and wet, on the 210.2km extreme distance of the Salzkammergut Trophy 2017.
At the beginning it was pretty slow, especially on the climbs, it was difficult to overtake, many people were already descending on small, easy climbs... one shouted for pedestrians to keep to the right... He was right, because that meant the whole field was standing... I was annoyed something that I wasn't further up the starting block... but it was my own fault. After 10km we had already reached 850 m and we went down from the Raschberg and back up to the Hütteneckalm and then to the Ewigen Wand, indescribable, moving, simply great to ride through a rock face. Then we went down a short, steep trail, but it was easy to ride... yes, and then it came... the nasty uphill trail that you couldn't ride in the rain... water... mud... stones... slippery... cold... everyone got off, even professionals - it wasn't mobile.
After a long descent to Weißenbach with temperatures at times of 6 degrees, we went back up to Altaussee and Hagan Lodge. Then we went about 8km down a gravel descent and then came the first fall... I only saw skid marks in the gravel... a 100 degree curve... yes, I was too fast too... braked... tried to smoothly turn the handlebars to the left, but the front wheel slipped gone in slow motion... Am, I was lying on the ground or on gravel, braking with my left shin. My first thought was not about myself but about the MTB. Got up, adjusted the handlebars, put the chain on, the MTB ran perfectly! Climbed back on and then did the body check while driving. Nothing was broken, I just had abrasions and a small egg under my knee joint... yes, the rain caused the blood to run into the shoe. It was cold, which was good for the shin in this case, I could trample - that's what counted!
When we arrived at 600m altitude we went back up to 1000m to the Tauern crossing and then at 75km there was a nasty downhill that was long and consisted almost entirely of coarse, slippery stones. Everything was going well and then I got distracted by a reckless driver and gave way to him, which was a mistake. He roared to the left, meaning he drives past on the left and I made room to the right... I wasn't moving fast there but drove into a small hollow and behind it a stone... this time Bingo Bongo!! I stepped off the handlebars very gently and landed gently on all fours... but I saw my MTB do a somersault out of the corner of my right eye and a thousand thoughts flashed through my head! Got up, checked the system, everything was OK and off to the bike. I had a good guardian angel, there wasn't a scratch on the MTB, I just had to pump some air into the front wheel and we continued down to the valley.
When I measured the time after 84.8km I was in 275th place despite two falls, which I didn't know at the time.
Now the Hütteneckalm was approached from another side and it went back to the eternal wall and back down into the valley to Weißenbach where you had to master a few steps before going over a narrow bridge and down the steps again.
There were a total of 14 aid stations and seven service stations along the distance. I took a gel about every 30km and drank a lot, which is very important in a race like this!
Even after 110km my legs were still very good, not a single cramp, everything was great! From Weißenbach we went up again with around 500m up to Hochmuth and then down a quick uphill trail to Görb. After 130km I felt my wrists and rump... the cold was pulling up my back. Because of all the jerking and braking I had to shake my hands several times, but luckily it was now 20km pretty flat over asphalt and gravel to... yes to the Salzberg. After 148.8km I had worked my way up to 195th place... but now things got really tough. The serpentines went up to the Salzberg, quite steep and I only got off once. But then it got super hard... it went down to 800m for a short time and then there was a long climb up to the Roßalm, the highest point of the Trophy at 1502m. Not everything was mobile, sometimes you just had to push the bike and be careful not to slip, that was right at the beginning of the climb to the Roßalm. Almost at the top I saw an older rider in front of me, I think he was M60, rider of the B route, he wanted to get off and fell over on his side due to weakness. I stopped briefly and helped him up again; luckily he was okay.
Once at the top, after 2km, I stopped at the refreshment stand and fortified myself again... with cola, bananas, cake, whatever you can, the memory had to be recharged.
Then at 170km we went down a 10km fast gravel descent and then... suddenly tears came... tears of joy... I got goosebumps and didn't know what was wrong with me... that was after 12.5 hours of hard driving... very emotional... indescribable... maybe It was also due to the many spectators, helpers... as soon as you drove up with the black, white and yellow start number, there was a lot of cheering - that really built you up.
The last big climb with its 450m was extremely hard again... and stretched up the mountain for about 3 km. It felt like an eternity... due to my breech, I stopped once and took the strain off my back. The race left its mark... but when I got to the top there were only 22km left and that built me up again.
Downhill I stuck to a Czech, his name was Libor, who had ridden the Trophy for the third time. We talked in English, every now and then a short small talk and took turns driving in the slipstream until we reached the finish line.
Overall 176th place
Total time 14:12:38.5h
Age group 58th place
Conclusion: highlight of the year
My special thanks again go to my friend Melanie, who supported me and supported me.
And of course thanks to the team boss Dominic from Fahrrad Neumann / Liquid-Life for the great bike and best wishes to the entire Liquid-Life Hero team.
Next stop 24h race Duisburg and of course it continues with the Nutrixxion Trophy, where I am currently in 4th place in the long distance trophy ranking.
With that in mind – Ride On
