NorthCape4000
9. August 2021
What to tell you about a race over a distance of 4500 km!? Maybe something about laying on the aerobars and eating snickers and bananas, something about sleep and being awake, something about crisis and euphoria?!
But maybe I should just start two days before the start of the NC4K.
I’ve got my new Stevens bike two weeks before the start, so less time to test the setup (Thanks to Corona).
On 22th of July I left Ludwigshafen to get the train to Rovereto via Munich. I rode with my bike to Mannheim to get the ICE. In the train I met a guy from Belgium called Marc. After he was awake again we had some talk about the upcoming Northcape challenge. We need to fulfill some documents because of Covid19 on the smartphone and just were thinking: Oh what a start…
At the departure in Rovereto I was going for my Hotel called Hotel Rovereto and in the evening I met some other guys participating in the race so we had some good talking.
On the next day I went out early to have a tapering for the race. I did the next climb not knowing it was the first climb of the race.
Just beautiful. The casual clothes and shoes and also one set of biking clothes were all old, so I could throw them away before the start. Less things to carry with me.
In the evening there was the briefing. Not that good organized in my opinion. Everything on time in Italian language then in English. The English translation was always shorter…. Hm….
On the next day I woke up 20 minutes before my clock was ringing. So ready to go…
We started the first climb and some guys just fighted like no tomorrow. A guy just passed me with the sound of locomotive and I called him to keep cool, 4400 km to go. In the next decent I cought him again. 😀
In this decent I had some trouble with me mounting of the frontlight, I lost it on a few bumps on the street. So I bought some Loctite in the next supermarket. Good start I thought…
It was already really hot at around 10:00 and I had to have a look for some water places in Italy.
It just was a catching and get coughed in the start. In the evening of the first day I decided to go for a pizza in a downhill-part. There also were some other guys who told me to hurry up with the pizza. I told them to keep cool: “I eat my pizza, then I will catch you.”
There was the first really big challenge ahead: Trenta. Climbs up to 13%. I just coughed one after the other. They just were shouting at me: “Crazy guy”. I told them to eat more pizza.
The funny thing was that I shouldn’t see one of them again during the race, they just totally overpaced in the start.
In the decent I was getting in front of the race passing Ashkan (another German guy). Somewhere in Slovenia I was stopping to have a powernap of 1,5 hours. This Time Ashkan was passing me again.
The next day started with the search for food, I need to go of the route for a bakery because everything was closed in the morning.
On a point on this day my inner band started to hurt brutal. I got some Voltaren on it hoping it get’s better. I tried to go on, but couldn’t get out of the saddle anymore. It just started to get worse and even my feed was getting bigger.
I had some talking with Sebastian aka Panda on the phone and he suggested me to go on and try on, not to surrender. I just told myself every one hundred: Another hundred goes every time, Josh.
With this mindset I was able to reach Balaton on CP1. It was a horrible traffic.
On this point I wish Olga’s family all the best, even I didn’t know her! She died in the traffic of lake Balaton during taking part in the race. Just terrible! I heard this some days later from some other racers.
At lake Balaton I had two damaged sprockets on my cassette because a stone went between the chain at the sprockets… Never had this before. But with a swiss-knife and a small Knipex you can fix a lot of things…
The heat was also not good to me so I tried to push harder in the nights. I’ve got some good Hungary food for pushing on:
My ass started also to hurt – the saddle just was not adjusted right about two or three percent… Not good if you get your setup just two weeks before the race.. It was this hard I just stopped to get some hay into my merino shirt and bound the merino shirt on the saddle… I tried to readjust it a several times the next three days until it was perfect. The problem also was that I couldn’t really lay on the aerobars because the street wasn’t suggested for this… The only position was good for my ass was taken…
In Budapest I struggled real hard with myself not to go for the train to home. I set down on a bench near Donau for half an hour gettering myself…
Ok, go on, I told myself, this is one the most challenging times in your life, but go on.
The roads started to get worse and worse…. Wholes big like buckets on the street. You shouldn’t get in, it might break the fork…
This picture just shows a “good quality”-road. Also headwind started so I tried to be aero all the time.
On this day Martin passed me. I was wondering how long it took to catch me on place 2 with all my problems. In the Slovenian climbs I had a powernap and met another cyclist, he just was wondering about the crazy race we did but asked me if I had everything necessary at this moment. Great guy.
The Climbs were good to me and my skills, even they were really tough with a lot of gravel parts in the descent. It was getting really cold and foggy and nothing was opened to get some real food – Only some snacks.
This night I met Steven who later on was going to win the race. We had some great hours together and slept in a bus stop during the rain. Early in the morning we heard Martin passing us again.
We stand up and tried to go on. I had a really bad night so I was going for a powernap of 20 minutes 4 hours later.
In Krakow I met Steven again and we had some Coffee at CP2.
With problems on my ass I couldn’t follow him anymore because I could not really push into the pedals.
Some bad days through Poland up to 35 degrees Celsius should follow. I bought on each stop something to drink and something for my feet and head to cool down.
Also I had the first flat during the race. In a supermarket I wanted to pay with card – no card accepted. I changed with a wife 20 € against the payment for a coke, bananas and some snickers in polish currency. Not a good deal to me. The people in Poland and Hungary just sucked. No English, no Euro, not friendly, idiot truckers, no respect for bikers. Just like the heads of their countries sitting in the EU-Parliament. Even the States in Africa are more developed then them I think. Billions on Euros spent on idiots every year from states like Germany. The should better be part of UDSSR or such a shit I think. I never want to go there anymore!!!!! I was chased by dogs for NINE times!!!
The following night was ok, I just stopped for two or three times to adjust the saddle again. This should be the last saddle adjustment problems….
On the next day at 8 o’clock it was just like someone get the plug for energy-supply out of me when the sun started. I called Sebastian if there is a lake or river coming. Yes, the Weichsel.
I got of the track for having a bath and washing my clothes.
I felt like new. Entering Lithuania the streets were getting better again.
The following night a message of a storm appeared as a SMS on my smartphone. I was searching for a good a place to get in some hours. But there was no good place. Even the Banks where closed, no possibility for EC-Hotel like in Germany. I decided to go for a sleeping place next to a bank-automat with a roof over. The Only place without wind. I slept bad for one hour than two cars crashed directly in front of me. What the fuck!!!! The night was over – everywhere police, firemen, loud sirens like in world war II. I packed my things and went on during the rainy night. I was just was thinking: “Wieviel Scheiße geht auf eine Kuhhaut.“ (For how much shit there is place on a cow skin).
During the next hours my feat started to get worse because of the heat and water and also the food management was a problem. In the evening I had a call to my sister and she told me about an upcoming supermarket. We thought it was just opened to 10 pm so I pushed hard. In reality it was opened to 11 pm so I had enough time for shopping. When I went out I wanted to start up my Ravemen PR1600 but I just was able to get it on the high beam. So just energy for 1,5 hours. I tried to get a spare lamp, but now chance, even not for a hand light. I tried to go on for the 1,5 hours and realized that the lamp works when I put out the micro usb and put it in again.
Even this problem was solved for the first, a massive thunderstorm appeared. There was nothing to get in, I just was on large field. I had already my rain jacket on and decided to get my hardshell jacket over. I realized it’s about life or death and just got my water resistant bivy out.
It was brutal cold, the trucks stopped to drive on the street and I lost some things during this storm next to the road during heading out in my bivy…
After the rain stopped I felt really cold, so I decided to get as fast as possible back on the bike.
I pedaled for 45 minutes till an oil station. It was closed but the cleaning wife saw me freezing and opened the door for 20 minutes for me.
The next morning the sun came out and I decided to stop for a warm up in the sun.
After One hour of sleep I was hitting the pedals again. On the next supermarket I stopped for half a chicken and two potato sausage and an orange juice for breakfast. Oh my god, this was good!
On this day there should be some fucked up gravel roads. I had 3 flats on 10 kilometers, even I was running real low pressure. I needed to go of the track for a bike shop… An Estonian family that was for holidays in Latvia was so friendly to take me some kilometers of the track. I bought some knew tubes (1×60 mm 2x 42 mm valve) and a new tire. I told the guy I can take the 42 mm, because I have some extensions.
I was feeling not good, pushing on to Riga. Rain again. I had some talks with my sister and we decided I should go out for a hotel. I’ve got hurts on my throat and I was feeling I’m getting ill. I checked in in the Hilton of Riga. If you feel like shit even the hotel should be good…
I had a lot of things to eat, cleaned my clothes, slept for 10 hours had breakfast. I even had hard headache. I was thinking: You shouldn’t ride on. It was the hardest decision during the whole race to get to the street again. Even the 15 hours in total were real shit to me, even a lot of guys from behind were catching me up…
Later the day I had a flat again. I saw that guy from the bikeshop gave me some tubes with valves you can’t get out… What the fuck. We talked about I need to get the extensions on… He should sell his bike shop. Fucking Idiot.
I called my sister again if there is a bike shop somewhere else on the road… No Chance.
But sometimes you just need to be lucky:
#fangirl and even with two tubes for me!!!!! I think this was one of the best moments during the whole race to me!!!
I was pushing on to the ferry in Tallinn to catch the guys in front of me. On the ferry itself I met some German motorcyclists and we had a great breakfast and talking. One of the guys and his wife were living in Viernheim (Not far away from my home). Some days later their daughter send me picture of them hanging out in their garden. Moments like this and also a lot support via social media and directly on my smartphone kept me moving due this race even in very dark hours. Thanks to everyone!!!!
During leaving the ferry I met two French guys. In Helsinki I was going for a hunters shop I was buying some stuff I needed for the north and also because of lost / damaged items:
They guy in the shop told me: we have no chain lube, but we’ve got oil for guns. It’s made in Germany, it must be good. I told him that I’m from Germany and I know the brand. 😀
Later on the first day in Finland I had a great ride with Guillaume and on the second day Renaud was joining us.
This second day in the north was horrible. Brutal headwinds, Renaud crashed into my rear derailleur so the rear derailleur hanger was crashed but I had a spare one with me. We went 300 km (in words: three hundred fucking kilometers) on an hard arctic headwind on a highway… At the end of the headwind it should be a thousand kilometers of headwind… the trucks were passing us 30 cm nearby… We all were just happy to leave this road again.
On this point I want to the tell the world that the guys from the organization of Northcape4000 must be just made out of idiots… The track planning was only one piece of shit.
But from Oulo a good way through the nature started.
The lights started to be really crazy. And there was also a rainbow unbelievable.
It started to rain again. Only less but continues. My sister suggested a bikers camp as a sleeping point between Oulo and Rovaniemi. It had a Sauna and a pool with warm water – just great. The guy hosting the camp cooked something in the middle of the night for us and made us some breakfast.
On another flat of mine the two french guys left me. I wasn’t really happy about this after all the organization on my cap before…
I was going for another bikeshop to get some spare-parts in Rovaniemi. After this I entered CP 4 and the Arctic Circle.
The conditions during the next days where really hard. Rain, Headwind, just above 0 degree.
I went for another stop in a hotel (second stop in a hotel and one stop in the bikers camp, every thing else with the bivy) because the conditions were fucking hard.
On the next day I stopped for some Crepes and met an Italian guy named Federico. We had some hours of riding together and some talks. One of the photographer was staying with him, so there might be some good pictures of me.
The Wind was still hard from front left and right. PS: What a fucking idea to go for 50 mm rims!!! The sound was the same like of panpipes and I was pushed hard from the left to the right of the street…
We went for the Norway boarder – just to realize it’s closed from 8 pm to 8 am. No chance to get through because of military and police. Lucky for the guys in front of us. The chances to get a better position was taken. And even lucky for the french guy behind us named victor who had a gap of 4 hours to us. We went for a camping place… In “fucked up” mode we had a beer and made some fire in a tippy. Now it was a real adventure.
Victor was able to close the gape during this night. On the next, the final day he had better legs then me and was half an hour faster than me to finish the race.
I finished in 12 days, 10 hours, 55 minutes on 8th place in a very hilly final. Even it was an adventure to climb through the Northcape tunnel after a decent of 3,5km and 200 m under NN. Less people can say they were climbing from -200 m back to 0 m at NN.
Even I’ve learned a lot. You think you know something when you have done some races over 1k of length. In reality you don’t now anything! There are some things I’m now able to improve. Every Challenge that doesn’t kills you just makes you stronger!
But the Challenge wasn’t over, it’s hard to get back from the Northcape (the end of the world) to civilization… Even getting a package for your bike and taking a flight is difficult here..
I want to dedicate this finish in a very hard race to my mother. She died last year to cancer and she was also a fighter never giving up till the end.
I want to say a big thanks to my sister supported me the whole race via the phone. Also a special thanks to Robin and Sebastian aka Panda for some good words.
In further a thanks to everyone following the race via GPS, writing SMS and DM in social media, my sponsors and family!
Now I’m happy to be back at home, because: Annerschdwu is annerschd un hald ned wie in de Palz!
Sporty greetings
Joshua
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Unterstützung durch power2max
8. Juli 2021
Danke für die Unterstützung an power2max!
Die NGeco Kurbel wird für mein neues Stevens im Ultracycling-Build zum Einsatz kommen.
Sportliche Grüße
Joshua
North Cape 4000
21. Juni 2021
Das man sich so über etwas wie Reisen, eine (zweite) Impfung, ein paar Fahrradteile oder ein Biwak freuen kann! Ja, schon alleine das eine Veranstaltung quer durch Europa stattfindet. Lieferzeiten, Ungewissheit, das alles ist jetzt vorbei! (Ich hoffe jetzt nur noch, dass alles wie geplant klappt)
Intergalaktisch! Naja gut, nicht mal interkontinental, aber immerhin nah dran. Gardasee – Nordkapp. 4400 km Nonstop-Race, unsupported.
Gemäß Star-Trek würde man das so deklarieren:
Ich: Ich brauch 4 Wochen für die Strecke!
Veranstalter: Ich geb dir 22 Tage!
Ich: Ok, ich machs in 10!
Also, Challenge accepted! Ich habe sowas von Bock! Mal schauen ob ich 10 Tage knacken kann.
Sportliche Grüße
Joshua
Unterstützung durch Roeckl
2. Januar 2021
Ich freue mich, dass mich der Handschuh-Spezialist Roeckl zukünftig mit Produkten unterstützt.
In der Vergangenheit hatte ich bereits einige Produkte von Roeckl im Einsatz und war immer durch die hohe Qualität begeistert.
Egal ob jetzt im Winter oder zu einer anderen Jahreszeit, so macht das Fahren immer Spaß!
Sportliche Grüße
Joshua