Three Peaks Bike Race
27th July 2022
The only real crossing of the alps is for sure from Vienna to Nice.
At 7th of July I arrived in Vienna by train. Sign up and bike check were on the following day.
It wasn’t this warm in Vienna so I was happy to bring my new suggested improvement for an ultrarace, a down jacket, with.
On Saturday it was starting time for the journey. The route planning was set for the start parcour, finish parcour and around CP1. Also there was a CP2 and CP3 and the timing (start of the finish parcour). All in all a journey around 2200 km with 35k of elevation.
Peak 1 – Tre Cime di Lavaredo // Passo Giau (Parcour)
Peak 2 – Melchsee – Frutt // Tannalp
Peak 3 – Colle del Nivolet
Finish parcour from Mt Ventoux to Nice
The start for the riders was split into 4 groups. I was in the last starting block at 11:45. My legs didn’t feel good, I didn’t taper the day before, because Vienna was just horrible for me.
The start parcour was good routed on a cycle path, even better then I could imaging to go out of a big city. In the first climb after 120 km I met Hans and we had a little talk. After the descent there was a supermarket. I bought some stuff and met Christoph Fuhrbach.
In Knittelfeld I was stopping for MC Donald’s and I was wondering what was going on. Hundreds of people. Later on I realized that there was a motorsport event some kilometers away from Knittelfeld…
The day started to get better and I was making kilometers. During riding into the dark I met some other riders. We passed Murau and I was remembered to my childhood. In winter we went to Sankt Lambrecht (Grebenzenalm) for skiing. Some kilometers further there was a construction site where I was running sadly into a flat. But maybe 200 meters ahead on the street there was a restaurant and I got some Apfelstrudel and Almdudler for the time I needed to change the tube. 😊
At the end of day one there was another big climb. It was really cold on the top of it and I need to took a lot of clothes on for the downhill-section.
I was also getting tired so I started to look for a sleeping place. On a crossing there where some trees on the right side so I decided to stay there. Here it was windchill, warm and the drizzle that started some hours ago wasn’t available.
After 2 hours of resting (I slept maybe only a few minutes) I started with the second part of my trip. After a few minutes I met Hans again who was searching for a sleeping place.
At the next gas station I was buying some breakfast. The women told me I was not the first cyclist today 😀 After breakfast I went through a long valley before starting the first climb to CP1. In the start is was very smooth but the end should get very hard. The traffic was just annoying over the whole time. Like on a highway. I really couldn’t enjoy. For the last 500 meters of elevation I dropped my bag because it was the same route up and down. This bag-drop was good. 12,5% in average, a short downhill and again 12,7% average. Steep sections up to 20% average. I cought Glenn during he was walking uphill. I was riding from the left to the right on the street… brutal…
But very nice and also windy / cold look from the top
I went down and picked my saddle bag up again. Down in Cortina d’Ampezzo I met Glenn again. He wasn’t good any more. ☹ But I had to go on – next Pass: Passo Giau (Part of the Parcour around CP1).
In the End of the Climb Thomas Ceyrowsky was catching me. We took a photo on the top.
He went down the same side we came up, I went down the other side. Later it should show up that his route was a lot better (most of the riders took the route like him).
The south-route I was taking was via Fedaia, Bozen, Meran, Fluela.
Fedaia was all over 10% in the end with very hard headwinds.
I was really happy to end the climb. Going on with a fine descent, followed by a pizza. 😊
After the Pizza Karerpass was on the plan. Not that hard, with only one small steep section. From the Top it was a very fast descent through good lighted tunnels down to bozen. The Last to days it was really cold, so it was hitting me like a hammer down in bozen. 28 degree in the evening. I stopped for beer and icecream before I went into the night through the valley to Meran and up to Naturns where I stopped in the fruit plantation to sleep.
On Monday morning I went on, had some problems with the routing by closed roads and had to jump of the street because a trucker was driving like shit. I felt bad so I decided to sleep another hour after Prad am Stilfser Joch. After waking up I got some food in a supermarket and rode on through Münstertal. (not that good). In Davos
At Ovenpass I felt worse and worse and needed to stop several times. At Fluela it was around 30° and the sun was burning. I felt total exhausted and walked 100 meters in a steep section, made several breaks. On the top I had a meal.
In Davos Christoph caught we with another rider. In the downhill I catched them again and Christoph catched me again somewhere in the Valley between Schiers and Lachen. Also Oliver (a swissguy who was in the same hotel in Vienna) catched me.
In Schindeleggi I stopped for a Hotel on the top. Check in and so on was everything digitalized. 😊The stats about this day are saying everything:
Less Kilometers and elevation, nearly 7 hours off the bike…
To make it short days 4 wasn’t that much better:
Again I had a second sleep stop in the morning after I left the Hotel in Schindeleggi.
I had a broken cable of the shifting (even I renewed it before the race – thanks to bad batch of Shimano). I could fix it, but it took time. Melchsee-Frutt / Tannalp was also a very steep climb.
I decided just to go for the finish, I felt bad, tired, exhausted. Even too much work before the race and in case of this not a good preparation for it.
Day 5 was another hard day for me. San Bernardino-Pass was long… really long.
But in the downhill I had a very good meal. I felt better for the moment. Even the prices where cheap again because I entered Italy.
Down in the valley it was much above 30 degree again but Colle delle Nivolet ahead (CP3). I was running out of water and I was happy to enter a village in the middle of the climb. I had a second lunch and I was climbing to the top (I thought).
Suddenly the Street was finished. My navigation system was showing up: go right to the cycling path. Which cycling path I asked myself!?
This one!!!! Hiking path, what the fuck. Option A: climbing with socks (roadcycling shoes were no option) about 450 meters of elevation, option B: go back, cycle around the mountain for 250 km with 3k of elevation.
I chose the hike with socks… I had a second pair of merino socks I put over my cycling socks…In a sports shop they tell you to buy some special shoes for this!
Even the hardest hiking section has an end…
It was getting dark so I turned on the light and went into the downhill. A Capricorn crossed in a big jump the road. Never seen this before. Great but I was watchful for the sides near the street.
In the next village I tried to find a bed, but I was unlucky.
I saw a restaurant what was already closing but the woman gave me some sausage and bread for free. I like the Italian mentality.
On leaving the restaurant I forgot my Roeckl Raron (rain overcoats) … But it shouldn’t get cold anymore.
I felt sleepy and chose to lay down in a field.
I had a bit longer sleep because the Tour de France started in Briancon on this day. I woke up and started enjoying the few Italian kilometers from the first minute on the bike. It was the first day it was going well again after my disaster at Fluela.
The boarder between Italy and France was on the top of the next mountain before going down to Briancon. But before – Italian coffee stop. 😊
The bad thing according to Tour de France was the traffic on the road after the mountain. I was going downhill for the next 100 km but I needed to push a lot – strong headwinds and very warm! After some hours I felt like in front of a fan for drying the hairs. Getting into the evening the temperatures went better again. I met Tomas, a Czech guy for the first time in a kebab shop. He was looking very tired but we had a good talk.
I got out of the Kebab on the bike and doing kilometers again. I was thinking about climbing Mt Ventoux in the dark but decided to go for a rest to see the beautiful nature around this epic mountain during daylight.
I woke up after maybe 3 hours of sleep. Tomas already was on top of Mt Ventoux. Francesco (the other swiss guy from the hotel in Vienna was laying in front of me too).
I was one of the first riders going uphill on this day and only a few of these hundred cyclists that came only to climb Mt Ventoux coughed me. Good day for me.
During the day it should get fucking hot. In the climbs I felt like dying. At 9:30 it was already 30 fucking degree Celsius and not many places to refill my bottles. In a supermarket I met a bikepacking guy who just said about this race: crazy guys.
It where 41°C on the bike, the asphalt was even hotter. The tar glued on my slicks and I went over bubbles that “blobbed” when you were riding over it. There was a big climb (around 1000 meters of elevation) and I was running out of water. I realized I need salt but didn’t want to stop to waste time before the next supermarket and I started to like the salt from my jersey.
At that time I met Francesco, we talked maybe 20 minutes before I went a bit fast again.
At the next supermarket I met Tomas again. First thing to do: drink some liters, get your salt tablets out. Tomas went for a restaurant, I went on to the next town to stop for a pizza. I bought some spare cokes and put them into my emergency gym bag. That was even not enough to drink. Somewhere I stopped at a house to ask for water. A young French guy refilled my bottles and told me that there will be a village some kilometers later. There I stopped again for refilling bottles. One guy was speaking German and managed also some I got some taste with sugar into the bottle. 😊
I was thinking to go through the night but I felt to sleepy again. I stopped for a three hours break.
The next day was also the last day. I started with a beautiful sunrise.
Like the day before I had good legs and a finish on my mind. After 1 hour I coughed Tomas again who had 2 hours less sleep than me.
After 7 days 1 hour and 23 minutes I arrived in Nice as 17th rider. After my decision at Fluela to take it easy I wasn’t that mind-fucked and death like after a normal ultra-race.
I really could enjoy especially the last two days.
I had two beer on the finish-line and also a good meal with Thomas Ceyrowsky (4th) and Tomas Zaplatilek (18th) and the winner Justinas Leveika. He did just an incredible fast 5 days 6 hours and 31 minutes race with 2×17 powernap a day!
I hope you enjoyed reading and dotwatching during the race!
Sporty greetings
Joshua
Nibelungen Gravel Ride
3th July 2022
On Thursday a friend of mine ask me to go for the NGR 2022. Normally I wanted to start my tapering for ThreePeaksBikeRace with a rest-day. But why not to participate in a gravel event over 211 km / 3000 hm. So on Friday evening I signed up, just some hours before the start. 😀
Some minutes before 7 o’clock I started in Worms with some cycling friends.
The first kilometers where just rolling and talking a bit. Because the riders started on different times we passed some groups. On a closed railway overpass we got another big group. After two or three kilometers I found the tempo slowed down, so I tried to chase some guys in front. On the uphill to Melibokus I was alone again. A part of the uphill was the same route as the downhill part. Bertl went with a big group descent during I was climbing uphill and greeted me.
The downhill part went into the woods again. It was the third time with my new Stevens Camino Pro and also over four years passed without being offroad (except the two rides before with the Camino Pro). So slow down, still time to find myself with the bike handling. Here a photo of the bike at the second ride-out (two days before).
Thanks at this point to Smit Sport again. 😊
Nearly 30 km passed till I was catching Bertl again. We had a small talk and he said: “the group is in front, they were to fast for me, you can get them I’m sure. I just want to see the finish line, I can’t continue on this speed.”
Ok just 2 km passed and I saw them after a fast downhill. I had the decision: rolling some kilometers with those guys or going over to attack-mode. Simple decision on a 200 route: hit the pedals!
The sun was shining and it was getting hotter and hotter. I stopped to some points beside the route to refill water. The descents went better every time and I was getting into a flow. Around 80 km from the finish I got Problems with my shifting. 1×1 shifting. Not cool. I stopped to have a look what’s wrong. The shifting cable was mounted in the rear derailleur and there was tension on the cable, so it must be a problem with the shifting lever. Standing on the trail I opened the shifting lever and realized that the cable was out of it. I opened the screw from the rear derailleur and got the cable a bit back (now I also realized what I’ve forgot to the new bike – my small Knipex tongs…) I got the cable into the shifting lever again and tried to pull back the cable at the derailleur. No chance.. (seemed to be a problem with the cable routing inside). So what to do, I pushed against the spring of the derailleur as far as possible to mount the cable at the back again. Ok 5 gears went again (the five gears in the middle).
For sure I spend the most time of the ride off the bike for this action.. The hills up to 6 or 7 percent ascent went ok with 260-300 watts. More percent in ascent were really not good for me, so I found myself some times off the bike, running the hill up. Before the last climb to Melibokus I passed some guys of the other routes (80 km, 120 km, 150 km). On some “over 10% percent uphills” and cadence of 45-50 I went off the bike again and was running the hill up again with the bike. Later at the finish-line they were talking about a guy that was running faster uphill with the bike than the guys on the bikes were riding! 😀
Because of real low cadence and not enough to drink I was feeling like getting cramps. I was drinking about 1,5 liters on the catering point, filling my bottles again, but after 10 kilometers the where empty again. I had three cramps. I was really happy to see a farmer after another 5 kilometers. I was drinking 2 liters out of the water tap and refilling my bottles again. Electrolytes where also missing to my body. Normally I have some taps with me, but not for a 200… The last 20 kilometers went better again and I was happy to see the finish line with some isotonic drinks.
I crossed the finish line as the first guy of the 211 km route, so here a special photo of dragon-slaying (off cause the picture was taking after something to eat and drink)! Around 9:20 h gross and 8:40 h net (big off the bike time because of my shifting problems). 225 Watt Normalized Power.
Thanks for the route planning of the organization. Hard, but great climbs and some cool trails downhill.
Sporty greetings
Joshua
PS: the cable was twisted inside the routing… the cheap cables are sometimes better than the expensive once…
Mittelgebirgeclassique
4th June 2022
Sunday morning 6 am. For me it was very early to start an ultracyclingrace. The clock was ringing at 4:30 am, fast Bananasmoothie and some selfmade brownies, not able to eat more at this time. Judith delivered me to the start at Weingut Isler on the middle of the “Deutsche Weinstraße”. It was very cold outside, so I decided to put my leg warmers on.
At 6 am the race was starting. The first kilometer was neutralized start, so everything easy. After entering Hartmannstraße in Maikammer the race was on fire. Crazy Guys like always… I kept cool and got cought by nearly the whole field. I had a good talk with Alexanders Schmitz who I was knowing from the time after the race to the Northcape last year.
We had some talk about the gearing of some people and we were just wondering…
In the Downhill I cought some Guys again and also Lolosruh uphill. Between the flat sections after Drei Buchen and Col du Pigeonnier I was laying on my aerobars and catching the riders.
For Sunday I had around 40 Gels and energy-bars packed, so I just tried to get some “spare Bananas” in the middle of nowhere or eat some warm food to go.
Around 12 o’clock I already was in the Black Forest. Weather was dry but air was still fresh.
The Climbs were steep and this shouldn’t change for the whole black forest. Better to say: they where switching from 9 or 10% climbs in the start to 15 to 20 % sections in the middle of the black forest.
There where enough water sources to refill on the track but my ridden down points like Döner Kebab and those things were closed mostly (thanks to non-actuality of Google…).
But an experienced ultracyclingracer has always some coins in the pockets.
Sun was already going down so I stopped in the next city again for refilling bottles in a restaurant. I thing the only guys asking for bananas in a restaurant might be ultracyclists…
The Kandel was very steep again with an elevation of around 1000 hm. But I was knowing my friend Martin Waldenberger (member of the organization) was waiting on the top for the riders. Wind was blowing heavy and temperatures dropped down very hard.
At Kandel I was laying on position 3 of the race, so everything like planned.
I started to freeze and decided to go for an EC-Hotel (Sparkasse) in Hinterzarten to sleep for a hour and warming up. 2 riders passed me this time. In Hinterzarten at the railway-station I planned to go for junkfood out of an automat. But both of them where absolute empty.. what the fuck…
I went on for Feldberg, with a beautiful sunrise.
Looking beautiful it was fucking -2°C in the uphill (measured on the screen of the station around 200 hm before the top). When I was going down again it was -4°C. This was the coldest temperature for any of the riders in the race…. What a timing… :/
The very fast downhill from Feldberg made it feel colder.
Down in Todtnau I felt totally cold, I was really exhausted by the cold and everything was closed… Not good. I went for Sparkasse again to warm up some minutes, because my whole body was vibrating because of freezing. I had the choice to wait over an hour for something to open or to go on via Schauinsland and Belchen to Schönau.
I was pushing hard gearings just going on. Knees were going worse and exhaustion going very high.
But every pain comes to an end and I entered Schönau. I bought 25 Cornies, Cheese some Bakery-stuff. Next stop was the Checkpoint at Wanderheim Stockermatt on the Lipple.
Knees got worse in the brutal steep climbs up. Some Käsespätzle and alcohol-free beer were waiting for me. Had some good talks with Sören (also an experienced ultracyclist of the organizers team). I was on position 6, so no time to sit down a long while. Only Hochblauer was left in the Black Forest. My hope was that my body could regenerate during the 60 km flat to the Vogeses.
Knees where getting a bit better but I was freezing and had heat flares. Supercooling… Really super!
The following 30 hours I wasn’t able to go more then 120-130 watts (my ultrapower is normally from 160 to 180 watts), 50-60 cadence. Total exhaustion, multiple powernaps, even for some 1000 hm elevations climbs 5 brakes.
Life was fucking me hard. I just was going by the mindset of a randonneur: next col.
After one 2 hours powernap I was standing up, going to the street. I was seeing Luca Tabari, he had just a powernap in the same corner, 50 meters away from me. He didn’t realized me. We had some talking and a scary long downhill before Petite Ballon with some second sleep. But the decision was between total freezing out on the top or go downhill under sleepy conditions…
Down there we had another powernap. After an hour of sleeping we went up for Petite Ballon. I was still not able to push and Luca was going fast up. In the next city we met again at the supermarket. He was asking me, who I am… What the fuck!? Total brainfuck for him? 😀
Ok I was maybe looking different without sunglases and helmet.
The next sections it was the same for me, one slow col after the other, only powered by my mind. Lac Blanc, Lac Noir, French guys you can’t communicate with because the don’t want to speak English. What you are just from Italian, French and Spanish Guys. Always the same.
I just tried to enjoy the brakes with some good baguette:
In the evening I was getting better after a long time. To Phalbourg it was rolling again. Position 10 or something. But when it’s going life sometimes hits you again. “Esso Express opened 24 hour with shop” it was called on google. The shop was not there only 3 Coca Cola Automates. I was thinking Sugar is Sugar, so go for the cokes!
I wanted to go for a push through the night to be in Neustadt early the next day.
The streets were beautiful but I was running into small ways in the forest. I was scary of the wild because I couldn’t see through the high grases on the sides. Also I was sleepy again.
2 times of one hour powernap. I was falling to position 13.
In the morning near Pirmasens I was catching one the guys again during he made brake at Sparkasse. After a time over 30 hours there was some pressure on the pedals again, engine started to run again. Also I was like “coming home”. My beloved mountains. In Pirmasens I entered a bakery to get 2 cokes and 2 breads with cheese. Normal working people and bakeries opened at 5:30 and not from 8:00!!! Life I’m used to.
I was crossing Johanniskreuz and going for Totenkopf. In the uphill section one guy named Glen was catching me. First I was thinking: Ok, a normal rider on a normal morning, but the I realized the saddle bag. Ok, watts up from 170 to 230, just keeping the distance to 30 meters to him. Knowing the downhill to cross to Hüttenhohl parking place very good I let him be in front, saving power. In the downhill I went pretty fast, catching him and putting the power to 250 watts to Kalmit top. I was looking over my shoulder and saying to him: “Jetzt ist hier richtig Radrennen!” (Now here is really roadracing on). He was shouting back: “Aber ich bin doch so kaputt!“ (but i’m allready done…). I answered: „Du hast angefangen!“ (you started with this).
On the top I even couldn’t see him. I was hammering Kalmit in racemode down with a new PR, flying through Maikammer ahead to Neustadt and Pushing Hambacher Schloss all out at 300 watts. I was 7 minutes before him at Hambacher Schloss. Even this 12th position was saved.
As I said already on social media this race was maybe just a 4 expressed in school grades belonging to the sporty side. But mentally I gave it all.
Ultracycling is always about tactics, luck, the right or wrong decisions, so I did the best out of the bad. The Race was not satisfying for me but what to do.
On Three Peak Bike Race in July I try to attack again. New race, new mindset, new legs, new possibilities!
Sporty greetings
Joshua