Using the usual summer visit to my Mom and my former hometown, to participate in a traditional event, a tour through the Bavarian Forrest to the highest mountain in Eastern Bavaria and back to Regensburg. Which even fits my cycling program of riding one-day events this year.
The event, the Arber Cycling Marathon, has been started in 1984, exactly the year I left Regensburg for the Technical University of Berlin. This year it’s the 38th edition. An event that started small, with only a few participants, from the local cycling club, grew year over year and has now become a major event with several thousand participants, many route variations, with kind of a festival character in the city. For every cyclist, from recreational athletes, and families to ambitious amateurs everything and every variant, namely routes of length 58 km, 100 km, 125 km, 170 km up to 250 km with the corresponding altitude meters are available.
The Big Loop
With Mallorca 312 and Milano Sanremo being done, the big loop is of course my route this year. Riding 250 km and 3600 meters of altitude over the Arber as the highest and most eastern place of the tour and back to Regensburg.
Here again, you get the OpenStreetMap chart with its functions to navigate and zoom. Meanwhile, you know it anyway.
The altitude profile looks like kind of a usual one for cyclists. Actually, just 3 big times moving upwards, but only up to 900 – 1200 m. Not as challenging as the mountains in the alps, but that means nothing, because the addition of the altitude meters of the day defines the effort. In this respect, of course, this is demanding, and I tell you it was.
The Morning
Shortly before 6 am I was at the starting point, a common celebration place in Regensburg, with other 300 – 350 participants, ready to ride the big loop. In total, for all routes, there should have been about 4300 riders, with a staggered start later.
As always, it went immediately strictly off right with the starting gun at 6 am, as if it was a race and we have only 60 km to ride. With about 45 – 48 km/h on closed roads managed by motorcycle police in the direction of north-eastern Bavaria. Clearly, this peloton disintegrated at the first climbs in several groups to the first food station in Cham, which I omitted, still had enough water, and my food plan with taken tubes made a stop not yet necessary.
Now it began steady up and down and we approached the mountainous part of the Bavarian Forest where large and longer climbs up to 900 – 1200 m waiting for us. However, these were on average about 7% and thus not so challenging. It was also Sunday morning on which the ordinary Bavarian visits the church and the pub afterwards. The streets were thus in fact almost car-free and we had a free run in the descents. Although there always shoot me by the head that also times a tire can burst and with 70 km/h I brake them no more. So I’m then reasonable and throttle down to 50 km/h, think I can brake it. Whether that applies, however, I want to try but rather not.
The Participants
What I liked very much, the start numbers bear the name of the participant and even the late registered riders left their first name handwritten on it. This had really nice communicative effects, in which suddenly one diagonally next to me asks: “Hey Roland, where are you from? And already a conversation had begun. The next one speaks to me at a 11% ascent: “Roland, do you know actually why we do this again and again? And already the mountain was at least for a while a secondary matter.
But the most fun was a group of 6 riders, 2 women and 4 men, who obviously knew each other, constantly exchanging cooking recipes. As they approached me, I said: “You are really funny. Can hear you from afar and I fall off my bike laughing.” and I was suddenly part of the cooking school being asked what my favorite one is and why I can prepare it so special. All happend at an 8% ascent.
These are just a few examples of how communicative the day went. All in all, there were again nice people on the road who visibly enjoyed sharing this day together.
Organization, Support and Care
Overall, reports say no significant accidents or crashes occurred, except for one rider who must have fallen so hard that he had to be resuscitated, but was then given the all-clear from the hospital.
Despite the fact that the roads for normal traffic was not closed or diverted, the police and some helpers knew how to give priority to the participants and marked dangerous places far in advance. Also in the different sections mechanic vehicles went back and forth again and again. However, they had as good as nothing to do. I have seen not a single rider with a defect on the roadside. That is also rare. Or has the material become so good?
In retrospect, the locations of the food stations were strategically placed as places to take a break after a major effort. Well done boys.
The last Mountains
At such a refreshment point I asked an experienced participant with a jersey of the Regensburger Veloclub, how it now continues, as I assumed he is a local. With a serious face he replied: “Now it’s going to get hard again, first a descent to Grün and then it will go up with 13-15%”.
In fact, it went on this way and I passed the place where I learned to ski with my father more than 40 years ago.
Indeed, the last meters of altitude was still challenging and I was with a few who couldn’t get up the hill that fast either.
On our way. I then said to the one in front of me: “You know Martin, at the next food station there is free beer, I remember when I was here 10 years ago”. Martin accelerated, than shouted, “Well, I’d rather stay with you, then we drink together.”
The last Refreshment Point
In fact, there was free beer available and we now had the climbing part behind us and were already 203 km on the road and kind of “beer garden” atmosphere arose. It was laughed, eaten and plain beer or a beer mix drink, the past phases and route sections discussed, the funny encounters on the way told, all in all a nice relaxed atmosphere.
I only drank a lemonade again and then continued towards my burglary.
The last 40 km to Regensburg
From the last food stop to Regensburg the route is flat and only about 40 km to go. In a group, I do it in 1:00 h, single in 1:30 h, on this day I needed more than 2:00 h, because it came (1) fierce headwind on which I crept with just 17 km/h and (2) I got stomach cramps, as I never experienced, and it also made it impossible for me to join a group. Could simply not keep their pace.
With again and again small sips of water and water re-buy at the gas station, I tried to free myself from it, which became better after about 1 h also finally got rid of the cramps. The wind however remained until I came into the city. In retrospect, it must have been dehydration.
At the End …
… I arrived at the finish line pretty exhausted and was greeted by Natalie, who looked at me worriedly. This day has really done me and I needed about 1/2 hour to come back to myself. Mallorca was kind of tough too, but not like this. A Pyrenean stage to the finish at Peyragudes at the Tour 2017 were 4600 meters of altitude and 190 km distance and there I arrived differently, okay, is also 5 years ago and with 2 kg less weight. But the Arber Marathon crashed me on this Sunday, I must admit so.
Cycling is an adventure, you never know what happens.
Jörg Jaksche
Below the data out of my Garmin. You know, if it’s not on Strava, it hasn’t happend. Finally, it was indeed about 3788 meters of altitude. Oh boy, that’s not a walk in the park.
See you
Roland
PS:
A visit to Regensburg is especially worthwhile in the summer, when the city unfolds its almost legendary Italian flair. Castra Regina, its roman name, is not called for nothing the northernmost city of Italy.
If someone decides to visit, I highly recommend you to stay at the Hotel Orphee (visit their web site to see the rooms, everyone is different), it is of charm, with a French attitude and exclusivity not to be surpassed, and is located in the middle of the historic town.
