This Saturday, September 10, 2022 was the last part in my series of one-day events. The round trip around the lake constance is kind of a home run for me. Nevertheless, I got to know a few new sections of the route and for the sake of completeness here’s a brief report.

The Lake Constance Bike Marathon has now been around for 49 years! It is organized voluntarily by the Swiss Cycling Club in Altenrhein according to the motto: by cyclists for cyclists! It is part of the Swiss Cycling Top Tour, which are the most beautiful bike marathons in Switzerland.

The special thing here is that it’s a 3 country tour with different starting locations; there is not only one start and finish, but its 5. The Swiss riders start at the locations Altenrhein, Tägerwilen or Stein am Rhein, the Germans in Meersburg or Kressbronn and the Austrians look for the next starting point.

Thus, all participants ride the loop around Lake Constance from different starting points in different length sections with the tours Gold (220 km), Silver (150 km) and Bronze (80 km).

The “Race” – Saturday – 7am

Since we were invited to a private party afterwards, we moved to Nonnenhorn, not far from my starting point Kressbronn, on Friday, so I could also pick up my race number right away and was ready for Saturday. 7:03 am I was on the track, well knowing, this will not be a “walk in the park”, because rain was forecasted until late past noon. So the choice of clothing was the prerequisite for a successful day and this time I was really well equipped.

Until Bregenz it was still dry, but you can already see what was brewing there. The clouds became darker and darker and shortly before the Swiss border at Rheineck the sky let its drops fall and it should not stop until we finished the complete Swiss section to Stein am Rhein.

Only the intensity of the rain alternated in an almost steady rhythm from light to heavy.

At Stein am Rhein, half of the Gold Tour was completed and the weather improved considerably. Although still only 13 degrees but dry it became brighter and later on the sun really came out and made the last sections a pleasure.

My yield of photos is quite low this time. Getting the phone out in the rain, cleaning the lens and then pulling the trigger isn’t really what you think about in a situation like this, especially since I only stopped briefly at the checkpoints, refilled water, got my stamp and immediately went back on the course with the goal of escaping the rain.

The Routing

As a local, I would have to suggest some improvements. What I disliked a bit was the routing with considerable main road share. The complete Swiss route from Rheineck to Stein am Rhein led over the country road in car traffic. Here one could have taken the, admittedly few, bicycle routes in the route. The same applies to the route from Stein am Rhein to Radolfzell, which led exclusively over the main road again.

Of course I understand one did not want to send the riders through narrow and partly winding bike paths, relieve the towns and include rather harmless sections. Would it be a race is the right attitude, but not at such a recreational event, where it is also about the landscape experience.

When we were then towards Constance on the way to ferry and it should again go along the main road, I played my local knowledge and took the bike path directly on the lake to the island of Mainau straight to the ferry. A few followed me and thanked me at the end for this beautiful section.