The opportunity would be favourable, but there is no sign of overconfidence. The group has just pumped the first few metres of altitude into their calves. The stop at the ice cream parlour in Ehrwald could be extended to a gourmet break with a clear conscience. "Who wants an ice cream?" asks teacher Klaus Zugmaier. But the pupils pretend not to have heard the question. They just pull some energy bars out of their rucksacks and are back in the saddle chewing within minutes. "I'm as nervous as before a maths test," admits Chiara, who has already ridden day tours with 2000 metres of altitude and is pedalling in the strongest group. "Six days in a row is a different league," she adds, panting as sweat pours down her face.
"HMG goes Lake Garda"...
is written on the blue jerseys of the 24 pupils. The abbreviation stands for Hans-Multscher-Gymnasium. They set off from Füssen a few hours ago. In six days they want to be in Riva on Lake Garda. The route is a tough one. Fernpass, Lower Engadine, Vinschgau, finally through the Brenta to the lake. For the strongest of the three performance groups, this means over 400 kilometres and almost 9,000 metres in altitude. An experiment for everyone, because no-one has ever sat in the saddle for so many days in a row. The tour is not a cool class trip on a mountain bike, but part of a seminar course that can also count towards their A-level grades. The students have been working on it since autumn. "Dude! We had no idea what was in store for us," says Felix. He suggested the project together with his mate Johannes. The idea took off: his classmates were all fired up and the school management gave the go-ahead. In the end, everyone had to write an application to get one of the 24 seminar places.
Six days of rocking trails, having fun, a little training beforehand, a little planning - that's what the project looked like in the youngsters' dreams. But real life can be cruel. During the preparation period, the three lessons per week were nowhere near enough. The Transalp endeavour grew into a mega-project. Legs and heads were spinning. The goals were ambitious: the tour had to be affordable for everyone. Sponsors had to be found. Clever suggestions were needed. What's more, the different fitness levels would surely break the group - so training plans had to be drawn up. Not to mention working out the route. "We didn't have a clue," admits Felix.
Two hours later, the Fernpass: turquoise-green lakes sparkle deep below the old Roman road. Another short downhill, then the group rolls into the Fernsteinsee campsite. "Awesome!" Johannes punches Felix. High five. Showers. Put up the tents. The accompanying mountain of luggage has been transported in a trailer by a group of parents - along with food in company quantities. After the successful first stage, the tension slowly eases. However, there is no party atmosphere. Everyone has respect for the next day's 90-kilometre stage.
Sofia admits: "Until a few months ago, I hardly cycled at all. I didn't know if I could do it, the others were so good." The solution: the Transalp team looked for and found a fitness centre with performance diagnostics support that backed the idea. Weight, body fat percentage and performance level were analysed. After that, it was clear who still had a lot of catching up to do and how much. But there were still unanswered questions: the finances, for example. A Transalp can quickly add up to 1000 euros to the bottom line. "Under no circumstances should the students have to raise that much themselves," demanded seminar teacher Klaus Zugmaier. So a team of students set up a sponsorship and public relations department, just like in a small company. In the end, the campaign was a complete success. The young Transalp entrepreneurs were able to convince the marketing manager of a global sensor technology company from their home town to become the main sponsor. Several smaller companies supported the project as co-sponsors. Vaude offered special discounts on equipment. With the help of Sparkasse, the students initiated a crowd-funding project. In the end, everyone was left with fixed costs of just 160 euros.
Two other teams also contributed to the success: the media unit of the seminar course built a Facebook page, maintained it and filled it with content. "And now, during the tour, we send a short report to our local newspaper every day," adds Bene from the media crew. The trailer created by the video group also made an impression on the sponsors in the run-up to the tour. "We spent six months filming clips on our training tours," says Johannes as he presses the start button on his smartphone for the YouTube video "HMG goes Lake Garda". "Almost 70 hours of raw footage, endless afternoons of editing."
And everything runs like clockwork on the tour too. After the tough metres in altitude on the first stage, the days fly by. Apart from a few minor technical mishaps, everything goes "almost too perfectly", says Florian. Even two days of constant rain can't stop the Transalp teens. They are in the flow, not just on the trail - the team is growing closer and closer together.
Scientific findings also confirm the importance of such experiences. Prof Dr Gerald Hüther is one of Germany's best-known brain researchers and has worked intensively on the development of children. For him, subjects that focus on responsibility and challenges are far more important than stubborn cramming. According to the professor, it is crucial that children set off together with others and discover or create something. "Or even more importantly: that they take care of something together."
His enthusiasm grows with every kilometre, with every metre of elevation gain towards the south, while his self-confidence increases at the same time. "Running!" grins Simon, even though it is pouring with rain on the penultimate day and his knees are aching after an injury a few weeks ago. Turn after turn of the cranks, he plods up the steep ramps. Swap the mountain bike saddle for the school bench now? Never!
Enthusiasm instead of moaning. It slowly dawns on everyone that every hour of preparation - from the tough endurance sessions to the door-knocking with sponsors - suddenly makes sense, a building block of the big picture. "Enthusiasm is the key to successful learning," says Gerald Hüther: "It has to get under your skin!" And that's exactly what the Transalp does. "Such feelings of elation activate the emotional centres in the brain," explains Hüther. "The nerve cells located there have long projections that extend into all other areas of the brain. A cocktail of neuroplastic messenger substances is released at the ends of these extensions. Every little storm of enthusiasm leads to the release of a self-produced fertiliser in the brain. And this promotes the growth and remodelling processes in the neuronal network."
In the evening, the general euphoria is dampened. Was it the water in one of the fountains? One after the other, pale-faced people head for the toilet or vomit right outside the tent. Chiara is also nauseous. Nevertheless, she soon laughs again. "It's brought us even closer together," she says, fighting back. Those who are still healthy play cards halfway through the night and keep watch to help if another sick person turns up.
Kenneth wants to incorporate this into his seminar paper "Transalp and team building". And the results of Gerald Hüther's research also fit in with this: "The experience of working on something together with a team is the most wonderful experience you can ever have. It creates identity in the community, which you will always need later if you want to solve complicated problems. You can't do that on your own." The next morning, there is a mix of optimism and crisis: pale, tired faces. Figures moving sluggishly, as if in slow motion. But give up now? So close to the finish line? On the very last day? No way!
The sick section rolls to Lake Garda without any major climbs. The rest of the group tackles the last mountain stage. A few more heavy rain showers, thunder and lightning, 400 metres of pushing uphill to Passo Ballino above Lago di Tenno, then a few rays of sunshine break through the clouds. Our bodies are steaming, our legs are aching, our feet are swollen in our soaked shoes. But that doesn't bother anyone, because now it's time for the final descent. Shortly after the castle of Tenno, Lake Garda shimmers through the vineyards for the first time. A few more hairpin bends, a short winding ride through the alleyways of Riva's old town centre - then there's no stopping.
Pupils and teachers are hugging each other as if they had won a race. Today, everyone is a winner - over their inner bastard, their own doubts and the doubters at home.
"Wow! Just goosebumps!" exclaims Elisa, as she hugs her friend Sofia full of exuberance. The boys tear off their jerseys and take a dip in the lake instead of a champagne shower. "Viva Riva!" shouts Felix, who had the idea for the Transalp. Then he jumps overconfidently into Lake Garda with an arse bomb.
INFO
The seminar
The seminar courses are part of the curriculum at grammar schools and the grades are included in the Abitur grade. They are designed to train students to work scientifically in a team. The topic can be chosen by the students themselves. The idea of crossing the Alps came from a pupil. Because the topic turned out to be wonderfully complex and the response among the classmates was great, the school management gave the go-ahead. Although it exceeded the usual scope of seminar costs.
The preparation
Route planning, equipment, repair skills, fitness, nutrition and, and, and: In order to master the many facets, the 24 seminar participants split up into groups. They even drew up a financial concept to attract sponsors for the expensive endeavour. "It was like running a small business," says teacher Conny Mett. In the end, a fitness centre was even found where the students could get into shape under professional guidance.
The tour
There are many routes across the Alps, but when planning the stages, the focus was not only on the scenic attractions but also on the infrastructure. They slept in tents and easily accessible campsites were important. Starting in Füssen, the route took six days and was divided into three ability groups, travelling over the Fern Pass and Reschen Pass to Merano and on to Lake Garda.
You can read the report on the MTB-Transalp project seminar for high school students and many other articles in BIKE 11/2016. You can also read the issue in the BIKE app (iTunes and Google Play) or in the DK shop order:
