For the organisers and most of the participants, the 24th edition of the event is a great success. BIKE Transalp Perhaps not a special anniversary - but it is for me. Because it was exactly 20 years ago that I took part for the first time. At the time, I was an 18-year-old who had never been to the Alps before and for whom the highest point in his haze was the 950 metre high Wasserkuppe in the Rhön!
How it all began: My way to mountain biking
At the turn of the millennium, I discovered my love for the Mountain bike and instead of getting my moped driving licence, I used the money to put together my first real bike with a suspension fork. Completely customised, for 3500 Deutschmarks.
Bergwerk frame, Marzocchi Bomber Z2 Atom 80 suspension fork (yes, it only had 80 mm travel), Mavic Crossride wheels and Shimano LX/XT mix (we didn't have enough money for a complete groupset) with V-brakes. Awesome part! And a great feeling!
The unusual and, at the time, expensive bodywork had obviously made the bike dealer prick up his ears - when nobody in the village had ever spent anywhere near that much money on a bike. Or did they? Just a few weeks later, he brought me together with his mate Holger, who shared the same love of biking.
At first, we only met up on Sundays for bike tours together, later several times a week. With each tour together, not only did our friendship grow, but also our interest in the whole bike topic. We devoured BIKE! The magazine was our bedtime reading in the evening and our daily newspaper in the morning. An incredibly intense time!
Application for the BIKE Transalp by post
And then we read about the BIKE Transalp Challenge, the toughest stage race in the world. Over 600 kilometres and more than 20,000 metres in altitude spread over eight stages. Wow, what an awe-inspiring, almost scary description of this spectacle!
A collection of superlatives that turned our rational heads and prompted me, in my youthful recklessness, to send off the registration form in 2002! Back then, places were limited and registration was only possible by post. Anyone who had already taken part once had a better chance of getting a place again the following year.
Perhaps there was also a bit of hope that I wouldn't be able to get a starting place after all. But a few weeks later, in disbelief and irritation, I held the registration confirmation for the BIKE Transalp in my hands - along with the call-up notice from the German army for general military service.
Obstacles on the way
Sometimes you have to prioritise: the start of military service was postponed from summer to winter with a special request due to "exceptional private circumstances" and so nothing stood in the way of the "Transalp Challenge" adventure!
Well, almost nothing. Except for the mountains, which left me in a state of shock when I saw them live from the car for the first time. An experience that - like the entire first Transalp - is still etched in my memory today, like noodles in a pot when you forget to stir them.
But also because I was obviously so fucked up at the finish of the first stage and looked so exhausted that I immediately had an interview "appearance" in the BIKE Transalp DVD that was released afterwards.
Since then, I've ridden the Transalp six more times, most recently in 2013 - back then with Torsten, who is my team partner again this year. What a great revival!
