Blood, sweat, tears and an incomparable feeling of triumph at the finish line: marathons are the heroes of the bike scene. We have experienced the fascination of mountain bike marathons in BIKE 03/2022 is dedicated to this topic. In over 40 pages, we reveal which races you absolutely have to ride, how to get in shape for them and which bike is ideal for the long haul.
There is no one great life, there are only moments and experiences. I'm sure someone has embroidered this sentence on a pillow before. If not, then it was overdue. Because it fits well with mountain biking and especially perfectly with a passion for marathons.
For outsiders, it is absolutely baffling why people pay money to toil through rugged landscapes on a Sunday with a pulse of one hundred and eighty. Masochists in Lycra, that's the general cliché. Which is, of course, rubbish.
You can download the entire marathon special with a total of 43 pages from BIKE 3/2022 as a PDF below. The special costs 4.99 euros.
But what makes marathons so magical? You can't see it with the naked eye. You can't look it up or google it. You can only experience it for yourself. How your inner focus changes when you sign up. How the body frees itself more and more from the cocoon of excess weight and shortness of breath with every training round.
How to get stronger and leaner and eagerly await day X, when you will finally undergo an unprecedented intensive programme. Stage fright. Agony. Despair. Hope. And a crazy eruption of euphoria at the finish line. For almost three decades, tens of thousands were electrified season after season.
Then the pandemic roared into the marathon cosmos like a meteorite. After two years of cancelled and postponed events, the former superhero feeling is in danger of being forgotten. At the same time, many races are fighting for survival. The scene has high hopes that normality will return this season.
So that you can get off to a perfect start, we present you in BIKE 03/2022 a major marathon focus from page 36 onwards. But watch out! There's one thing we can't shake: The road to marathon heaven always leads through hell. Also a nice sentence for a pillow.
You can download the entire marathon special with a total of 43 pages from BIKE 3/2022 as a PDF below. The special costs 4.99 euros.
Focus on the marathon: Contents
Self-test: Our reporter ventures onto the Ronda Extrema in Riva
The magic of toiling: For most people, marathon bikers are crazy people who toil over mountains that are too high with a cross in their eyes. Those clueless people! Our author went through hell at the marathon on Lake Garda and found it pretty heavenly.
Dates: Marathon legend Karl Platt reveals his absolute favourite races
Spoilt for choice: There are many marathon races - but which ones are not only tough but also marvellous? Long-distance legend Karl Platt reveals his personal top ten.
Test marathon bikes: light, stiff, fast - the best models for endurance bikers
Pacesetters: Modern marathon bikes are declaring war on conventional values. Maximum lightweight construction and steep angles are giving way to more suspension travel and slacker geometries. In two duels - modern versus classic - we want to find out which generation makes the perfect race bike.
Interview: World champion Andreas Seewald on his historic victory
"I like it when it gets ugly": In October, Andreas Seewald from Lenggries became the first German to win the marathon world championship title - in his first year as a professional. In an exclusive interview, he reveals what this has to do with his love of nature and how he sees the future of marathon sport.
Fitness: Training camp at home - how to get in shape on your home trail
Home advantage: A training camp is the form booster for the upcoming bike season. Professionals usually travel to the warm south for this. But in times of travel restrictions and carbon footprints, the question arises: can't you also ignite the performance turbo at home? Sure, say our experts. You just have to create the right conditions.
You can download the entire marathon special with a total of 43 pages from BIKE 3/2022 as a PDF below. The special costs 4.99 euros.
