The last day of the BIKE Transalp, final stage. Once again the alarm clock rang at 6 a.m. so that I could have breakfast in peace and quiet before the start. But after six days, my body didn't really want to eat any more. It felt like every bite was chewed more than the last, and the swallowing reflex didn't really want to kick in either. Every day I had to force myself to eat more, although as a long-time endurance athlete I can usually eat like a barn-eater. My body was simply at its limit after so much intensive exercise in a row.
I can only be glad that since my first participation 20 years ago, the Transalp has "only" challenged bikers with seven instead of eight stages. However, the total length and altitude difference have always remained similar with around 600 kilometres and around 20,000 metres of altitude difference. So I don't really know which version was less agonising. Because I had to torture myself then as I do now, and neither age nor a better fitness level played a role. Because full throttle is full throttle.
After a short neutralisation phase up to the foot of the first climb, I set off at full throttle and underwent my first lactate shower of the day. On coarse and loose gravel, the smallest sprocket could not escape another portion of patina today. Experience shows that on the last stage, all of the riders put in their last ounces of energy and give it their all once again. It's unbelievable what some of them have left in them! You'd think they'd been on the back burner for six days and now wanted to set the fastest time on the trail.
That was certainly not the case for me. I was hardly able to parry any increase in pace in the group I was in. I had to let go again and again. But the route manager had saved a few trail delicacies for today that were really tough! I was able to catch up and overtake the group on the descents in no time at all and, together with Torsten, built up a massive lead for the following climbs. I always find it amazing how quickly some bikers are "overwhelmed" on gravel descents or simple single trails, even though this is the DNA of our favourite hobby! On the other hand, these people put so much pressure on the pedals uphill that the fat is almost squeezed out of the bearings.
Time trial on studded tyres
Pushing is also the keyword for the middle section of today's final stage. Over ten flat kilometres, everyone had the opportunity to test their time trial skills and burn their best time into the asphalt. The locomotive Torsten, who is a lot stronger than me, did an excellent job of teamwork: he stretched out in front of my front wheel and let the bearings run hot. I felt like a flag in the wind and struggled to keep up with his rear wheel even in the slipstream. After just under 15 minutes, we had left the flat section behind us at low speed. According to Adam Riese, that's an average speed of 40 km/h - with studded tyres! Torsten's strength is unbelievable!
Then we had to clench our buttocks again for the last long climb. Even though the route led to the summit on tarmac, ramps with a 20 per cent gradient pushed us to our limits at the end. And even beyond, but - with the finish line just a few kilometres away - not to our knees. With relentless determination, we fought our way forward metre by metre in the scorching heat. My pulse was pounding in my temples like a jackhammer on the road!
And suddenly it was there: the destination of dreams
Actually, I should have stopped at the last refreshment point after this brutal climb and poured myself some highly sugary cold drinks to prevent me from falling off my bike. But the will to finally reach the finish line and shed the exertions of the previous days was just so much stronger! Obviously, my body was in such an exceptional situation that it didn't even seem capable of cramping up. The last seven kilometres were very entertaining due to the varied route conditions and changes in direction. And then, suddenly and as if out of nowhere, there it was: the virtual finish line in the form of the red rubberised timing mat, in the middle of nowhere and yet at the destination of my dreams (at least for this week).
The BIKE Transalp was over. From one moment to the next, as if someone had flicked the switch and turned off the lights. Without cheering spectators, without loud discos, without other happy Transalp conquerors lying in each other's arms, without all the trappings - just like 20 years ago. That was a strange feeling. After all, the emotions at the end of the seven days are the ones that burn themselves into the body's hard drive and that you can still savour for years or - in my case after my first participation in 2002 - decades!
Torsten and I took it sportingly and were happy to have survived the race unscathed and without crashing. At least we had a great view of Lake Garda from up there and took the opportunity to take a few souvenir photos before we cruised down the last downhill without a stopwatch on our necks and, exhausted, hurried back to Lake Garda in a typical Bike Festival Riva headwind.
And then they were still there: the cheering spectators, the loud disco drumming, the Transalp conquerors lying blissfully in each other's arms and the whole shebang! Only my emotions literally fell by the wayside this year. Nevertheless, I'm super satisfied and happy to have conquered the Transalp 20 years later!
But now I need a few days to digest this major event both physically and mentally. And then I'm sure that in the years and decades to come - just like after my first participation in 2002 - I'll also draw on this Transalp!
