There were three routes to choose from at Sneak Peaks. Entree, Classic and Adventure. Markus Baden took on the long route, which took in the Triglav National Park as well as the Dolomites. Markus Baden was the second fastest to reach the finish line of the Adventure route - and he wrote down his experiences for us.
The Sneak Peaks Adventure Route in detail
- 1,086 kilometres
- 36,760 metres in altitude
Hut tour with gravel bike
Text: Markus Baden
Day 0: Sneak Peaks meets Ahoy Minigolf
Sneak Peaks is not an ultra race, but a bikepacking expedition. The key data of the adventure route: 36,760 metres in altitude over a distance of 1086 km, connecting the wildest landscapes and most beautiful mountain huts in the Dolomites between Bolzano and Slovenia.
First editions of bikepacking events attract positively crazy people. I already know more than ten riders from last year's Bohemian Border Bash Race. Rapha, the creative mind and organiser of Sneak Peaks, explains the key sections of the route at the rider briefing. The word "scree field" sticks in my mind. A few uninvolved Italians watch the spectacle with questioning faces and prefer to get back to their game of minigolf.
The principles of Sneak Peaks are a solemn antidote to the commercialisation of the ultra scene: a colourful field of riders, solo tickets, party pace, no-flight rule, no time limit, cycling together explicitly encouraged.
A few more admiring glances at lovingly built bikes and faithful companions: pink Curve GMX, old-school Steppenwolf MTB, Fairlight Faran in randonneur style, custom Rocket Titanium hardtail. My tried and tested Rose Backroad is one of the lightweights in the field and carries minimal luggage: emergency bike bag, ultra-light sleeping bag, rain jacket, rain trousers, down jacket, power bank, tools, snacks.
Day 1: Party Pace
Neutralised start. Rapha and the film crew are on the route in the "Space Shuttle" (Sneak Peaks motorhome), a techno set from Jobse carries us up the serpentines to the first gravel segment. We head straight into the heart of the Dolomites. As I spot Rifugio Vajolet (Checkpoint 1) up in the rock towers, a driver rolls towards me, whistling happily. Has the guy got lost or forgotten something in the valley? No, Max Riese is setting a massive pace and has already completed CP1.
Thought of the day: Why is the Party Pace so damn fast? Why does it go cross-country up the ski slope here? The scree field is spectacular, but how do you actually carry your bike comfortably on your back for 1-2 hours?
I reach Rifugio Conseria (checkpoint 2) at around 9 pm: warm oven decorated with cycling clothing (still surprisingly odourless), warm-hearted hosts, mountains of pasta, "Shine on you crazy diamond" blaring from the speakers. I'm staying here for the night!
Day 2: Al Dente
I wake up at 2.29am, one minute before the alarm goes off. The day gets off to a modest start: Missed a turn-off, tiredness, darkness, rain. I cycle 200 metres uphill again, this time taking the right descent. In the valley, I treat myself to three croissants with apricot jam to cheer me up. It works!
Mascha and Steven meet me on the descent from Rifugio Scarpa (Checkpoint 3). I still have a few hours of climbing to do. Too bad, it will be difficult to catch up with them. Phil rode through the first night and was briefly in the lead ahead of Max. He tells me about his plan to switch to the shorter classic route to save time.
The pasta at Rifugio Scarpa is very al dente. My Garmin shows a daily consumption of more than 10,000 kcal, not only my leg muscles but also my chewing muscles are being used. Two pieces of cake in my jersey pocket and on we go. We talk shop about gearing ratios and chain undulation while I conquer the last pass of the day together with Benjamin.
Day 3: Fortunately overslept
The alarm clock hasn't rung. Benjamin has been on the road for a long time. Luckily for me, my legs are really fresh, today the 6000 metres of altitude are within reach. I reach Rifugio Antelao (checkpoint 4) via a wonderful hiking trail. Then I have to push up a tarmac road for two hours, with a continuous gradient of over 20%. At a hut in the middle of nowhere, I am served an ingenious polenta omelette. The caviar to garnish it is absurd and unfortunately very unvegetarian, but overall I would give it a five-star rating on Yelp.
A herd of sheep appears in the mist. I dig my analogue camera out of my jersey pocket, but am immediately surrounded by barking shepherd dogs. Lonely, wide landscapes, scree instead of gravel, memories of the Trans Balkan Race come flooding back. Then comes the steepest descent on the planet, my brakes are glowing red. When I arrive in Ovaro shortly after sunset, I know what lies ahead: Monte Zoncolan Nightride. Ever since the SuperGiro Dolomiti last year, I had the feeling that I would soon be returning here. Monte Zoncolan wasn't even mentioned in the detailed SNEAK PEAKS road book, but the climb afterwards was described as challenging. That's telling! I won't forget the night-time journey through the tunnel system just before the top of the pass in a hurry.
Day 4: Driving away from the rain
Faint morning light streams through the eternally wide riverbed before Tolmezzo. In the corner of my eye, I spot a familiar leopard-print cycling cap. Mace is standing at a small cemetery, rolling a fag. Broken spoke on the rear wheel. Giving up is not an option, but Mace is toying with the idea of switching to the shorter classic route. Bob Marley is playing at the Rifugio Giacomo di Brazza (Checkpoint 5), relaxed people here. The weather forecast is rather less relaxed: 30 litres of rain per square metre are predicted within an hour. I meet Enrico on the descent. Amazing, the guy is still on the bike despite the 1:1 gear ratio. At the Stol Pass, I step on the gas and can still enjoy the spectacular descent before dark rain clouds envelop the valley.
Day 5: Message from Steven
It rolls on tarmac even in constant rain. The road patrol overtakes me at the Vrsic Pass and secures a small landslide. Rifugio Postarski dom na Vrsicu (Checkpoint 6) has delicious Slovenian fried potatoes, blueberry pancakes, cocoa with cream and non-alcoholic beer for the bike bottles. Steven sends me a video via WhatsApp, it looks less cosy for him. He's been caught in a thunderstorm on the next mountain and has taken shelter in a ruin. On the descent from CP7, I carry my bike through several streams swollen by the rain. Rapha is always informed about the local conditions and allows me to bypass a section of the route that has become dangerous due to the weather conditions. I meet Steven again in Pontebba; one of the best moments of the tour. We decide to call it a day and go for a cosy pizza.
Day 6: Shared adventure
It's just before five in the morning and Steven and I have been on our bikes for over two hours. Eyes glowing red in the light of the helmet lamp block our way. "Looks like a wolf," I whisper to Steven. We speak gently to the animal, it moves a few metres away and then stops in the middle of the path in front of us again. We feel our way forwards metre by metre. The outline of a building appears to our right. Breathe a sigh of relief, we have reached Rifugio Cason di Lanza, checkpoint 7 of the SNEAK PEAKS Adventure Route. The supposed wolf comes wagging his tail towards us. His name is Pastore, he is the herding dog here. As the landlady is still asleep, we are invited into the small cheese dairy next door by Pastore's equally endearing owners. A cosy steaming espresso from the Bialetti, with a shot of grappa on the side? An alpine reality of life.
After technically demanding hiking sections above the tree line, Steven and I roll down into the valley together. Due to countless defects on his bike and body, Steven makes the difficult but only sensible decision to scratch, i.e. to end the tour. Steven was junior world champion in sailing, has taken part in the Olympics several times and is now one of the most successful coaches of exceptional athletes in sailing. When someone like Steven gives up, it means there really is no other way. The kilometres and crazy conversations with Steven were more valuable to me than any other part of this adventure.
I quickly complete the ascent to Rifugio Marinelli V (checkpoint 8) and am once again rewarded with a view over the rugged peaks of light-coloured dolomite rock. Checkpoints 9 and 10 are inaccessible due to the rain and swollen streams. I take an official diversion over the Kreuzberg Pass in the red evening light and into the darkness.
Day 7: Dolomites universe
Rapha notes in the road book that the section of the route to Rifugio Fanes reminds him of the Silk Road Mountain Race in distant Kyrgyzstan. With my favourite track in my ears and tears of joy in my eyes, I crank my way deeper into the Dolomite universe, turn after turn. Marmots complete the vibe. A decent downhill climb brings me back to tourist reality. At the Gardena Pass, of course, it's back to the top. While the racing cyclists are already enjoying the descent, I still have the actual ascent to the cable car mountain station ahead of me. At the Seiser Alm, I catch up with Ole, who is riding the Entree route. A pizzeria and guesthouse under one roof sounds tempting and I spend a relaxed evening with Ole and Sebastian. We receive the news via Dotwatcher that Max Riese has reached the finish line. At ultra events, only very few really compete for victory or a record time. Max, the winner of the first edition of SNEAK PEAKS Adventure, completed the route in an incredible 133 hours and 39 minutes. The fact that Max completed the entire route alone is testament to his unrivalled mental strength and takes his performance to another level.
Day 8: Arriving at the limit
I set off at 4 a.m., rain and darkness instead of a cosy hotel breakfast. 1600 metres in altitude, penultimate climb from Klausen towards Sarntal, almost at the finish line. I'm in a race with the milk lorry, which drives to all the farms on the pass in the early hours of the morning. As always, the last few metres uphill are on gravel. The rain turns to snow. At a serviced hut just before the summit, I put on everything I've got on me. The weather conditions are borderline, returning to the hut is my plan B. A cattle truck passes me on the way to the summit. Alpine cattle drive. At over 2000 metres above sea level, it's snowing sideways, wind over 50 km/h. After just 100 metres downhill, I'm massively chilled. 10 kilometres further downhill on hiking trails is not an option. The cattle lorry is in front of me again. Without hesitating for long, I wave to the farmer collecting the cows in the distance and swing myself into the halfway warm lorry cab. The driver Hannes comes back, my shivering explains the situation without words. In this weather, even the cows voluntarily get into the lorry. So without further ado, my bike and I become part of Hannes' cattle drive.
Only fair, I think to myself, that after Steven, I am now also reaching my limit at SNEAK PEAKS. I'm not a professional athlete. This is a paid holiday. Rapha, Steffi and Jakub have travelled out on the "space shuttle" and join me in a warm pub. Still shaking and with a good dose of madness in my eyes, I tell them about my adventure. After a brief exchange with Jakub, Rapha decides to take one last weather-related diversion through the valley to honour my adventure. After all, SNEAK PEAKS is an expedition, not a race. After four hot chocolates with cream, I roll through the valley back to Bolzano. At Ahoi Minigolf I am greeted with hugs and a hot water bottle. Rapha, Steffi and Jakub set off again in the "space shuttle" to evacuate Anno from the Dolomite universe. Together with a mountaineer, Anno has managed to scramble down from the Fanes plateau with his bike on his back through 20 cm of snow. The next day, Helge and Jörg reach the finish line. With their combined strength, they made it back to Bolzano and had a damn good time. Mauro and Markus also complete the adventure in the following days. All of them legends.
PS
Over the last eight days, I have experienced what a true bikepacking expedition is all about: adventure and friendship.
Read more: Orange is the new green ...
Sandra Schuberth
Editor
