The Erzgebirge Bike Marathon in Seiffen is the oldest bike marathon in Germany. In 2017, fans and organisers are celebrating the 25th edition powered by Bike24. Facts and figures about the cult race.
ON 5 - 6 AUGUST around 1500 racers will once again take part in the 25th edition of the Erzgebirgs Bike Marathon in Seiffen, near the Czech border.
BERGSPRINT: The mountain king is crowned in the mountain sprint side event. The starters have to master a 500 metre uphill with an average gradient of 20%.
GUIDING PRINCIPLE: Hard. Old. Cult. That's the slogan of the EBM. The marshals are also given pithy nicknames. At the EBM, there are no helpers, but rather helpers of honour.
29 KILOMETERS is the length of the EBM circuit. It consists of 60 % forest road, 25 % asphalt and 15 % single trail and has an altitude difference of around 789 metres.
CATEGORIES: You can start in the categories Short (40 km), Middle (70 km), Long (100 km) or in the team classification Teamfight (100 km). This year there will even be a 300-kilometre classification - with 9000 metres of altitude!
The EBM was the first marathon in Germany and has always been a cult event
FINISHER-GIRL: The Miss EBM competition is almost as legendary as the race. Just looking good is not enough, the ladies have to face bike-specific tasks beforehand in the Miss EBM competition.
HISTORY: The first EBM started in 1993 - with 214 participants at the time. Inventor Günter Dietze (79) and his son Albrecht (49) were keen cross-country skiers. When the MTB wave took off, they launched the EBM.
SPECIAL SECTION EBM 3.0: A special distance is planned for the 25th edition of the EBM. This is definitely not for marathon beginners: the fastest cyclists will spend over 20 hours in the saddle for the 300 kilometres with around 9,000 metres of altitude! Two days before the start, 17 brave souls have registered to take on the challenge. BIKE will of course be right in the thick of it. The riders will be equipped with GPS trackers so that their position can be tracked at all times: www.tracker4trails.de
RUHM & EHRE: The first three places in the long distance (100 km) can look forward to 300 / 200 / 100 euros each, otherwise there are non-cash prizes in the form of wood carvings, for which the town of Seiffen is known throughout Germany. And of course the famous finisher medal.
EBM 2017: Registration and programme
If you're flirting with a start at the EBM 2017 at short notice: It's not too late! From 5-6 August, you can still register on site without any problems and register at the EBM be there. As always, the runbike and children's races for toddlers (age groups 3 to 16) will take place on Saturday morning, while companions and families can enjoy a leisurely 25-kilometre tour in the afternoon at 2:00 pm. The Unicycle Saxony Championships will also take place. The "Unterpant Ride", a three-kilometre fun tour from the festival site to the "Alp de Wettin", follows at 17:00. If you want to take part, you must wear pants, a "Schlippi" or swimming trunks or a bikini. There is a free beer for every participant at the finish. If you want to let it rip uphill, you should make a note of the "Alp de Wettin" mountain sprint on Saturday at 17:30.
On Sunday, 6 August 2017 then follows the The highlight of the weekend, the Erzgebirge Bike Marathon
. Here is the crisp 29-kilometre loop (789 m elevation gain) of the EBM in the overview map, which is ridden 1-3 times plus a 12 km introduction, depending on the route. The distances are 40, 70 or 100 kilometres - the 100 km distance can also be ridden in a 3-person relay.
