"We deeply regret that there will be no new edition of the classic marathon. The registration figures generated so far have led to an economic imbalance for the marathon. Neither Delius Klasing Verlag, which wanted to save the HIBIKE Spessart BIKE Marathon from a definitive end, nor the municipality of Frammersbach can afford the resulting deficit," said Monika Weber, Event Manager at Delius Klasing, explaining the cancellation of the event. "This means that it will not be possible to organise a successful event in 2013," sums up Monika Weber.
Originally, the 17th edition of the former marathon classic was to take place as a two-day event from 12 to 13 October 2013 in Frammersbach. "The council of the municipality of Frammersbach has always supported the event with great commitment. I therefore of course very much regret the cancellation of the marathon, but I can understand the decisive economic reasons and have sympathy for the organisers' decision," said Peter Franz, Mayor of Markt Frammersbach.
The renowned Spessart Bike Marathon has already had to contend with declining numbers of participants in recent years. After the former organising team was no longer available, the Bielefeld-based cycling publisher Delius Klasing was commissioned by the market town in the Spessart Nature Park to continue the marathon.
"We have created new structures that have been well received by all of our partners, from the main sponsor HIBIKE to local sponsors. By marketing almost all of the sponsorship packages, we have exhausted all of the possibilities for an economical organisation, but a marathon stands and falls with the number of participants," explains project manager Marcel Klöpping from Delius Klasing. "I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the partners who have already confirmed their support," says Klöpping, recognising the support of all those involved.
Numerous advertising measures and a new, attractive route concept have had little effect. Nevertheless, new partners and sponsors from the bike industry as well as from the local community of Frammersbach could be won for the event. However, despite the best efforts of all partners involved, who have put their heart and soul into the project, the required number of participants of around 1000 has not been reached to date.
