The wind first blew away the tents of the Gravel Club, then a ride was to take place together with Ortlieb and Orbea. Half of the riders had cancelled - due to the weather. But a small group of around 15 people wanted to go for it. We'll ride, whatever the weather. It's fine. The Orbea test bikes were unloaded, our own pedals were screwed on and the saddle height was adjusted. Then we had a coffee and finally set off. It had even stopped raining. But only briefly.
Dressed for eight to ten degrees, arrived at minus two
We had a lot of fun at first, swapping stories, getting to know each other and battling the wind and rain. Then the temperature plummeted. From plus eight to minus two degrees. Snow started flying horizontally through the area. Nobody was prepared for sub-zero temperatures. We froze, shivered and laughed at the situation. Grinning from the cold, we decided to take a short cut. 40 instead of 50 kilometres.
At the time, that meant another 20 kilometres back to the Böhler site. And 20 kilometres can be long. Hardly anyone could hold the handlebars properly. Our fingers resembled blocks of ice. But at some point we saw the finish ahead of us. We were so happy about that. But we shouldn't rejoice too soon. About 200 metres before the finish line, we crossed some rails and one of our fellow riders slipped off his rear wheel on the wet iron. Fortunately, apart from an abrasion on his hand, nothing happened.
The proof of the tour can be found at Komoot:
Finally there
And then we reached our destination. We entered the halls of the Areal Böhler through a side entrance. "I'll worry about my pedals later, the main thing is to get in," I thought. Once we arrived in the exhibition hall, we slapped each other's hands. Ouch, that hurt. We took off our soaked clothes and the Gravel Club served hot coffee. After 20 to 30 minutes, the shivering slowly stopped. But it didn't get really warm until hours later in the hotel room.
Despite the hardships, it was worth travelling with me. I made new friends and the extreme situation quickly welded the group together. A friendly person from the Gravel Club later handed me the pedals, very good, I would have skilfully ignored them, just like my gloves, which I left on the table at the stand.
Overall, the excursions organised as part of the Cyclingworld in Düsseldorf were very well received. Almost all rides were fully booked.
Still riding the wave of euphoria from the trade fair, Sascha Eulig, the mastermind behind the Gravel Club, described his impression of the bike fair in Düsseldorf as follows:
I am very impressed with how Cyclingworld Europe has developed. Gravel bikes were clearly a star of the show, and not just for me. Whether at the test rides, the gravel rides on offer or at pretty much every stand in the Cyclingworld halls. Our Gravel Club coffee bar also celebrated its premiere here at the CW this year, and it was fantastic. We have already secured our place for 2024.
Cyclingworld Europe 2024
After the trade fair is before the trade fair. Next year, Cyclingworld Europe will take place in Düsseldorf from 15 to 17 March. Make a note of the date in your diary.
If you don't want to wait that long, come to Kolektif in Berlin or Eurobike in Frankfurt:
- Kolektif 24 to 26 March
- Eurobike Festival Days 24 and 25 June
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Sandra Schuberth
Editor
