Harder, harder - Supermaratona
The Supermaratona involves tackling 286 kilometres and 8400 metres of altitude in the Dolomites on your own. Since 2023, the organisers of the famous Maratona Dles Dolomites have been offering this extreme variant, which includes all 13 passes that have ever been tackled in the history of the cycling marathon. TOUR reader Thilo Schnelle had read about this new challenge in the magazine and took it on together with three friends - it took them around 14 hours. The Passo Giau in particular, with its 29 numbered hairpin bends, proved to be a mental challenge. The temperature fluctuations from 4 degrees in the morning to 26 degrees in the afternoon required well thought-out clothing management. Catering was also a logistical challenge. Although some of the cyclists were travelling at different speeds - especially on the climbs and descents - they always managed to come together.
After completing the tour, the four friends submitted their Strava activities to be included in the Supermaratona "Hall of Fame". To their surprise, they realised that only two other athletes had completed this challenge before them. "When we were presented with the official and numbered Supermaratona caps in recognition of completing the Supermaratona in one day, all the pain was suddenly forgotten. The caps are numbered 3, 4, 5 and 6," recalls Schnelle. And he also has a tip: "If you're completely grey, you're allowed to stop and catch your breath on a climb. It's clever to take out your mobile phone and pretend you just want to take nice photos."
Across the Alps - from west to east
From Constance to Trieste, around a thousand kilometres and 18,000 metres in altitude in nine days - that also sounds like a decidedly sporty cycling holiday. Six racing cyclists from Griesheim and Constance completed this crossing of the Alps from west to east, finishing at the Mediterranean. A skilful logistical solution: One member of the group always sat out and steered the support vehicle with the luggage. The route led over numerous legendary Alpine passes, including the Gotthard, San Bernardino, Albula, Bernina, the Stilfser Joch, the highest point at 2758 metres, and the Grödnerjoch in the Dolomites.
The racing cyclists experienced a wide variety of weather conditions, from bright sunshine to heavy thunderstorms and torrential rain. There were also some particularly memorable encounters along the way, such as the one with an 87-year-old Swiss e-bike cyclist on the Albula Pass, the brass bands in the Lesachtal valley and the generous Italian road workers on the Stelvio Pass, who allowed the cyclists to pass despite the road being closed due to roadworks, giving them a virtually car-free day on the Stelvio. "We experienced an incredible amount in the nine days," said TOUR reader Stefan Wolf, looking back happily on the trip on arrival at the harbour in Trento.
By road bike through western Ukraine
TOUR reader Arnold Zimprich travelled through western Ukraine on a racing bike in July. The bike was his means of choice for travelling back to Poland after an aid delivery. The landscape and the solitude in western Ukraine impressed him, but the sometimes poor road conditions took their toll and slowed him down. "Although I specified road cycling as my sport when creating the route, the app guided me along gravel and cobblestone tracks, some of which were very rough. If the latter could still be chalked up to a Paris-Roubaix reminiscence, the gravel tracks were a par force ride that I hadn't planned."
To recharge his batteries, he treated himself to an ice-cold kvass, the Ukrainian national drink, in the evening. For future tours in Ukraine, he is considering using a gravel bike, which is probably better suited to such challenging conditions.
Again and again: Stelvio Pass
TOUR reader Ines Brückle is driven by a very special passion: This year, she rode up the Stelvio Pass, one of the most legendary passes in cycling, for the 36th time. With its 48 hairpin bends and an altitude of 2757 metres, it represents an enormous challenge even for trained cyclists. For Ines Brückle, however, tackling this pass is more than just a sporting achievement - it is a passion that she has lived out for the 36th time this year. Together with her 71-year-old husband Bernhard (pictured), the 65-year-old has mastered the challenging tour from Prad up to the top of the pass. It's clear that the two of them know every metre of the ascent after so many trips: "We know every bend in the serpentine forest above. The national park advertising sign with the fox is just around the corner, and two hairpin bends higher up there are still grooves in the asphalt that remind us of an overlong caravan that once scraped along here and blocked the ascent for four-wheeled vehicles for at least an hour."
But although she has been to the Stelvio so many times, the fascination has not diminished: "It's like a dream to remember that we were around 1900 metres higher just two hours and 46 kilometres ago," says Ines Brückle, describing the feeling after the tour. The question of "why" - whether it is presumption, madness, passion or love that draws them to the Stelvio Pass again and again - remains unanswered. The couple see themselves as "normal people", not ambitious athletes. They simply do what they enjoy. Cycling has been their common elixir of life for almost 50 years.
