This week I was doing some calculations, … the #HOPE1000 covers 1000Km and 30000Vm … how would I feel after a day riding MTB and climbing 4000Vm? … what is a sustainable pace for such an event? Does my body still hold 16h days? How many days will I need?
In order to do some more position tests, and most important, to test myself, today I set off early and headed into the Black Forest for a long day of steep climbs in forest roads and flowy single track downhills.
Romanshorn 05:35. The sky turns red. Put the bike shoes on. Pump the tires. Control the fork air pressure. @denk_an_den_kuchen shows up and says hi. I am too nervous to make sense of it all.
Suddenly I am lining up. We start in reverse age order. Yes. I am in one of the first groups. Duh!
Time to go. Did I say properly good bye to Emma and @aytenw ? … last hug!
I miss the first turn!!!
We are going fast. Gravel roads, we are going fast. Very tenacious “older men” with expensive Swiss made fullys keep on drafting on me … I let them pass, … I pass them one every hill, they draft …
@lucaridefree passes me quite concentrated after 2.5h or so … so does @frnkwz, but he seems to be a bit chillier, … we spend a while riding within minutes.
After 4 hours finally @sutterme catches up to me and passes me swiftly, although the started only 4 minutes behind me. He will have to do better than that or he will only finish a couple hours ahead of me at that pace.
10:49 -Km98… the Garmin hits 39 degrees at the “special” water stop provided by Yvonne, … it is all still fun and laughs.
The area is hilly, no rest. We are going fast. The vertical meter accumulate and the heat does not help.
Watwill Bahnhoff short before 17:00 and only 60km after feels like a war hospital. People show up and drop to the floor. Empty bottles of soda pile up and the calories and consumed in the thousands.
Up we continue, non stop … the harder of the day is still to come. The first “real” passes come up and we hear abut the first scratches … “heat stroke”, “ the chills”, …
14 hours into the ride, I eat some bread while some dude vomits his yogurt over the the fence of a church. Ok? Want a Kleenex buddy?
The first real MTB sector is finally here. Tricky rocky downhill right before is too dark. Welcome.
I reach Walensee around 22:00, … the fast guys are finishing their dinner. Off they go.
I manage to grab some French fries and a Schorle.
Across the valley and up. … pitch dark. Very steep.
@sutterm and another guy are sleeping under in a garage, I join. Another guy shows up later.
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17:50h - 229K - 5297m
I am the last to leave the shelter. First summit. First MTB downhill section is tricky and not really enjoyable. Views are not bad.
“Are you doing the HOPE100?” Asks me a nice man in a SUV at the bottom? “One thousand!” I correct him a bit offended, but happy to be recognized. …
Second day without caffe. Bad supermarket paestry and alp water in dirty bidons als breakfast again.
10:42 – 7 hours, only 70 km and two big mountains into the day. I run into @sutterm in Brunnen at the lake, he is having ice-cream. “Swimming? I scream” … f**k the race, it is already 35 degrees. We strip and jump in. In retrospect best stop in the whole week. Christian Dupraz shows up wearing hiking pants and a shirt. He strips and jumps in the water.
Two heavy hitters in the next 25km. One with 700m and the second with 1100m. The afternoon does not look like any fun.
The tarmac reflects the sun and the conditions are brutal. It feels I find Christian Dupraz lying under a three at the beginning of the second pass. I greet and continue. 40 degress says the Garmin. Some ramps hit 17%. I walk.
