The Regensburg Arber Radmarathon



der Grosse Arber

As I explained in my last post, I have been training pretty hard for my first German Rad Marathon (Century Ride), the Regensburg Arber Radmarathon, which took place Sunday, July 29. As part of my training, I've been riding with two different groups on Wed and Sat. and sometimes also my new bike buddies Sven and Thomas (the night hiking guy). But a lot of the time I've gone out on my own, riding up and down the wastewater hill after work or doing a quick 40 kms down river to a town called Tittmoning and then back through Austria, there's a nice climb out of the river valley on that ride.

So the Arber Marathon leaves from Regensburg and heads out into the Bavarian Forest which goes as far as the border with the Czech Republic and also toward Austria. It's called the Aber Marathon because of the mountain you have to climb on the ride called the Arber (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gro%C3%9Fer_Arber) which is 1456 meters or 4777 ft in height. Well, I didn't climb the Arber because the Arber is only included in the 250km route with 3300 meters of climbing and my training this summer is not to that level. So I opted for the 170 km route or what the Germans called the Kleine Arber Runde or small Arber route, which involves riding 170 kms with 2200 meters of climbing. And even at that, I wasn't sure I was up to the task. Most of the Century rides I've ridden do not have that much climbing. Also, I also ended up registering for the ride knowing I was going solo because most of the other riders I knew were going for the 250 km. So no moral support from biking buddies, was especially going to miss riding on Trent's wheel.

So, off I headed to Regensburg the night before to hang out with our good friends Simon and Sigi and their boys Tristan and Sammy. I enjoyed a carb-filled spaghetti dinner and a relaxing evening watching a film and the Olympics before having to get up at the crack of dawn for my ride. One funny note, went to pick up my number on Sat night, and low and behold, big bicycle trade show, beer tables everywhere, and a band doing the sound check. And I knew the band from 20 years ago! Luis Trinkers Hohenrausch! Still around, still playing strong, talked to Bertl the lead singer for a few minutes. So cool! First song they sang: Iggy Pop's I am the Passenger (and I ride and I ride and I ride, so fitting).

the starting line

Sunday morning, up and out of the house and down to the start line for 7am start. Got there in time to see the 250 km riders start at 6am. Enjoyed an all-you-can-eat breakfast for EUR 5 and had plenty of time to use the bathroom, etc. Note on the bathroom, only one building with just a few toilets, with signage: Mens on one and Men and Women on the other. Hmm, more men riding than woman? For 6,000 riders, that's not a lot of bathrooms. Also, what I found particularly amusing was the young guy who was keeping the toilets well stocked with supplies and providing music on vinyl records. Johnny Cash was playing as I was waiting. He had also posted amusing signs in each of the stalls, one read: "The length of a minute depends on which side of the bathroom door you are standing on." Nice to have a bathroom attendent with a sense of humor.

So, onto the ride! Man, I was nervous. But everyone just said take your time, you have all day, don't try to keep up with anyone on the hills, go at your own pace. That is pretty much how I rode this ride. Once out of Regensburg, the first 50 kms or so had lots of rolling hills through many quiet villages, barely any traffic and very well signposted. The first stop was in Cham, a smaller town in the middle of the Bavarian forest near the Czech border, felt pretty good but I knew that what I had just ridden was nothing compared to what was to come (check https://www.arberradmarathon.de/touren/ if you want to look at the routes). I did draft here and there, but once we hit the hills I just went at my own pace so it was hard to draft with a larger group.

The second 50kms was the really mountainous part of the ride, we rode a few hills, the hardest in this lot was getting to the top of Kolmberg, where the second rest stop was. This was quite a climb, had some steep parts, but never was I more thankful for the triple ring on my bike and my granny gear, which I proudly used. Went down into that gear and just kept pedaling. Made it to the rest stop thinking the worst was behind me, climbing-wise. Hmm. Well the first good surprise, was the Coca-Cola stand, I was so happy to see it and thought of the Birch Bay rest stop on the Tour de Whatcom back home that always had Coke to get tired riders back home. I drank ample amounts and enjoyed the excellent food, but missed peanut butter! The second, not so good surprise, was the thunderstorm that passed through during this break, got totally dowsed while waiting for it to pass. Ran into my new friend Hans, who was giving me a lift back to Burghausen later that day, he told me the highest climb was yet to come, the Maibrunn (15% slope). Geez. Well, he was riding the 250km ride and had already ridden the Arber.

Once the rain subsided, back on the bike and down the Kolmberg mountain which was nerve-wracking because of the wet roads and almost no braking power, not to mention the other cyclists whizzing past me. I was worried about getting out of control, esp. if a sharp turn came out of nowhere with no brakes. You just never know what to expect in uncharted territory. Luckily I made it off the Kolmberg safely, the sun came out, back into green Bavarian farmland, to face the Maibrunn. Once I saw where the climb started and the other cyclists beginning to pump up the mountain, I took a moment to stop, take off my rain jacket, swallow some coke, eat a caffein jelly bean, then I got up on my bike, into granny gear and started climbing. It wasn't so bad, it felt never-ending and the initial incline was definitely steep, but it leveled off after a while, became steep again, and then leveled off. I even passed a few riders going up and I could hear another rider close behind me. The worst thing about hill climbing is when you aren't familiar with the hill or mountain because you don't know when it's going to end or what's around the next corner, so preserving energy is key when doing a ride for the first time, at least in my opinion. Well, I made it to the top! No cramps, no stopping, no walking, 901 meters or 2952 ft (though we didn't start from the bottom, not fully down to sea level). As I reached the top, this German rider came up from behind and thanked me for pulling him up the mountain. Hmm, I'll be darned. Maybe I'll crack this thing after all, then I asked him if the worst was over and he said yes, but there was still Saulberg to go. Groan, another mountain. Well after the Maibrunn, I felt like I could climb just about anything.

I can't remember what part of the ride this picture is from, but I could see riders in the distance riding the hill behind these farmhouses. Thought it made for a good photo. The one benefit of riding on your own is that you can go at your own pace, but also stop without feeling bad about making your buddies stop with you for photo ops.

The last and final rest stop was just after Saulberg climb, which was nothing compared to the last few. The remainder of the route was a nice flat 40 miles up the Danube with a strong head wind. Lovely! I knew I was going to have to hook up with a group for this last part or it was going to be a lonely hard slog. But not before enjoying a good cold brew! Yes, folks, the last German rest stop had a beer stand with, get this, free beer! Wheat beer, lagers, alcohol free, it was all there. Never in America! I had to indulge! Another thing I noticed on this ride was the

lack of porto potties and lines and lines of riders waiting to use them. There were 2000 riders on my route alone and probably 6,000 or more riders altogether. How is it that there were only 2 porto potties at every rest stop with no lines. Well, I'll tell ya! I saw lots of mostly male riders stopping to pee by the side of the road or heading into the cornfields to do some business. What we would call public urination is not as strict in Europe as it is back home, and as we were out in the countryside, no one really cared.  The fact is Europeans just aren't quite as prudish about bodily functions as we are, not to mention the body in general. So, one beer down and off I went for the last 40 kms and sure enough, killer headwind. I rode about 10kms on my own, thinking that this might be the worst part of the whole day and maybe this is where it would all go to hell. Oh Trent, where was your wheel for that last 40 kms? Suddenly, a lone rider passed me and I jumped onto his wheel and held on for dear life. Then a few more kms down the road, a whole group passed us and he jumped in with them and so did I, but they were speeding along at a fast 30-35 kmh. Each time it looked like I was going to drop off, a rider from behind would pass, jump in, and I would get on his wheel. I hung tight for 20 kms, but when I saw the sign 10 km to go and the group appeared to jump to light speed, I allowed myself to drop off and head into town on my own steam. It was so good to ride into Regensburg, I  passed the area of town where I used to work, one of the movie theaters where we used to go, and onto Dultplatz where I was welcomed with lots of clapping and there was my very good friend Sigi right at the finish line cheering me on! What a buzz! My goal had been to be at the finish at 4pm and I arrived a five to four. Ride time 7 hrs 18 min, average speed of 23.7 kmh, and 173 km. Not bad at all. And, in the swag bag, there was a new cycling shirt, tickets for two free beers and a free meal. There's nothing like having a friend to meet you at the finish line and all the beer and food there waiting for you! No, definitely not bad at all. Can't wait for the next Radmarathon!

Riders enjoying a well-deserved
 beer at the last rest stop

Biking

This post is dedicated to my biking buddies in Bellingham:
It took a bit of time, some networking and posting flyers at the local sports club, but I finally found some folks go ride with. I go out with a loosely-organized group of guys on Wednesday evenings. We head out at 5:30 for about 50-80 kms, depending on weather and what the group decides on the day. It's a pretty fast group and I do struggle to keep up, but they are kind enough to wait form me. So that's my Wednesday group.
I've also found a bike club in the next town up the road, in fact, the Pope's home town of Marktl. Let me tell you it's a happening place. A gas station, small pub and cafe, the Pope's birth house and a big statue of dedicated to him across the street. That's about it. But it's at the base of a tough climbing hill called the Bruckberg. It took me a while to get the nerve to try it, but one night on a training ride with the group right after a rain storm, they all decided to go for it. It wasn't as bad as I thought, but a nice 10% climb with several switchbacks. I've gotten used to it now. OK, back to the club, they are called the Radclub (Rad as in Fahrrad or bicycle) Ritzelfuchser (the most approximate translation I can come up with is "Gear Geeks").  A Ritzel is the rear sprocket, a Fuchs is a fox, but can be used to refer to someone who's an expert in something. Anyway, I've ridden with them twice now and they go at a good pace but were very welcoming and made sure I didn't get left behind. Through their website, I've discovered that Century rides are referred to as Rad Marathons (bike marathon).
On that note, a little bit about the landscape in this part of Bavaria. We are in the foothills of the Alps, which I can see from my apartment window. I thought we had hills in Bellingham, well they're nothing to the hills here. We go for a 70 km ride and will do a good number of climbs, often times an incline of 10%. Not that I'm complaining, it's just that when you think you're about to be done with one climb, there's another one. Part of the adjustment has been learning the terrain around here, knowing when the climb is coming and how steep or long. Not knowing makes it hard to know how much energy to conserve, but I'm getting the hang of it. This is a major agricultural region, lots of farm land with small villages, which all look alike (even the local churches have a similar architecture), but fabulous, quiet back roads with very little traffic, great for good riding, and well signposted.

On that note, I have registered for my first Rad Marathon in my old stomping ground of Regensburg. Not sure I'm ready for it, but am going to try for it anyway. 170 km (105 miles approx.), but with 2200 m (7200 ft) of climbing (https://www.arberradmarathon.de/rennrad-tour-b/). I'm not sure I'm getting the distance in for training, but I am working on hill climbing. For example, at the plant where I work, the wastewater treatment plant is on the Salzach river at the bottom of the hill. A nice 10% climb. I do it a few times a week on my Wacker bike. Last week, I rode my road bike to work and rode it a few times. I think it's making a difference. But I won't know till I get out and do the big ride.

Midnight Hiking in the Alps



Untersberg



view from halfway up Untersberg

Yesterday was Friday. I was looking forward to back-to-back days of biking to train for my upcoming Rad Marathon, however the weather wasn't looking too promising for Saturday. In fact, Ronan's school sports day, which was scheduled for Saturday, was canceled. So I figured biking might not be an option. Then I got a call from our new friend Thomas, the father of one of Ronan's friends from school. I've been biking with him a few times and our families play pick-up soccer together. Last Friday, we went cycling along with his brother-in-law and another friend. He told me to bring my bathing suit, so I did. I really didn't expect to go swimming, but we ended up at a Badesee (swimming lake) and I ended up getting talked into swimming across the lake and back. Got home and felt like I had done 2/3 of a triathalon. Thomas is the kind of person who pushes you into doing things you're not sure you want to do, but once you've done them, you're glad you did it.

So when he called yesterday and proposed that James and I join him, his wife, and another friend on an evening hike, I had an inkling of what I might be getting into. He said we leave at 5:00 pm when you're done with work, Ronan can stay with our kids, we'll hike 3 hours up the mountain and 2 hours down in the dark, back at the car around 11 pm and home by midnight, weather report looks good, should be a good view. He said it was not a dangerous mountain, he hikes it all the time, just bring good shoes, a snack and lots of water. Since the weather had cleared up that afternoon and stopped raining, James and I agreed we should just go for it.

We arrived at Thomas's house just at 5pm and were off to a late start cause Ronan got slightly lost on his bike on the way there. Off we went in their VW van toward Salzburg. The mountain in question on this adventure is called Untersberg. It lies just to the north of Salzburg.

Thomas said it would be a nice leisurely hike up and then back down the mountain. Well, leisurely it was not. First of all, due to the late start, he opted that we take the ski piste trail instead of the switchbacks. This meant that we were hiking fairly much straight upwards for the first 500 meters, then we got onto the forest trail, which was not near as steep and made for good going, but then it led back to the ski trail and back to hiking on a step incline, mix of grass, rock, and skree. James and I were able to keep up, barely. They hiked at a good pace and have clearly done this hike many times. In fact, Monica, Thomas' wife told me that he often bikes to the mountain from Burghausen, hikes it and then bikes home (50 hilly kms each way). This guy also bikes from Burghausen to Croatia (700kms) in three days going practically non-stop and doing at least two mountain passes along the way. So he is pretty darn fit. In fact, he's invited me to go with him on his next trip to Croatia, but I'm pretty sure I'm not ready for that adventure yet.

Anyway, back to the mountain. It took well over three hours to get to the peak, we made it by about 10:30 pm after Thomas telling us about 4 times that it was just another 20 minutes. I was so ready to stop at the first peak, but he insisted we go all the way to the Hochthron (main peak). We did get a fabulous view of Salzburg, which was lit up like a Christmas tree and we could see the line of traffic on the Munich autobahn.



 

 While enjoying the view, it was all I could do not to think about how hard it was going to be to descend in the dark. I tend to go a lot slower going down than up. I didn't have ankle-high hiking boots, which I knew was going to be a problem. I was worried that I'd twist or break an ankle on the skree going down. The Austrians all had these hiking poles, neither James nor I did, big disadvantage on the way down. Instead of snacking at the top, we decided we'd go back to the Berghuetten halfway down the mountain to snack, then we'd have a good bit of the descent behind us. Surprisingly we had quite a lot of light still at the beginning of our descent, it wasn't quite proper dark and we had the glare of the city lights to help us. Unfortunately, I did not underestimate the discomfort of the descent. By about a quarter of the way down, my thighs were burning and my pace slowed. The rest of the group waited for me at each turn. It was important to stick together at this point. There really was nothing to do but keep going, intensely focused on each step and where I placed my feet. I did fall a few times, but it was those slow motion falls that you can brace for as you're going down. Made it to the Berghuette (mountain hut used in the winter by skiers) where we snacked and rested, and where it began to lightly rain.

The remainder of the descent was even more difficult because once we got below the treeline, we no longer benefited from the glare of the city lights and the rain made the grass and rocks wet and slippery. I did some good butt-sliding because my thighs were just giving out, I had a bad case of jelly legs. We eventually and miraculously (to me) made it to the dirt road which we chose to take the rest of the way, even though it was slightly longer, instead of continuing down the steep ski trail. I don't think my legs could have handled any more of the steepness and I was grateful for the mild incline of the road. Thomas told me they hike this mountain in winter, equipped with plastic bags, which they then use to sled down the mountain in about 20 minutes. That sounded much better to me than hiking it down. Finally, we all made it back to the car, tired and exhausted, but safe and sound, by 1 am. Wow, 6 1/2 hours of hiking. Can't remember the last time I've done a hike that steep and that long. Needless to say I'm having trouble getting around today, hope it rains tomorrow, so I don't have to do my bike training.

I have to say that these folks who live in the or near the Alps are a hearty, tough, physically fit people, I thought we in the northwest were tough, but I've been put in my place. Nothing like knowing there's lots of room for improvement. Hmm, I might have to go biking tomorrow after all.

p.s. When we picked Ronan up from Thomas's house today, Thomas had just come back from jogging, Monica was off jogging in the evening, and they wanted to know if we want to play football on Sunday. See what I mean by tough? Thomas is already talking about our next hiking and biking adventure. Well, I now definitely know what to expect and hopefully me and my thighs will be ready.

James at the top of Untersberg