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