Because of bad weather forecasts, the organisers decided on Wednesday evening to make some significant changes to the race. The start for all categories would be on the S-chanf which meant that instead of 137km and 4000hm, the race would be 47k and 1000hm. Quite a different race all together.

At first, I thought, how crazy this was. Hardly worth travelling to Scuol for this new route, especially as I had a tough week teaching in school. Additionally, I couldn’t complete my training program fully as a problem thumb joint from the last race, flared up and I had problems gripping the handlebars. I tried to relive the problem thumb with treatment to reduce the inflammation… I wanted to race at Scuol as I am doing well in the overall standings and every race counts.

With this in the background, I left straight after school on Friday, but this time alone as Erich needed to keep the shop open over the weekend. Dani Wyder jumped on board in Pfäffikon, and I was really grateful for this company. Also, as it was raining hard, progress to the race was slow. As we drove into Engadin, I pointed out the feed spots where we would meet the following day. We arrived in Scuol at 7:30pm, collected the start number and headed to the hotel in Ftan…. Where I was so hungry I took a beeline for the food before going to the room.

The start was at 8:30am, 2 hrs later than planned but we were up at the same time, 5am. After breakfast at this early hour, I prepared my kit, got things sorted and made my bidons. 6:30am saw us on the way to S-chanf and the start area. There wasn’t any signage at S-chanf but fortunately it’s a small place so it was easy to find the start line. I got warm on the rollers with some small chats with people before lining up in the start box. We were “neutralised” until the official track so we wouldn’t risk the jostling chaos of a mass start.

Finally, we were released to race and the pace really picked up. I was focussed on the win today even though I was telling myself it was “just” about getting points for the overall rankings.

I was pretty fired up after reading a preliminary report from Martin Platter:
“In the women’s category, Bike Marathon Classics leader Esther Süss is not likely to be as confident as she is with the track cut – the 44-year-old’s favourite terrain is long and steep climbs, which may open up the possibility for a youngster Rider like Alessia Nay from Zizers, who was one of the early contenders for the middle distance last year, or Janine Schneider who, like Nay, is only 23 years old.”

 I wanted to ride off the front and got away well at the start and placed myself in a group that had gaps opening and closing all the time. Then I found myself out on my own and took a little speed out and moderated the pace… the group caught up and I took my place again.

The riding was a little nervous… position battles which weren’t productive and risky as well. Everyone together would be quicker than a lone rider… So, the inevitable crashes happened which was dangerous and I needed to be alert to be able to react. I managed to avoid falls several times….

Before Zernez I had an image of myself lying on the ground after a fall… but I snapped my focus back and avoided all the problems around me. After many small kickers and crossing the Ofenpassstrasse in Zernez, the “longer” ascent arrived and I could match the pace well and keep up.

Next, to Lavin, where Dani stood for the second time. After Lavin, we went up again a little longer to Guarda and Ftan. Still a bit higher and then down on the scooter route. On this downhill I saw everything ahead and I could have ridden a lot faster, especially around the corners, but that did not fit with the ego of many a man, so I left it, because I did not want to risk anything on the last few kilometres.

Down through Scuol to the Inn, but instead of over the bridge we had always ridden, we turn left and took the next bridge and rather steep ramp up to the finish. Here I couldn’t quite keep up with the men, because they could pile on the gas, but I lacked the raw power!

Nevertheless, I was able to win the race and even set a new course record. With my time I was also able to pick up the prize of the fastest day! Thank you very much, the Sponsor !!

I would also like to thank Dani, who had given his time and accompanied me to Engadine. Since I was traveling so fast on the course, he could not quite keep up with me and missed me in Guarda.

Thanks also to the whole organizational team putting on the National Park Marathon, who had to send in some night workers to organize everything on such short notice. They worked hard to ensure every participant was at the start at the right time and could pick up their bag at the finish.

It always takes a brave and bold decision to shorten races, but it was absolutely right! Also, the solution, that „every track“ had its own launch, I found great! Otherwise there would have been even more falls.

With this, I wish you all a good start to the new week.

Translation from @rickharrison

📷 Martin Platter

Wegen den schlechten Wetterprognosen, entschieden am Mittwochabend, dass für alle Kategorien auf der kurzen Strecke von S-chanf gestartet werde, also anstatt 137km waren es noch 47km, anstatt 4000hm noch 1000hm.

Zuerst dachte ich so doof, das lohnt sich ja kaum, für diese Strecke nach Scuol zu reisen, zumal ich eine ziemlich strenge Woche (Arbeit) hinter mir hatte.

Zudem konnte ich auch nicht mein Trainingsprogramm durchziehen, da sich mein Daumengelenk beim letzten Rennen entzündet hatte, und ich somit den Bikelenker nicht wirklich halten konnte. 😬

Mit Salben und Umschlägen, versuchte ich die Entzündung möglichst rasch zu lindern. 🤕

Trotzdem wollte ich natürlich unbedingt nach Scuol gehen um am Rennen teilzunehmen, da ich ja auf die Gesamtwertung fahre, zählt jedes Rennen.

So reiste ich also einmal mehr direkt nach Schulschluss am Freitagnachmittag ab. Diesmal aber ohne Erich, da er nicht schon wieder zwei Tage den Laden schliessen konnte.

In Pfäffikon stieg dann Dani Wyder zu, der für die Verpflegung eingesprungen ist, vielen DANK!! 🙏

Mittlerweile regnete es richtig fest und so ging es etwas gemächlicher voran. Während wir das Engadin ab fuhren, zeigte ich Dani noch, wo er mich am nächsten Tag verpflegen sollte. Ca. Um 19.30 Uhr waren wir dann in Scuol und entschieden uns, gleich och die Startnummer zu holen und erst danach zum Hotel in Ftan zu fahren.

Im Hotel angekommen, war ich so hungrig, dass wir gleich zum Essen gingen und erst nachher unser Zimmer bezogen.

Obwohl der Start auf 8.30 Uhr angesetzt war also gute 2 Stunden später als geplant, musste wir etwa zur gleichen Zeit aufstehen. So weckte mich der Wecker um 5.00 Uhr!

Nach dem Frühstück, dass bereits zu dieser frühen Stunde bereitstand im Hotel Bellavista in Ftan, packten ich meine Sachen zusammen,  machte meine Bidons bereits und um 6.30 Uhr fuhren wir mit dem Auto los nach S – chanf zum Start.

Noch waren keine Pfeile angebracht, als wir in S – chanf eintragen, doch da dieser Ort ja zum Glück nicht so gross war, fanden wir zum Start!

Ich fuhr mich auf der Rolle ein und hatte noch den einen oder anderen Schwatz und schon war es Zeit um in die Startbox zu gehen.

Der Speaker erinnerte immer wieder daran, dass wir neutralisiert bis zur «offiziellen» Strecke fahren würden, und jeder seine Zeit bei der Zeitmatte auslösen würde, wir also nicht zu drängeln hätten!!

Dies funktioniert dann halbwegs.

Dann endlich war das Rennen freigegeben und es ging gleich ziemlich schnell zur Sache. Natürlich wollte ich auch heute auf Sieg fahren, obwohl ich mir noch im Vorfeld eingeredet hatte, dass es bloss darum ging Punkte für die Gesamtwertung zu holen. Doch der Vorbericht von Martin Platter stachelte mich zu mehr an! (Zitat: Bei den Frauen dürfte Bike-Marathon-Classics-Leaderin Esther Süss mit der Streckenkürzung nicht mehr ganz so souverän als Sieganwärterin unterwegs sein. Das bevorzugte Terrain der 44-Jährigen sind lange und steile Steigungen. Das eröffnet vielleicht die Möglichkeit für eine junge Fahrerin wie Alessia Nay aus Zizers, die bis letztes Jahr noch auf der Mitteldistanz zu den Sieganwärterinnen gehört hatte. Oder Janine Schneider, die wie Nay erst 23 Jahr alt ist.)

Trotzdem wollte ich im Kopf fahren, denn 47km mussten auch zuerst gefahren werden!! Doch ich kam gut weg beim Start und konnte mich schon bald in einer Gruppe einordnen, die zwar immer mal wieder etwas auseinandergerissen wurde. So passierte es auch einmal, dass ich plötzlich ganz alleine unterwegs war. Sofort nahm ich etwas Tempo raus, denn die beiden Ausreisser konnte ich nicht mehr stellen, also wartete ich auf den Rest der Gruppe. Dort ordnete ich mich wieder ein.

Es war ziemlich nervös, immer wieder wurden Positionkämpfe ausgetragen, was ja nicht wirklich nötig war, denn es dauerte noch seine Zeit bis ins Ziel und zusammen wäre jeder eh schneller als als Einzelkämpfer. So passierten immer wieder Stürze und das machte das Ganze schon ziemlich gefährlich und ich musste immer auf der Hut sein, um reagieren zu können. Einige Male hatte ich wirklich Glück, dass ich nicht in den Sturz mit verwickelt war.

Noch vor Zernez hatte ich eine riesige Schrecksekunde und ich sah mich schon am Boden liegen. Doch irgendwie schaffte ich ohne zu stürzen und konnte weiterfahren.

Nach den vielen kleinen Kicker, kam nach der Querung der Ofenpassstrasse in Zernez der erst etwas «längere» Anstieg. Auch hier konnte ich mithalten (eigentlich fast besser als bei dieser ständigen Kickerei).

Weiter ging’s nach Lavin, wo Dani zum zweiten Mal stand. Nach Lavin, gings dann nochmals etwas länger berghoch, nach Guarda und Ftan. Noch etwas hoch und dann runter auf dem Trottinettroute. Bei diesem Downhill sah ich alles und ich hätte wirklich schneller fahren können, vor allem um die Kurven, doch das liess das Ego so manchen Mannes nicht zu und so beliess ich es dabei, denn ich wollte nichts mehr riskieren auf den letzten Kilometern. Runter durch Scuol bis zum Inn, doch anstatt über die Brücke, die wir bis jetzt immer gefahren waren, machen wir noch einen Bogen nach links und nahmen erst die nächste Brücke. So mussten wir nach der Brücke noch eine ziemlich steile Rampe hoch zum Ziel fahren. Da konnte ich dann nicht mehr ganz mit den Männern mithalten, denn die konnten da hoch «würgen» doch dazu fehlte mir die Rohkraft!

Trotzdem konnte ich das Rennen gewinnen und sogar einen neuen Streckenrekord aufstellen. Mit dieser Zeit durfte ich dann auch noch den Preis der Tagesschnellsten abholen! Vielen Dank dem Sponsor!!

Danken möchte ich auch Dani, der sich die Zeit genommen hatte und mich ins Engadin begleitet hatte. Da ich so schnell unterwegs war, konnte er zwar nicht ganz mit mir mithalten und verpasste mich in Guarda.

Einen Dank auch an das ganze Organisationsteam vom Nationalparkmarathon, die wohl einige Nachtschickten einlegen mussten, um so kurzfristig noch alles zu organisieren. Dass jeder Teilnehmer zur rechten Zeit am Start stand und im Ziel sein Kleidersack wieder abholen konnte.

Es war eine mutige Entscheidung, dass Rennen zu verkürzen, doch es war richtig! Auch die Lösung, dass doch «jede Strecke» ihren eigenen Start hatte fand ich super! Denn sonst wäre es wohl zu noch mehr Stürzen gekommen.

📷 Martin Platter

I completed the first week of school on Friday at 3:05pm and at 3:.30pm we were in the car, wheels turning and headed towards Verbier. According to the GPS, we would arrive at about 6:15pm which would have been perfect, but unfortunately the reality was a little different ….

After 2 hours we had made it to Bern. I was looking for a restaurant where we could eat and finally, we decided to stop in Montreux and have dinner. It was worth it, because we found a superb pizzeria! At 9pm we finally arrived at the accommodation, unloaded, paid for the room, brushed teeth and off to bed because the alarm was set to go off at 4am!

As I still had to get my start number before the start, we left at 5.15 am for Verbier! I’m really an early riser, but even for me, this is brutally early and when I was warming up on the rollers, I have to admit I wasn’t really awake yet. Next the race starting signal at 6.30 am…

My plan today was to race and not let the others influence me! I was a bit nervous, I didn’t know for sure if I had recovered enough from the Eigerbike (last Sunday!). I also had respect for the long race distance and amount of climbing.  The stats were 125km / 5025hm and last year the winning time was 8 hours!

The first climb went quite well, the legs turned and after about 1000hm we were on the first trail and departure to Nendanz! The sun was wide awake too! In the first downhill section, this was not so pleasant, because it shone directly in the eyes, almost riding blind. However, the view was terrific … the mountain peaks, the sea of ​​fog over the Rhone Valley!

The descent was rather fast after we left the trail. While I could keep up with the boys on the trail, they could open up a gap on the asphalt. But in the ascent, I was able to close up again! When I was riding alone, suddenly I wasn’t completely sure where to go! One more reason to find the connection with the pack riders again!

Erich was waiting for me in Nendanz for the first time…. Right on cue.

After that I was riding with Bärti for a short time. But suddenly in the ascent to Veysonaz he was gone! I continued my pace through Veysonaz and Hérémence, where Erich met me twice. Now the Mandelon stood before us. Approximately 10km climbing, on top of a cool hill and then into a rapid descent down to Evolène. Erich stood patiently for the 4th time, and I got my 2nd sandwich! When I didn’t see him at the official feed zone and then did not fill my bottle, I was already looking for a well! Fortunately after the mega steep ramp he was there, waiting for me.

Very relieved, I stopped briefly, so that I could take on everything he had, including extra sandwiches (I had wished for more today!). Then the course went to Eison, where Erich agreed to meet again. Now significantly more bikers were on the track, because I started in the group of the shorter distances.

As I had remembered, next was a shorter climb then a descent, before it went in the last long climb up to the Pas de Lonna. At the bottom of this climb I was supposed to meet Erich. When I arrived in Eison, I was a little confused, because somehow, I missed the exit and Erich was nowhere to be seen.

So I rode on, I had a quick meal in the official feed zone, taking an energy bar on the way.

More than 1000hm were in front of me. Curve after curve it went up, past both riding and pushing bikers. I was already over 6 hours on the road and my feet began to hurt, even sitting was not as comfortable as at the beginning of the race. More than ever today mental strength was needed to direct thoughts to beautiful things and shut out the aches and pains.

My next destination was the Alp L’A Vieille, before going up to the Pas de Lonna in the later sections. I also wanted to stop again, eat and refuel. One thing I had learned on the Eigerbike, absolutely good regular nutrition! I said at the start that I would take a Sponser gel every hour and drink enough too. In addition, I also had bars and gums from Sponser with me! Since I could not feed myself all day from „this cute food,“ I wished for one of Erich’s sandwiches. In addition, I took a piece of cheese or whatever was not „sweet“.

After the food fight it was on with the Pas de Lonna. I could still ride a few hundred metres, then all bets were off. Bikers snaked up the dreaded Pas de Lonna. At first, I was still carrying my bike but when the back pain became too much (ironically my feet did not hurt anymore) I had to push my bike too.

This ascent demanded everything, and I thought I would never get up there. It was super tough as I also had to clear the way for myself. When I started here for the last time, I tagged along with another biker who steered and cleared me through all these other participants !!

I finally arrived at the top and I rushed to the food stall, where I scored a soup, and again some cheese !! The route continued over the plateau and the final climb, which was not long at 1.5k but became steeper and steeper! Finally I made it and went down. Gravel, curvy, fast …. on through the Lac de Moiry viewpoint. WOW, so beautiful and so blue! Again and again I had to take a look, but made sure that I did not get off track. After the reservoir we rode on a singletrack. This became increasingly rough and several times we had to cross a stream. Now the hands began to hurt. It would have been best if I had been able to open the brakes, but that was not possible, I would be too quick…. I didn’t want to risk a fall or a mechanical too close to the finish line.

Then after 7hours 30mins I came in as the winner at the finish in Grimentz!

To my surprise, I had also set a new course record, how COOL is that !!

After an interview and doping control, I could finally take a shower and then wait with friends to check the final rankings!

Tired and happy, we finally arrived back home Saturday evening and can now properly enjoy Sunday!

Thank you @rickharrison for the translation 👍

​

In the best weather conditions possible, we started the Eigerbike Challenge.

The ascent to the Gross Scheidegg went well and Ariane and I arrived there together. Ariane led out as expected in front of me on the trail, so I could ride her line! Unfortunately, another rider blocked me in and I had to let Ariane go. When I finally overtook Störefried, Ariane was already gone! Strangely I did not feel one with my bike on the downhills today, but the legs seemed to be good. At least I rode well and recovered the 50 lost seconds back to the field and together we reached the top! Unfortunately, my relationship to my bike had not improved and Ariane rode away again!

This time the gap was even bigger, I already thought that it was over for me! However, on the ascent to the board, I was able to ride well and get back on her rear wheel! Together we rode hard downhill. In the last descent I was able to open a gap of 20seconds and took the lead in the ascent to Kleine Scheidegg! That really motivated me, I regained confidence for the rest of the race! Things went very well to about 1.5km before the mountain prize on Kleine Scheidegg! Suddenly I had stomach cramps and I lacked the strength to really continue to ride at my pace! Whats going on!

Ariane came closer and closer! I couldn’t eat any more gels and didn’t know what to drink anymore! With the last strength I steeled myself for the mountain prize, I really had the feeling I was about to fall off the bike for a moment !! I tried to hold everything together for the departure off the summit! In my muddled state I even forgot to take a new bidon at the Feedzone, so I had nothing left to drink, this was a major mistake! Even though it was almost all downhill, there were two longer counter attacks! NOT GOOD!!!

When Ariane rode away again, I finally opted for safety rather than pushing too hard and risking a fall! I couldn’t have won through a sprint today anyway! I settled for second place overall!

I fought hard, but in the end, Ariane was stronger on the day and deserved the win!

Thanks to Erich and Sponser drinks for the support!

Maybe I just had too much going on in the background last week, with preparing and continuing work for the last two days at school! Maybe the recovery time was too short! Let’s hope that I manage this week better. Monday is SCHOOL START and I have increased my stamina to 80%!

The next monster race is on the program next Saturday, the Grand Raid in Valais!

Lets see….

Ischgl village up to Idalp (7.7km and 960hm); the short track and the Ischgl Ironbike Marathon 75km 3700hm.

 The whole event was very successful and special, presenting the athletes with new and testing challenges. But now, the write up from the event as it happened.

Hillclimb Stage: Ischgl Dorf to Idalp

The start for my group, the Women Elite riders, was 8:45pm, exactly the time when I usually go to bed on race days… and as a morning person, a completely new experience! I planned to eat at 6pm but had to change that for a team manager meeting, so I ate a little earlier. At 8pm we set off for the race and arrived at the start at 8:35pm.

There were some very strong riders, Kollmann, Pintaric, Tazreiter, Riederer…. The stage was set for some very exciting racing…

Riederer took the lead at the start, but since the course quickly went to an uphill section, I was able to ride well. When the climb began I was pleasantly surprised at how well my legs were turning. In the early stages there was the usual “jostling and sniffing“… who does what and when..“ Somewhere along the way, I thought we could ride a bit faster and took the lead. The field disintegrated more and more and at the middle station of the cable car up to the Idalp, Kollmann, Pintaric, Tazreiter and me rode together. It was quite steep, the road took us up higher and higher.

When we were about 1k from the finish, Pintaric attacked and unfortunately, I couldn’t follow… Kollmann went with her but my legs couldn’t give any more so I didn’t push… I hoped to defend for the third place which I managed… 25s behind the first place.

I was disappointed, I really wanted the win.. nothing lost, it’s the first stage, but still…. Next, the wait for the stage results due to be released at 10:30pm….. On the up side, we were well fed and not the usual pasta. We dined on baked potatoes with sour cream, steak and corn from the grill which was really nice.

After the results were posted, I took the cable car downhill and was finally in bed for midnight, I didn’t sleep much but wasn’t too tired.

Stage 2: Short Track.

 In the morning I went to the mountain with Erich to look at the two trails for the next days stage. There were new trails from the Idjoch down to Idalp and then the last trail on the downhill section to Ischgl. After checking this out, a massage which was organised earlier then on to check out the Short Track trails. Erich prepped my bike and my parents arrived as well which is always nice.

The start was 7pm, so food was the main topic again, so we all went for “lunch” in the middle of the afternoon! After that, time to kill until the start.

So, Short Track racing, 3 laps of a 2.9k course. I didn’t expect too much, the total distance is too short for my racing preference so my goal was to ride as well as possible without losing too much time and draining too much power.

Right after the start we crossed the bridge in two sharp turns and then we started the climb. This was, for a short track, relatively long (we made all the height per lap in this one climb!). Arriving at the top, 500m more or less flat but riding against the wind.

After that came a fast descent with tricky turns that were very slippery (because of the gravel). Then down the stream back to the line. About 200m before the finish we had to negotiate some sharp and tight curves and over a bridge back to the other side of the stream.

I was able to keep up surprisingly well for 2 laps. In the third lap Kollmann attacked in the climb. I followed and we opened a small gap to Pintaric. Had we worked together here, maybe even more would have been possible, but after I rode ahead, Kollmann did not help anymore and I rode the whole section in the wind. Although I was able to lead downhill, Pintaric and Kollmann passed me again along the stream. I was just „too sweet“ and put my elbows in, I didn’t want to provoke a fall. There was still the last big stage on the horizon. I had to be content with the 3rd place today. But I was really happy with the race. I had done a lot better than I thought on a course where couldn’t play to my strengths.

The men started after our race and so we had to wait a bit longer to see the results and overall rankings. We arrived at the start / finish with the caravan from Engadin, I could cook something for snacks and fill my memory of the trail for the marathon the next day.

Stage 3: Ironbike Marathon

 Today was different, a mass start for everyone at 8am. The route was neutralised through Ischgl towards Galtür. After approximately 2.5k we turned off the road and were released to race. My plan was to try and stay up fron for about 30kWe rode on the left side, up the valley with the occasional small climb. A singletrack took us down to Galtürand then back to Ischgl on the opposite side of the valley.

 As a five, we came back to Ischgl and the real race started. I was fed for the first time as we passed the church. My mum stood there with bottles for me and Angi and she mastered passing the bidons perfectly!

Again, a heads-up and see what others are doing. I remembers to not get worried and as has been proved effective, I rode at my own pace. My legs felt good and I cranked up the mountain, metre by metre. Back on the Hillclimb track, Kollmann dropped back a little. I was thinking that she was probably doing here own thing and will be coming at me again, later.

At the „hohe Zaire“  Angi and I were fed by my dad, another bidon handover professional! Next a right turn, a short downhill and a further 5k up to the Salanserjoch. By this time, the groups had shrunk again and Pintaric had opened a gap. Angi and I rode together for a while but the steeper it got, the more things went in my favour. I love the climbs and had the better pace arriving alone on the Salanserjoch. I was fed by Erich (a seasoned bidon professional), who told me I was 1 minute ahead of Pintaric and 1:40 ahead of Angi.

Next, a long descent to Samnaun on singletrack with cows to dodge the gravel, rapidly loosing height. I lost some seconds when I missed the signage. I was also shaken after seeing a ditch late. Not slowing down but not carrying enough speed to jump, I got through it and was still on the bike!

In Samnaun, dad should have been standing with a bidon but no one was at the Feedzone for me. I thought that the official Feedzone was still to come.. but this wasn’t the case. I had to think.. and fast! The next 10k was steep climbing in high temperatures, running out of fluid would be a disaster. A local well saved the day and gave me the splash and dash I needed.

In past years we rode downhill here, this year we fought our way up the hairpins over Alp Trida to the Idjoch. I didn’t look back and really focussed on my race. I struggled on, climbing metre by metre. It was a vertical kilometre to the Idjoch, getting steeper all the time and I thought about kicking on, not dismounting and pushing.

On the Idjoch, mum and dad were waiting with a welcome bidon. A quick long drink, a deep breath and straight into the singletrack down to Idalp and Erich for the final time. 2.5k and 300 m climbing before the last 10k descent to Ischgl.

I really enjoyed this climb and wasable to pass many riders, some pushing. This was great for my motivation to press on. Finally, I was up and the challenge was to keep in control on the 10k descent. The first 4k were trail, the rest very fast gravel, the track was very bumpy and I was getting battered on my hardtail.

Finally Ischgl and I finished after just 5h as winner of the Ischgl Ironbike Marathon.

Now it was the waiting game. Who would be second and had I done enough to take the overall win?

Pintaric, who had started with the lead tricot and had 30 seconds ahead of me, came in 10 minutes after I had crossed the line…. I had taken the overall win!

I was super happy after a very exciting race weekend. I learned a great deal from this race, it was a great experience and I hope to be competing again next year.

Thanks to Mum, Dad and Erich for their care and the Organisers for a great race format.