Note: I mention brands and models here. I have no affiliation with any of these brands. Even so, I’m flagging this as advertising, since brand names are mentioned. On this blog, I always like to let you in on my thinking and the changes I make. This time, I want to take you along on…
A quick note upfront: This post is a deeply personal, data-driven analysis of why my stomach regularly shuts down during solo ultra-races, even when my fitness and motivation are spot on. I am sharing my concrete body and performance metrics here, alongside the physiological connections between the nervous system, stress, and digestion. Ever struggled with…
The Silk Road Mountain Race came to an end on Saturday. And anyone who followed the race on Dotwatcher quickly realized that this year it was even more demanding and harder than ever before. The route was longer and there was also more elevation gain. That resulted in the second-highest scratch rate in the history…
In ultra bikepacking races and events, a DNF is not the exception, it’s almost the norm. And yet hardly anyone talks honestly about what that actually means. At Bright Midnight this summer, snow, cold, and rain led to many abandonments. And at the Transcontinental Race too, well-known participants had to give up, for instance due…
Since Friday, May 29, they’re on the road again: 170 participants are fighting their way through the Balkans over 1,400 km and more than 30,000 meters of elevation gain. And I use the word fighting deliberately, because for me the Trans Balkan Race is one of the hardest and most demanding bikepacking ultras in Europe….
Just over two years ago, I published my first major overview featuring 36 ultralight tents for bicycle touring and bikepacking. During this time, I have spent a lot of time on this topic and made my research available to you. Since then, a lot has changed: the “magical” 1-kilo limit for one-person tents is long…
Since 2020, you can find a deep analysis of the bikes and equipment of the major ultra-bikepacking races like the Atlas or Silk Road Mountain Race in my Bikeanalytics. The basis for these evaluations are the “Rigs of…” posts by Bikepacking.com. At this point, many thanks for your work on this and the careful gathering…
While the world outside was counting down to New Year’s Eve, stocking up on champagne, and philosophizing about “new beginnings,” I was sitting in a shelter in the forest. It was December 30th, it was dark, and the thermometer continued to crawl further into the cellar. Strictly speaking, one could book this overnighter as a…
I keep sharing my thoughts and considerations with you in this blog. And this time it’s about my own conservatism as well as light and power supply on the bike. And a change of perspective. My Path to the Hub Dynamo But let’s start at the beginning: On my first bike tours, electricity was not…
While the first part of the evaluation covered the type questions, type of bike, wheel sizes, tyres and brakes, we are now delving deeper. Because now we are looking at gears, drivetrain, bearings, saddle and bags. And once again, please note: due to the multiple answer options for some questions, the total is more than…
First of all, I would like to thank you for your active participation, without which this survey would not have turned out so well. 518 people took part, providing some very interesting insights and information. Thank you also for the many motivating comments! It makes me very happy to provide inspiration and support with my…
So far, I have mostly limited my analyses of bikes and equipment to the more well-known bikepacking ultra races, such as the Atlas Mountain Race, Silk Road Mountain Race, Tour Divide or Hellenic Mountain Race. But there’s really no reason for this, apart from my personal interest in these races. And so I am expanding…
Only a few more days and then I’ll once again be at the start of a bikepacking ultra race: this time it’s the Trans Balkan Race, which runs 1,380 km through Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro and starts on 31 May in Sežana, Slovenia. And I’m really looking forward to it, because it’s not “just”…
UPDATE: I have updated and expanded this post. You can find the new article featuring 81 UL tents here: https://www.biketour-global.de/en/2026/03/29/update-2026-81-ultralight-tents-for-bikepacking-bicycle-touring-compared/ Enjoy! A few years ago I took you with me on my search for a tent for my next bikepacking race. I looked at several tents and categorised them according to certain criteria. I then…
If you’re into Bikepacking, you’ll sooner or later come to the question of overnight stays or camping. And then it’s not far and you’re faced with the decision between tent or bivy sack (or tarp or hammock, but we’ll leave that aside). I’m actually a classic “tent person” and will remain so – that is…