This year marks the fourth edition of The Bright Midnight, a bikepacking race that covers 1,100km and 20,000m of elevation gain through the impressive landscape of Norway. Organizer Justinas aka King of Chaos is himself a very successful ultra-racer and has packed the route with a lot of love and challenge. And if you believe…
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….
It’s somehow surreal: just a moment ago I was in Tuscany, pedaling up a mountain, and now I’m sitting in a hospital in Leipzig with my father, caring for my mother, while my sister checks out new options for care. This is obviously not how I imagined my participation in the Italy Divide, but sometimes…
To get straight to the point: the North2Peak is a real beast. It demands physically, mentally, and also of the equipment. The North2Peak, organized by the two Hamburgers Lisa and Philipp, shows in an impressive way that you can also build a demanding bikepacking event in the North that does not need to hide. If…
Why even use a hydration vest? You often see them at ultra-events, but increasingly also in regular use during very hot weather: hydration vests. I usually ride with two bottles, often mounted on the fork. That was always enough for me. Then I started looking into nutrition and regular hydration and came across hydration vests….
On Friday, the fourth edition of the Trans Balkan Race (TBR) started: 1,380km with around 30,000 metres of climbing await the participants. I have a bitter-sweet past with the TBR: I failed in the race itself and injured my hand nerve, which is still with me today. But I was also physically and mentally not…
Yesterday at 6 pm it was that time again and more than 250 participants started the Atlas Mountain Race 2025 in Marrakesh. The race has become one of the most popular in the ‘scene’, which has led to a real rush of registrations. As a result, many applicants received cancellations or were only able to…
Note: The Suicycle bike shop in Hamburg contacted me and offered me a demo sample of the SON Ladelux for testing. Of course I did so and then returned it. Thanks again for that! A note in advance: I am not an expert when it comes to electrical voltage, power, lumens or lux. For me,…
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…
Since this morning, more than 170 participants are once again on their way to cycle through Kyrgyzstan from Bishkek. This year’s Silk Road Mountain Race is even longer and goes even higher. There are almost 2,000 km to cover and around 30,000 metres of altitude to climb. With around 1,548 metres of elevation gain over…
Note: At my request, Tailfin provided me with a frame bag for the test. So that’s advertising. When it comes to bags for Bikepacking, it’s easy to talk about Tailfin. They have been gaining in popularity for some time now, not least among performance-orientated Bikepacking fans. After the AeroPack, with which they were able to…
Let’s be clear from the beginning: the Trans Balkan Race is a real challenge and cannot be overestimated. Bea and Luca have built a track through the Balkans that is second to none: very challenging trails and tracks, remote landscapes with long sections without catering and a weather/climate that constantly increases the level of difficulty….
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”…
The second Hellenic Mountain Race started a few hours ago, a bikepacking race through the Greek mountains that has it all: over just 883 kilometres, 27,800 metres in altitude have to be overcome. That means 3,148 metres of elevation gain over 100 km. A “tough board”. Just like last year, I took a look at…
For many years I have been analysing the bikes and equipment of participants in some of the larger bikepacking races. The basis for this are the “Rigs of…” articles from Bikepacking.com, where some participants introduce and briefly describe their bikes. Two weeks ago I introduced you to Bikeanalytics Atlas Mountain Race 2024 and analysed 109…