The classic bike race in Cologne has never been this big. If you turn your head to the left when standing at the starting arch, you can see the whole street full of people; to the right, the same hive of activity can be seen between the barriers. The Rheinauhafen harbour in Cologne is firmly in the hands of the cyclists: ten starting blocks are spread out on Bayenstraße and are sent out onto the course from nine o'clock. The first section is for the fastest cyclists in the Velodom 60, the second is the top of the Velodom 120. This is where Marie Kötterheinrich from Scuderia Südstadt and Daniela Zoll, 44, from Rad-Sport-Ternes/RV Kometdelia 09 will be. 32-year-old Marie will be supported today by two boys from Scuderia Südstadt and wants to finish in the top ten. She has the same goal as Daniela, who will be riding behind her husband. Daniela has a clear plan: "It always gets off to a hectic start, but we want to be in the first group on the first climb." Nadine Katschmarek is hoping for a good position but no stress at the start of the cyclo-cross. The 31-year-old from Cologne has recently had bad experiences with ruthless competitors in gravel races. In the third starting block today, she wants cycling without elbows: "If it gets too dangerous, I'll pull out."
Bike boom in Cologne
It is to be feared that the roads will be crowded. Around 6900 racing cyclists set a record number of participants in Cologne. As many as 8530 were registered - 37 per cent more than last year. The coronavirus cycling boom has arrived at the events. The high proportion of women on road bikes has been noticeable since the pandemic - and this can also be seen in Cologne. 1150 women have registered for one of the three routes this year - that's around 60 per cent more than last year. A small contribution to this growth has been made by the women's starting block, which has been introduced at the Velodom for the third time. Kathi Pröll from Cologne, also wearing the black jersey of the Cyclits, is now in this starting block. It's the 26-year-old's first bike race, so there's a bit of excitement mixed in with the anticipation. She has only been cycling for a year. Today is the fast ride at Velodom 60: "Registering in the women's starting block has taken a lot of pressure off for me. I've heard that people ride very considerately there." She is looking forward to the beautiful route through the Bergisches Land and has no further ambitions: "The main thing is to arrive safely and have fun." She is surrounded by several other women from the Cyclits. The women's starting block is well filled. However, because it is only the sixth block on the course, it is not suitable for the fast women with placement ambitions. While the speaker sends one field of participants after the other onto the course, there is still plenty of time in the women's starting block. The race only starts 20 minutes after starting block 1. It is cool and most of the women are wearing long jerseys, waistcoats or jackets.
While the women's starting block is still relaxed and chatting, the race is already underway on the track. Five minutes after nine, the second starting block was sent out onto the track, and the action started immediately. The group accelerates to over 49 km/h and flies over the Severinsbrücke bridge. Marie hangs on to the rear wheel of a rider from Scuderia Südstadt, Daniela hides in her husband's slipstream. After leaving the bridge, the speed increases to 60 km/h and fluctuates between 42 and 49 km/h on the major arterial roads. Narrow sections, bends and patches of tarmac demand maximum concentration. The race is only a few minutes old when Marie experiences her first adrenaline rush: hectic shouts and crashes in front of her - two team-mates are involved in a fall. Marie manages to brake and narrowly avoids the collision. However, a small gap has now opened up. Two other team riders are still at her side and help Marie to get back to the front. Because the road narrows again and again or the route winds through villages, it is always necessary to brake and then accelerate. Lightweight Marie has to pedal at between 300 and 400 watts even in the slipstream and realises how much energy it takes. Her pulse is racing and she can't suppress the thought that she is burning far too much energy before she can make the most of her strength on the mountain.
Over the Severinsbrücke bridge out of the city
Nadine now also has a high pulse. In the third starting block, she flies over the Severinsbrücke bridge and out of the city to the east. She quickly feels comfortable and realises that she has caught a group that is travelling at a good pace but is still considerate. Half an hour later, Kathi, the first-time starter, will also pass this very spot. The first few kilometres begin on wide arterial roads, with the route passing through small villages in between. Although the road now climbs slightly, this is more of a recovery after the hectic power peaks of the kilometres before. Marie flies along the armoured road between the airport and Wahner Heide at an average speed of 45.5 km/h for several minutes. Because it is a long straight stretch, she can pedal constantly and stay on the back wheel of a team-mate. For Scuderia Südstadt and the cyclists, the home race in Cologne is the highlight of the season, but Rund um Köln has also become a fixed date in the annual calendar for amateur cyclists from all over Germany. However, the amateur tradition on the Rhine is not that long: the Cologne classic has only included races for amateur cyclists since 2004, with many changes since its premiere. In 2008, the Bergisches Land was covered in a blanket of snow after a winter storm - the race had to be cancelled at short notice. Easter Monday, the traditional race date, was abandoned in 2013 in order to reduce the weather risk. The biggest change in the history of the race came in 2019, when Artur Tabat handed over the organisation to Kölner Ausdauersport GmbH. And there is another big change this year: the organiser has introduced a new route and start concept. The different distances will no longer start at completely different times, but alternating starting blocks for the Velodom 60 and 120 will be sent out onto the course, staggered according to average speed. The women's starting block includes both distances in one block. Twelve kilometres after the start, the course will be divided to equalise the field of participants.
Atmospheric highlight in Bensberg
Around an hour and a half after the start, the tension mounts at the Rheinauhafen harbour: the winner of the Velodom 60 is expected. Due to the short distance, everyone expects a sprint to the finish - and the surprise is correspondingly great when a single rider wins the race with a lead of 18 seconds. Behind him, however, there is still hard sprinting for the following places. More and more participants cross the finish line; hidden in the group, Luise Quiske is the first woman in the Velodom 60 to cross the finish line. While she is quietly cheering, there is loud swearing on the course of the long lap: Marie has a puncture. A drawing pin is stuck in her tyre. Scuderia colleague Michael Kemmerling has the presence of mind to grab his own rear wheel and fit it to Marie's tyre, which only takes a few seconds. "I felt like a team captain," Marie says happily later. The second test of nerves of the day is also over and she quickly joins a fast group again. Most of the metres in altitude have been covered - but the most famous climbs still await. The climb in Sand and shortly afterwards the cobblestones in Bensberg are both highlights and a test of endurance. For the starters of the long lap, the climb in Sand comes after 93 kilometres - for the Velodom 60, the test awaits after 38 kilometres. The ramp in Sand, a district of Bergisch Gladbach, is only 580 metres long, but steep: a gradient of around twelve percent has to be overcome.
Mountain classification in Sand
The "Wall of Sand" even has its own mountain classification. Marie doesn't waste any thought on this - she swims along in the group. Someone had shouted to her earlier that she was in fourth place in the women's race despite losing time due to the puncture. She wants to keep this place at all costs, as she doesn't see any other women in her group. Not far behind her is Daniela, who doesn't even know what position she is in. She still feels strong and holds her husband's rear wheel. A few minutes later, Nadine also pushes up the wall of sand. She is on the verge of cramp, everything hurts: "Sand is the most disgusting mountain every year," she reveals at the finish. Kathi can't win the mountain stage either, but she cranks up to the top of the pass alongside a friend a few minutes after Nadine. She is happy with how the race is going since she can roll along in a small group without stress. She is thrilled to see how many people are standing at the side of the road and is delighted to see cheering children: "They were really cheering, the atmosphere was great," she reports later. At one point, she high-fives a spectator standing at the side of the road in a Super Mario costume. And she is already looking forward to seeing her friends from the Cyclits, who are about to cross the finish line.
On the Severinsbrücke bridge stands the arch with the devil's rag, which indicates the last kilometre before the finish. Directly in front of it, as in previous years, the group of cyclists wait to cheer loudly. They have spray-painted the names of the starters on the road and cool beats are blaring from a speaker. Every cyclist is applauded and celebrated. The Cyclits Cycling Collective has been combining feminism and cycling for six years. "I used to only ride with boys, but at some point I found it alienating to always be in the boys' bubble," explains founder Alex Yonchev. "Women are asking different questions, more questions, and we give them space." This includes web seminars in preparation and a joint route check. Taking away the fear of the first start for newcomers is an important task. Alex is pleased that there are now many offers for female racing cyclists in Cologne, but emphasises the focus of the Cyclits: "We offer a safe space, our rides are aimed at FLINTA." (Women, lesbians, intersex, non-binary, transgender and agender people, editor's note) She is aware that their focus does not appeal to everyone: "Many people don't even know what FLINTA means." In Cologne, the Cyclits have been visible in the cycling scene for years. Even better known is the Scuderia Südstadt, which describes itself as a "bar team".
Euphoric congratulations
Half a dozen Scuderia riders from the 120cc course gather at the finish line. Five men stand around Marie and want to hear from her how it went. While she initially holds back her joy because she just missed the podium, she receives euphoric congratulations from her male team-mates after they hear about her fourth place. Everyone sees this as a "huge achievement". Just a few metres further on is Daniela, who finished just behind her in fifth place. This is the third time she has ridden the Cologne race and has never finished so far ahead. She is correspondingly satisfied. Nadine's grin reflects the same feeling when she arrives a quarter of an hour later: "I had a lot of fun in my group - there was a lot of signalling and it was very supportive. It was totally relaxed today!" She rode the Velodom 120 route at an average speed of over 35 km/h. She liked the split in the route: "The separation made it less dangerous."
Kathi has also crossed the finish line and is beaming from ear to ear - her first bike race was obviously a lot of fun. It was much less stressful than she had feared. "The race was mega cool and the support was great." Marie, Daniela, Nadine and Kathi's verdict is unreservedly positive. They are already looking forward to Rund um Köln 2026, when perhaps the record number of women's participants will be beaten again.
It's always a hectic start, but we want to be in the first group on the first climb. Daniela Zoll
Info about Around Cologne
The hobby races at Rund um Köln are called Velodom and were held this year over around 30, 60 and 120 kilometres. Only the two longer routes start in the Rheinauhafen harbour - the Velodom 30 started in Bergisch Gladbach. All routes lead over the climb in front of Bensberg Castle and finish in the Rheinauhafen harbour. Large sections are identical to the course of the professional race. The race starts in different starting blocks - after a few kilometres there is a split for the two longer distances. The entry fee depends on the time of registration.
Kristian Bauer
Editor
