Sandra Schuberth
34 years old, Wolfratshausen
I've had my bike since 2017 - back then it was still called a cross bike and I rode cyclocross hobby races. Then came rides with luggage in Germany, and last year my premiere at a bikepacking race: Seven Serpents. I want to start there again in 2023 - on the 500-kilometre route. Last year there was only the 820-kilometre race, where I finished in the top ten. The region is very beautiful and I fared much better than expected on the course. I didn't have to take as many breaks as I had previously thought - I didn't have any seat problems and the lights lasted longer than expected.
Previously, I had only been on the road over 100 kilometres five times that year. So I wasn't sure how I would cope with my tiredness. This time I'm going to try to ride the full 500 kilometres or at most lie down once. But I haven't thought about how long I want to do it in. To prepare, I want to do a bikepacking tour from Munich to my home town of Prenzlau at Christmas and maybe follow a structured indoor plan over the winter. But I'll have to get myself a roller first.
What I like about bikepacking races is how quickly you can get from A to B by bike. It's amazing to see on the map how far you've travelled in three days - and how fit you can be after three hours of sleep. Reaching the finish line and then exchanging ideas with others is really nice. I also want to ride other bikepacking races in 2023, for example the Bright Midnight in Norway or the Basajaun in Spain. But I'll have to see how my holiday works out.
Sandra's cycling goal: Seven Serpents
500 Kilometres, 9000 Altitude metres
The Seven Serpents is an "unsupported bikepacking adventure" - so you are not allowed to be accompanied by helpers and have to organise your own food and drink. There is no support from the organisation on the route. The track is set and you have to follow it. In 2023, the route runs from Ljubljana in Slovenia via Croatia to Trieste in Italy.
The two route variants (500 and 850 kilometres) each lead over roads, narrow dirt tracks, stony mountain paths and trails across the terrain. You therefore need a gravel or mountain bike. Sometimes the bike has to be pushed or carried, and in between you take the ferry to the Croatian island of Cres. The entry fee is 169 euros. You will only receive detailed information about the route on site. All participants need a doctor's certificate confirming that they are allowed to do sport.
Wolfgang Krüger
64 years old, Munich
Because I lived in Brest as a student, I really wanted to ride Paris-Brest-Paris (PBP). It was a bumpy start to the long distance at first, but PBP 2019 went well. It was really nice, so I want to tackle it again with three or four friends. The event is superbly organised and the spectators are incredible: they jump up from their plastic chairs at two in the morning to cheer you on.
Add to this the good bakeries, the delicious food, the cheering children along the road, the celebrations in every village - this brevet is the Tour de France of randonneurs. Another special feature is the large number of cyclists from all over the world - not just racing cyclists: the variety is fascinating. The route is not so incredibly strenuous because there are no mountains. There's almost always someone in front of you with a fluorescent waistcoat and it's easy to find your way. The whole atmosphere at Paris-Brest-Paris is very positive. I've also competed in the Ötztal Cycle Marathon, but people are much more serious there.
Randonneurs stop when someone has a flat tyre - everyone is friendly. I have another personal goal for the next few years: I want to visit all the European capitals by bike. That's 46, and I've already done 19. From Paris, I will cycle the 900 kilometres home again after a day's break. But first I have to qualify for PBP - maybe I'll ride a brevet in Italy or Freiburg-Mont Ventoux in March. I'm trying to get the 600 kilometre brevet in the bag as early as possible.
Wolfgang's cycling goal: 20th Paris-Brest-Paris, 20 August 2023
1219 Kilometres, 11800 Altitude metres
The Audax Club Parisien is the organiser of Paris-Brest-Paris - the 20th edition is scheduled for 2023. This brevet only takes place every four years, and those who want to take part must plan well: participants must successfully complete a series of qualifying brevets (200/300/400/600 kilometres) and then secure a starting place. Randonneurs who have already completed longer brevets in 2022 may register first.
In Germany, the Audax Randonneurs Allemagne (ARA) association is one of the organisations offering qualification brevets. While 64 starters took part in the first Paris-Brest-Paris in 1931, the previous record was set in 2019 with 6674 participants. In 2023, the number of starting places will be increased to 8000 for the first time. Randonneurs from all over the world gather at the start in Rambouillet on the outskirts of Paris - including very few women. The predominantly undulating route is signposted and leads to Brest and back to Rambouillet. There are different start times depending on the overall time you are aiming for. Along the way, you have to reach certain checkpoints within a time limit.
Joachim Ramming
50 years, Bad Aibling
I bought my first racing bike in 2008 and since then I've ridden the Dolomites Marathon eleven or twelve times. That was my highlight every year that I trained for. Apart from that, I've competed in the Arber Marathon in Regensburg or around the corner from me in the Wendelstein Tour or the Rosenheim Cycle Marathon. I have a demanding job and a family - so my time for cycling is limited.
Over the last few years I've been thinking more and more often: the Ötztaler would be a goal, but would I really manage it? I've now turned 50, so it's now or never! The Ötztaler is the most famous and toughest cycling marathon in the Alps - it's simply legendary. It suits me that it takes place earlier this year. Usually it was always at the end of the Bavarian school holidays - so it was clear that family holidays came first. For me, it's all about arriving - not about the best time.
But I will be training in a structured way for the first time* - including on the roller in winter.
I'm planning a cycling holiday on Mallorca in April and maybe a long weekend on Lake Garda in mid-May to train in the mountains. I would also like to ride one or two events before the Ötztaler - perhaps the Nove Colli and the Rosenheim Cycle Marathon. Roller training is good because it's easy to combine with my job and I can train before sunrise or after work. My biggest worry is not finishing the Ötztaler - I really want to reach the finish line.
*TOUR will support and accompany Joachim Ramming in his Ötztaler preparation. In our series "Operation Ötztaler" you can follow his training content and successes in the coming issues.
Joachim's cycling goal: Ötztal Cycle Marathon, 9 July 2023
227 Kilometres, 5500 Altitude metres
The Ötztaler is the most prestigious cycling marathon in the German-speaking world. The "Ötzi" is not the most difficult Alpine marathon - officially it is 227 kilometres and 5500 metres in altitude. The route is completely closed, the starting point has been Sölden since 2002. This means that a nasty climbing test awaits towards the end: the Timmelsjoch.
The 1800 metres in altitude to the top of the pass are a test of endurance for many starters. This year's date is unusual: The race was moved from the end of August to the beginning of July. The road closures were increasingly problematic during the peak holiday season in August. Participants therefore have to start training earlier and have less time for training competitions. Those who do not get a starting place in the draw can buy a package consisting of hotel accommodation and a starting place within a tight time frame.
Leslie Lührs
21 years old, Brunnthal, Team Lotto Kern-Haus
I want to get a contract with a professional team - my big dream is to ride the Tour de France one day. My first two years in the U23 category were completely lost. There were hardly any races in 2020 because of corona, and 2021 was a very difficult year for me because I didn't make the team. (Editor's note: Tirol KTM Cycling Team) fit.
I'm rather strong in stature, the hilly races in Italy don't suit me so much as the classics in Holland and Belgium with a sprint at the end. I changed team and coach in 2022. This gave me a racing programme that suited me better and a feeling for what I needed to do better. My season was cut up by coronavirus and a cold, but it still went well. I made a lot of adjustments and felt good changes.
Leslie Lührs' big goal for 2023: Race wins and a professional contract
Traditionally, Continental teams or the development teams of the big racing teams are the springboard for a professional contract for male pros. However, more and more young talents are skipping the U23 level and joining a professional team straight after their junior years, such as the Belgian Remco Evenepoel or Luis-Joe Lührs, Leslie's brother (at Bora-Hansgrohe).
Continental teams sometimes compete in the same races as the World Tour and Pro-Continental teams. The U23 races at the European and World Championships are also an important stage for young riders. The French stage race Tour de l'Avenir is of outstanding importance for young riders. This becomes clear when you look at the list of winners from previous years: Nairo Quintana, Warren Barguil, Marc Soler, David Gaudu, Egan Bernal, Tadej Pogacar and Tobias Foss have already shown that they have more to offer with their victories there.
The minimum salary for the men's pro teams and the women's world teams in the new season is 32100 euros. Young riders in the World Tour are often sent to the start of individual races towards the end of the season as so-called "stagiaires" and paid by the day. While a good assistant in a World Team earns from 100,000 euros, the top salaries of the stars in men's cycling are more than five million euros per year.
Michal Maske
39 years old, Stuttgart
I read about a frame building course on an internet forum by chance, so I wanted to do it too. Building your own bike is a cool idea. When I was a kid, my stepfather welded the frame for my children's bike, but I just watched. I like tinkering, for example I built my own bed. On the course, I want to build a gravel bike that I want to use for everyday life and for travelling.
I hope that it can take a heavy load so that I can travel with more luggage. That's why it needs eyelets for pannier racks so that bags can fit. I already have the parts for the bike together, which took several months due to the difficult delivery situation. As far as the design is concerned, I have clear ideas: It should be copper-brown and moss green, with a touch of orange like the sun's rays in the forest.
But building my own frame is new territory and a challenge. When the bike is finished, I would like to take it on a longer trip lasting two or three weeks. I've thought about Taiwan or Japan, but I don't have an exact plan yet. I ride around 6500 to 8000 kilometres a year and I'm also in a gravel club where we arrange rides via WhatsApp.
Build your own gravel bike
There are a handful of providers of frame building courses in Germany. The US American Robert Piontek offers frame building courses in Potsdam - for frames with and without sockets. In the version with sockets, Columbus steel tubes are joined together using prefabricated bases and then soldered. It is somewhat more challenging to precisely fit the tubes and solder them with brass. The Gravelbike frame construction course does not use sockets - this allows the angle of the connections to be customised. The five-day course with a maximum of three participants costs 2450 euros including materials. After the course, the frame still needs to be painted and then completed with the previously purchased add-on parts.
