Christoph Fuhrbach has broken the current altitude world record. The amateur cyclist from Neustadt an der Weinstraße was able to conquer more than 21,060 metres in altitude on his road bike within 24 hours. More than 30 helpers supported him in his world record.
Fast descents are a must
On Saturday 24 July, he started the record hunt at 8 pm. In Grenzach-Wyhlen (near Lörrach), he cycled up a closed mountain road 117 times. The section is 1.7 km long, has a gradient of a good ten per cent and 180 metres in altitude. In doing so, he beat the previous world record by 1000 metres in altitude. In 2007, the Austrian twins Gernot and Horst Turnowsky set the world record with 20,049.9 metres in altitude.
Fuhrbach stuck to his 30/29 gear ratio for over 23.5 hours, even downhill - he only shifted gears at all on the last three climbs.
At night, a car drove ahead with lights and music, mainly to prevent the usual game crossing on this route.
The church counsellor began his sporting career as a long-distance and mountain runner. He was German runner-up in mountain running in 1990 and has a best marathon time of 2 hours 31 minutes. Due to problems with his foot, he switched to cycling and cycled around the world in a one-year cycle tour.
Fuhrbach's trademark: unusual shoes
His foot problems are also the reason why he uses cycling sandals instead of cycling shoes and clipless pedals, which always causes a stir among experts. The theologian wants to use the world record to raise awareness of poverty in a mountainous region of Peru and collect donations.
Info: www.misereor.de
