Riderman - right at the front and right at the back
The broom wagon rumbles through a narrow, winding valley. The road is steep, the leaves hang darkly over the wet tarmac, the diesel engine howls, and Iris Bruns slowly breaks her silence. The 44-year-old's voice is quiet, she searches for the right words until she sounds firmer again a few minutes later. "I've never cancelled a competition in my life," says the former handball player from Hanover, who enjoys road cycling as a hobby with her boyfriend. But now she sits disappointedly in the back row of the van, trying to find her composure. She has a little time on her hands because Stefan, the driver of the broom wagon, has more to do on this Saturday afternoon at the end of September 2022 than the participants would like.
The nine-seater with Iris Bruns on board is overcrowded when it rolls into Bad Dürrheim an hour later, turns right before the finish line and comes to a halt next to the catering area. The Expo area of one of the most prestigious cycling events in Germany is almost empty, the weather was terrible. Not only the fastest participants in today's queen stage have long since returned to their rooms, where they are recovering for the final day of the three-day stage race.
Drink coffee and smile!
But Iris and her boyfriend Ludger Gerres are now smiling again, stroll back to their bikes, have another coffee and are a little undecided as to whether that's it for them with the Riderman. One thing is certain: The overall standings in Germany's most elite everyman event in the Baden-Swabian border region with its many Black Forest metres in altitude are no longer an issue for them. The pair are categorised as DNF - did not finish.
If you take fun very seriously, and racing cyclists are said to do so, a slightly dusty spa town in south-west Germany becomes a metropolis of self-exploitation, performance and agony for three days a year. On Friday afternoons, guests from Flanders warm up for the first stage on the rollers in the garage at "Gästehaus Gisela", past "Astrid's Haarwerkstatt Schnipp Schnapp" and the closed "Park Café Conditorei Röder", wiry men and the occasional woman do their test laps, the chains whir, the gears clack, the glances signal maximum concentration.
The Riderman, organised by the scene greats Kai and Rik Sauser, adorns itself with the slogan "Ride like a pro" - and offers not only closed roads, race catering, an illustrious field and a well-stocked expo, but also the allure of a round trip for men and women without a licence. Racing on Friday, Saturday and Sunday is the ultimate opportunity for amateur athletes in Germany. It's like a pro cure - you immerse yourself in the cosy feeling that everything revolves around cycling.
Riderman - test of strength in the Black Forest
In the Bad Dürrheim Kurhaus, the participants' shoes clack in front of the cloakroom where the starting documents are available, and a few metres further on the medical service is stationed, which is sure to be busy at the Riderman - the author of these lines also ends up there at the end of the event with a very friendly member of staff. At this location, it quickly becomes clear that the Riderman is a skilful routine. The Sausers have been organising the event since 2000. Back then, there were races over two days, individual time trials on Saturday and road races on Sunday. "We always had to make a few adjustments," says Kai Sauser.
In order to find a unique selling point in the then newly booming hobby cycling sport, the brothers focussed on a three-day test of strength with an overall ranking on scenic and very challenging routes in the Black Forest. A large number of Riderman participants feel motivated to take part again, says Sauser; in 2022, a man from Villingen-Schwenningen almost took part for the 22nd time - but had to cancel due to illness. If you look and listen before the individual time trial on Friday, many participants have already taken part more often. The Riderman is a bank - with quite favourable participation, especially in comparison to events such as the Haute Route.
Launch pad challenge
Anyone taking part in Bad Dürrheim for the first time will have to adapt their lives to the competition schedule for three days. The 500 or so participants start on Friday afternoon in 15-second slots in the 16-kilometre individual time trial. The starting hut is not far from the Expo and the Kurhaus, from there it's a relatively humourless ride along a country road with tough climbs and back to Bad Dürrheim. For those who are more familiar with the racing pulse, this presents a challenge - starting with checking in on time before the start, trusting the men on the ramp and trying to dose your own performance so that the second day doesn't start with a problem.
Riderman - Pasta at the spa
The sun shines on the riders, where the gap between real time trial specialists and normal cyclists is enormous. The time trial is won by Marcel Wyss, an ex-professional and former U23 champion in this discipline from Switzerland. Ludger Gerres finishes 451st in the men's race this afternoon, while his girlfriend Iris Bruns arrives 33rd out of 34 starters - 11:43 minutes behind the winner of the stage, Janine Meyer. This is followed by the daily award ceremony. Soon after, the few Italian restaurants in the town are full, pasta is in high demand in the spa town on these days - far more than the hearty meat dishes in the "Schwarzwälder Hof" just a few minutes' walk away.
On a Saturday morning, the breakfast room in the basement of the Gisela guesthouse echoes with the sound of Flemish men talking shop over filter coffee, bread rolls and eggs, while a mobile phone screen shows the women's World Championship race in Australia. They're not shouting at the table, but the Lionpack from Belgium are sitting here, the atmosphere is exuberant, Tom De Backer has convinced his boys of the Riderman. The treasurer of the Belgian Granfondo team was here five years ago, seven men have now travelled here together, all of them were faster than the interviewer in the time trial on Friday.
However, they are not really satisfied because the team is spread over too many starting blocks at the start of the difficult second stage. This limits the opportunities for teamwork. "It's very special how you can ride really tough stages here on several days," says De Backer. His team-mate Steve Danckers laughs when asked about the pressure. "We don't have any today, it's just fun here. In Belgium, it's all about points on Monday." The day after their return, the Lionpack will be putting the finishing touches to the Riderman and heading into a home race for points.
Riderman - Second stage, 120 km, 2000 metres altitude
The weather is also a topic at the breakfast table, as a late summer spa town has turned into a grey and wet lump of a small town overnight, with rain clouds already kissing the forest on its slopes. It's pouring and it's cold. The temperature has dropped to three degrees during the night, the start is conveniently not until midday - but even then it is just over ten degrees cool, a little windy and still very wet. That's what makes it so appealing, they say in the back starting block, from which the author will also start the second stage. The plan for today inspires respect, it's about 120 kilometres with almost 2000 metres of elevation gain - and there's an enormous pace right at the back from the start.
A tough day
The area is topographically challenging, you have to be able to survive many steep climbs, but you don't get a break on the descents either. Yes, it is the spa town of Bad Dürrheim that co-commissioned a cycling event a good two decades ago and is still behind the Riderman today, but the spectacle has nothing in common with relaxing and unwinding.
Simon Geschke, friend of the organisers, local hero from Freiburg and almost winner of the Tour de France mountain classification in the summer of 2022, will be riding for fun on Saturday. He will be surprised afterwards: "I actually wanted to ride at the front to see what the race was like - then I helped someone after 40 kilometres and tried to catch up again, but I had no chance," says Geschke, "that was a tough day." The Swiss rider Marcel Wyss came out on top that day, as you can hear over the radio in the broom wagon, while Iris Bruns from Hanover was already in the back. "It's only my third race," says the woman with the long blonde plait and the white cycling glasses over her forehead.
Riderman - One size too big?
Together with her boyfriend, she had already considered that the most difficult stage of the Riderman might be too big for her, but then she gave it a go anyway. From the broom wagon, it was easy to see how Bruns and her partner battled together. She had to dismount at a steep section with an ascent of around 20 per cent, after which she decided to get off. It took a while for her to shake off the disappointment, but soon the bus door opened and her boyfriend Ludger stood in front of her, who was also unable to continue uphill. Game over, but the two share a kiss. They think about whether they might enter the race again on the third day. That's possible at the Riderman, even if the overall standings are out of the question.
Nothing is given to you as a gift!
However, Bruns and Gerres will not be seen at the start on Sunday, when the weather is a little more favourable. A total of 170 participants have DNS - did not start. The Riderman takes its toll, but those who continue take it easy on Sunday with 1000 metres of climbing over 100 kilometres. However, nothing is given away here, the seriousness of Friday's faces is etched in their minds, you can feel in the field that many are struggling with themselves, there are strange manoeuvres and stupid crashes - even the author gets caught out when the person next to him rolls into the wheel behind him, uphill, for no reason at all.
For the riders at the front, it's still all about important classification points, although after Marcel Wyss' two victories, hardly anyone believes there will be a change in the classification. This is a relevant day for the amateur scene, as Moritz Palm from Team Strassacker and Juliane Matzke from Team Deutsche Kinderkrebsstiftung are collecting the points that will secure them the lead in the overall standings. For the others, it's all about rounding off or, as in the case of Peter Jones from Tübingen, making amends. He had almost been knocked out of the race the day before with a lot of bad luck, but then, cursing in the broom wagon, borrowed the rear wheel of another rider who had dropped out, started a race to catch up and fought his way to the finish.
Riderman - Disappointment is also part of the game
While Iris Bruns is already on her way home to Hanover, Maike Bullert is still striding up to the stage. The 29-year-old is about to receive a keg of beer, but even more important is the sporting honour. Bullert had tried to conserve as much energy as possible on the tough second day for Sunday, when her legs are always at their best. "And yes, the plan worked out quite well," says a delighted Bullert, who wins in her age group on the last stage.
She will definitely be taking part again, says the starter from neighbouring Villingen. Bullert is not only thinking about the hunt for results, but also about the heart and soul of the organisers: "What's also important is the team spirit, you always meet lots of nice people from abroad and at home at the finish."
This also applies to the broom wagon, where souls always open up after a few minutes of silence. It's not exactly a dream for amateur athletes to chug along behind the race in this vehicle. But such disappointment is also part of the reality of stage races. Or, as Jacek Kaleta says, who sat in the broom wagon for three hours after his chain broke: "I thought I would have to drive a taxi. In the end, it was fun on the bus too, and hopefully I'll be back tomorrow."
More about the Riderman
The Riderman 2023 offers three stages from 22 to 24 September. Hobby riders as well as elite licensed riders can register for all three stages (until 17 September 235 euros, late registration 250 euros) as well as for the individual time trial (60/70 euros) and the race on Sunday (75/85 euros). Over the three days, the participants will cover approximately 240 kilometres and around 3,200 metres in altitude. The minimum speeds for the stages are 23 km/h (Saturday) and 22 km/h (Sunday).
