A major event can be this small: 1400 racing cyclists registered for the premiere of Shades of Speed on 18 September. Actually. But at eight o'clock in the morning in Kolbermoor, Upper Bavaria, only a trickle of cyclists take to the track. The thermometer shows seven degrees, and a short while ago rain showers were still lashing down on the starting area, where the many advertising flags are still flapping loudly in the strong wind.
Shades of Speed with large launch ramp
The clouds hang so dark over the car park of a car dealership that cars drive past with their lights on. The weather is so bad that many pre-registered cyclists decide not to take part and only a few thickly wrapped cyclists turn up between the barriers and stalls. In the middle of the square stands the pride and joy of organiser Marcus Burghardt: a large starting ramp with a large starting arch.
"I want to offer people the experience of starting from a big launch pad," explains the ex-professional. The idea of his own cycling event had been in his head for years, and when his career came to an end in 2021, it was finally time to realise the Shades of Speed project. Fortunately, it didn't work out during his active career, he says, because "I totally underestimated the huge effort involved".
While other professional cyclists only lend their name to an event, Burghardt has done most of the work himself: "Everything except building the website, and I have someone to take the photos." Burghardt has only been working for his cycling event for months: "Getting authorisation was difficult and took a long time - I first had to find out who was responsible."
Large time window for the start
It is still very quiet on the start area at half past eight. This is not only due to the many people who have stayed at home, but also to the generous start windows. There are five distances between 50 and 270 kilometres to choose from, and each route has its own time slot. While other cycling events send riders out on the course very early to avoid the traffic, Shades of Speed allows riders to start until ten o'clock for the 150-kilometre route and even until twelve o'clock for the 100-kilometre route.
The assembly points in front of the start ramp are also strikingly different - groups are supposed to form independently according to speed. A clever concept that is only slowed down this morning by the low number of starters. As drizzle falls from the sky, a small group has gathered in front of the 25 km/h sign: Denise Brachtl, Maria Bohrer, Eva Ziegeltrum and Thorsten Keith have spontaneously come together to set off on the course. In view of the gale-force wind, riding in the shelter of a group is a motivating experience.
Teamwork
Marcus Burghardt is still cosy and warm inside: in the car dealership, at the start number distribution point, he clarifies open organisational points and greets the celebrity starters with whom he will later take to the track. Smiling, but a little tired, he looks around - he has been up since three o'clock in the morning to check the signs and finalise the last points. He is assisted by his wife Maria, who hands out race numbers and answers questions from the volunteers.
Because Shades of Speed is not an event organised by an event agency, but a family affair, she has also been very busy recently. "Last week, I packed 1,400 bags for the participants," she says, taking her youngest daughter in her arms and looking after her two other children who are dashing around the room.
As a native of Samerberg, Maria Burghardt knows every helper by their first name and has also helped to establish contacts - for example with WSV Samerberg. If you count the children, there are 60 helpers from the winter sports club who lend a hand today. "Samerberg is one big family," says Matthias Geißler, head of the WSV's cross-country skiing department. Two of the Burghardts' children are also members of the WSV.
>> Stretching exercises for cyclists: Stretching with Marcus Burghardt
The fact that Burghardt is giving the cross-country runners new racing suits and warm jackets for their help provides additional motivation. But the Rosenheim cycling club also supported Burghardt: "Klaus Wagenstetter from the Rosenheim cycling marathon gave me lots of tips, for example about the quantities at the refreshment stations. The Rosenheim team also advertised for me - there was no competition," says Burghardt gratefully.
At nine o'clock, Burghardt gathers the invited celebrity starters and the sponsors' riders around him for a photo. Little things keep popping up: a missing water bottle, a tool or a contact person that is needed. At half past nine, the time has finally come: Burghardt rolls up to the start ramp with the celebrity team. The track announcer greets the athletes and jokingly asks how many Olympic medals are gathered here.
Nordic combined athlete Eric Frenzel already has six to offer, his fellow athlete Björn Kircheisen four, biathlete Simon Schempp three - the rest are lost in the general murmur. While the track announcer emphasises with a sideways glance at the weather that the winter athletes have an advantage today, the cameras pan over the starters. Ex-professional cyclist André Greipel is probably at a real advantage in these conditions - after all, he has spent many days on his racing bike in the rain during his career. The race finally starts - for Burghardt it is the end of a long break from cycling. Never before in his life has he cycled so little as in the weeks before the Shades of Speed.
Splash water in the face
The group rides in an orderly line of two on the road, changing to a cycle path shortly afterwards. Before turning sharp right onto a small road, a black arrow points the way. In light rain and a cold wind, the route leads along a narrow road with deep puddles. To make matters worse, a gravel section follows a few kilometres later before you turn steeply left again onto a narrow road. The water splashes from the tyre of the cyclist in front of you into your face without pause, and after a few kilometres the cold creeps into your hands, feet and legs along with the wetness. Time and again, cyclists come along who have given up in the face of the adverse conditions and head back to the start.
Burghardt moves to the back of the group and chats with his fellow riders. After an hour and a half, the first refreshment stop appears in Bernau am Chiemsee. There are beer benches in the garage of a farm, cakes, bars, hot tea and coffee. Burghardt attached particular importance to the refreshment stations. "I wanted some that were covered in case it rained. I passed the farm on a training ride and thought it would be perfect. It has a garage, is on the track - and you even have a beautiful view of Lake Chiemsee. I just rang the bell and asked if it would be possible."
Now the cyclists gratefully crowd into the sheltered farmhouse. Most of them are frozen through, and the celebrity group discusses the fact that this is the last chance to take a shortcut before heading round Lake Chiemsee. The group turns off almost as a whole - only Greipel and Burghardt continue. The latter without gloves, because he keeps using his phone to enquire at feed stations whether everything is going well and how many riders are already there.
He is visibly pleased that the first of the longest route has already arrived at the station at Königssee. "There's the Kampenwand on the right," says Burghardt, pointing to a grey wall of clouds that hides all the mountains. He has ridden this route hundreds of times in training - which is why it wasn't difficult for him to plan the route. Although the panoramic views are shrouded in clouds today, there is hardly any traffic. There are no day trippers travelling by car in this rainy weather - that would be very different in the sunshine.
While the neighbouring Wendelstein Tour has helpers at critical points to protect against traffic at road junctions and crossings, the participants in Shades of Speed are completely on their own. "It's an official requirement that we don't control the traffic," says Burghardt. But the signposting is also not as present as on the Wendelstein Tour or the Rosenheim Cycle Marathon: the black direction arrows are sometimes twisted by the wind, visible late or even broken. Without the GPS track, which the participants received by e-mail, it is almost impossible to find the route.
Pleasure trip from pizza to Kässpatzn to pasta
The refreshment stations are rarely as important as they are today. At the second station, frozen starters crowd around and wait patiently for the pizza to come out of the oven. Meanwhile, many are wringing out their gloves. Helpers from WSV Samerberg and Burghardt's friends, including chefs from the region, provide the necessary refreshments. Burghardt has billed his cycle marathon as a relaxed ride with culinary highlights - only the weather spoils the enjoyable ride from pizza to Kässpatzn and pasta.
Shades of Speed - Ex-professional Burghardt as a networker
The road now leaves the forest. To the left below, Lake Chiemsee, the "Bavarian Sea", emerges from the grey, but today its grey surface stands out only faintly against the clouds. There is no lure of green-blue or azure blue, as on a beautiful summer's day. The nearby mountains are covered in fresh snow. In contrast to the Wendelstein Tour and the Rosenheim Cycle Marathon, most of the Shades of Speed routes do not lead into the mountains - a fortunate circumstance given the early onset of winter. Only the 270-kilometre route had to be shortened due to the weather, as fresh snow covered the Rossfeld panoramic route.
The Wendelstein Tour and Rosenheim Cycle Marathon have taken years to increase their participant numbers - Burghardt gets off to a flying start. 1,400 registrations are amazing for a premiere. The reward for good networking: Anette Hanssum from Brannenburg found out via Strava that Marcus Burghardt was organising the bike ride, Denise Brachtl from Kiefersfelden via Instagram and others via friends from the region. Marcus Burghardt is a professional networker, both on social media and in real life. This has paid off, says Burghardt: "I quickly found sponsors and therefore had a budget very early on that I could use."
The participants praise the refreshment stations - the atmosphere is best at the last stop before the finish. Marcus Burghardt doesn't miss the opportunity to personally hand out pasta during his break at the station. The cyclists enjoy the warm refreshments and cheerful atmosphere, accompanied by music on guitar and accordion, which is called "Quetschn" here.
The sky has finally brightened a little and the temperature is in double figures. A strong headwind blows for the last few kilometres to the finish, but it remains dry. Some of the participants roll along a cycle path towards the finish. There they are rewarded with a "goodie bag" containing gifts from the sponsors and another hot tea. Denise Brachtl, Maria Bohrer, Eva Ziegeltrum and Thorsten Keith, who had spontaneously started together in the morning, also arrive as a group and exchange contact details at the finish. "We'll definitely do something together one day," says Eva Ziegeltrum. All four praise the organisation and the route of the 150-kilometre loop.
"The catering was great," says Denise Brachtl. There was agreement on another point: the orientation was difficult. Fortunately, the group had the track on the sat nav. An astonishing realisation at the finish: according to Burghardt, almost 1,000 starters set off on the route despite the bad weather - often on a shorter route than originally planned. The flexible start window proved to be a stroke of luck.
New amateur rider André Greipel had a positive experience of the first RTF of his life: "A great event," he says at the finish. "You didn't get much in the way of scenery, but you can't influence the weather." Burghardt also criticised the signposting throughout: "The signposting was really bad. Many signs were broken, twisted and the colour was difficult to see. Otherwise, however, we received a lot of positive feedback."
But his most important conclusion goes to the helpers: "I am incredibly grateful that so many volunteers have supported me."
Shades of Speed 2023
The date for former professional cyclist Marcus Burghardt's cycling event in 2023 has already been set. The Granfondo in the foothills of the Bavarian Alps will take place on 23 July 2023. Here you can already register.
Kristian Bauer
Editor
