Luc Bauer no longer looks fit. The colour has drained from the 18-year-old's face and his gaze keeps going blank. He hadn't imagined the test of his personal limits would be this tough. For years, the young man from Fehraltorf has been cycling races where he has to push himself to the limit. Tough attacks in circuit races that you have to keep up with to avoid being thrown out of the group, fast acceleration after tight bends in criteriums that burn your legs or the desperate fight on the rear wheel on windy straights. Luc knows all this as a racer in the U23 class. What he doesn't know is the fatigue and the headaches. "What have I got myself into - never again," he mumbles to himself. But he himself is to blame for his misery - nobody told him how far he should ride.
500 kilometres - Beyond the borders
He has set himself the goal of completing 500 kilometres - so far, 250 kilometres has been the longest distance he has ever covered on a road bike. The last 15 hours have taken their toll on him and his goal is still a long way off. Overcoming one's own limits and achieving goals is the unifying motto of the Tortour. The flagship of the event is the 1,000-kilometre distance - but the 500 and 250-kilometre routes are also on offer. Finally, the "Tortour Myself" format is not tied to any distance at all. A lap is 50 kilometres long and it's up to you to decide how many times you want to complete it within the time limit.
What have I got myself into? I'll never do that again - I'm tired and my head hurts! - Luc Bauer, racing cyclist
After each lap, you return to the starting point, where you can eat and rest. The KEK ice rink in Küsnacht near Zurich is the start, finish and base camp of the Tortour 2025. Those with big ambitions start on Friday at 5.15 p.m. and ride through the night - those with smaller goals can also set off on Saturday morning. How many laps you complete before the finish at 5.15 pm is up to you. And so, although everyone starts at the same place and finishes at the same point on the Tortour Myself, the distance in between is up to you.
Everything from 150 to 500 kilometres
Luc is still euphoric on Friday afternoon. An inflated archway stands at the open gate of the ice rink, behind it is a parking area for bikes, a catering station on the left and a large stage on the right. Beer benches and tables are set up in the separate second half of the hall. Cyclists scurry through the entire hall, refilling their bottles, popping another gel or bar and glancing at the big clock again and again.
It's Friday, shortly after 5pm, and the starting gun for the Tortour Myself is about to go off. The motto "The journey is the reward" has never been more true: U23 rider Luc Bauer wants to break the 500 kilometre barrier, 42-year-old triathlete Sabrina Steinemann wants to complete 300 kilometres for the first time in her life and Oliver Keller, 30, is aiming for 150 kilometres. The latter is not even in the hall yet - he will only start tomorrow at 8.00 am. Luc and Sabrina, on the other hand, are already waiting impatiently for the start and are looking forward to the course and the challenge. Sabrina has already done triathlons from sprint to middle to long distance, but she has never cycled further than 220 kilometres.
Ultracycling as a challenge
"I'm looking forward to getting a taste of something longer. With the triathlon, I know what to expect - now I'm excited to see how my body feels when I push my own limits." Luc is also full of tense anticipation. "Testing my own limits" is his clear goal. In the cycling club, he is used to riding fast in bike races. However, he has never ridden more than 250 kilometres. He is worried about how he will cope with the fatigue; his initial plan is not to start too fast.
At the triathlon, I know what to expect. Now I'm curious to see how my body feels when I go beyond my own limits. - Sabrina Steinemann, amateur triathlete
At 5.15 pm, the participants are finally sent out onto the course. There are almost 80 of them now, and another 60 the next day at 8.00 am. "I know so many people who have already taken part in the Tortour that I wanted to join them," explains Sabrina before she sets off on the first lap. An explanation that is sure to please Joko Vogel. The 56-year-old from Zollikon started the Tortour in 2008 with four friends after they had accompanied a participant as a carer in the Race Across America.
The idea was to create a kind of Swiss long-distance race. The Tortour is now in its 17th year and has been constantly reinventing itself ever since. This year, the colourful bouquet of formats attracts around 500 participants, almost a fifth of whom are women. In Switzerland, the Tortour is an institution that everyone in the racing bike scene knows. "The Tortour has written so many stories and is a strong community. When you meet up, you immediately have something to talk about. It's almost like a club - you meet up again and again," says Vogel. He takes part in his own event almost every year and looks at the participants with respect: "The standard has risen enormously."
Sleeping or through the night?
Luc and Sabrina complete their first two laps and enjoy the ride around the track in mild temperatures. The hall is still very busy - larger groups often come back from a lap. As night approaches, the riders put on fluorescent waistcoats or yellow jackets before setting off on the next loop. Luc continues to complete lap after lap, while Sabrina and her boyfriend lie down in the boot of a station wagon to get some sleep. The pair take four hours off. "But we hardly slept because it was so loud," says Sabrina. Nevertheless, the break gives them new strength. Luc doesn't have this option - but at least he's not cycling through the night alone.
He has found two passengers with whom he is travelling the route. The full moon is visible from afar in the sky and, after a short night, the first rays of sunlight are spreading over Lake Zurich. "I almost fell asleep," admits Luc as he reaches the hall again at dawn. As feared, fighting fatigue is his biggest problem. It took him 2:15 hours to complete the previous lap - yesterday was quicker. He no longer has an appetite either: "I can't see anything sweet any more. Above all, I can't swallow any more gels."
Different ambitions
He is already pretty exhausted - the goal of 500 kilometres seems increasingly difficult to achieve. He would have to complete the 50 kilometre loop four more times. The metres in altitude in particular take their toll: one lap has around 750 metres in altitude. If Luc wants to complete 500 kilometres, he has to push up a total of 7,500 metres in altitude. The landscape is characterised by green hills and beautiful views of Lake Zurich. Immediately after the start in Küsnacht, the route climbs strenuously, followed by a short descent and then the highlight of the tour, the Pfannenstiel. The route is signposted throughout and leads along small country roads with little traffic. "Mega cool," says Sabrina. Oliver Keller knows this too, having already completed the route with two mates the day before. At 8.00 a.m., he officially starts the gateway tour - he doesn't need an overnight ride to complete the 150 kilometres he has set himself. So far, he has cycled a maximum of 80 kilometres in one day - he wants to tackle his personal record attempt in a relaxed manner with two football friends. Barely two hours later, they are already back. The three of them completed the first lap very quickly, grabbed a plate of pasta and took a break. There is now a constant flow of people coming and going in the gym, as the participants of all distances complete the final 50 km loop of the Tortour Myself. Ralph Diseviscourt from Luxembourg is just setting off on his last lap of the 1,000-kilometre route to applause. Around two hours later, the 49-year-old is back. When he crosses the finish line in the Küsnacht ice rink after 39 hours and 38 minutes, he is beaming all over his face. He is surrounded by his support team, who have been looking after him day and night. Months of preparation and a detailed plan have paid off: he has won the Tortour 2025 in the solo category.
What makes ultracycling so special
"What I like so much about ultracycling is that there is such a friendly relationship between the riders," explains Ralph and adds: "Hard work is rewarded in ultracycling." He covers 40,000 to 45,000 kilometres a year on his bike, a large part of which is commuting to work. Just a few minutes later, Oliver Keller crosses the finish line. He is also beaming all over his face and is delighted with his personal success. The 30-year-old amateur footballer does not have an accompanying team and instead of 1,000 kilometres, he has only cycled 150 kilometres. He doesn't even know about training kilometres - after all, the racing bike is just a balance to football.
I cycled 150 kilometres for the first time in my life. It was great fun - I will definitely do it again next year. - Oliver Keller, amateur footballer
But his plan also worked out. While he only started in the morning, Diseviscourt had already been in the saddle since Thursday - which explains his almost simultaneous arrival. One award ceremony after another The hall is getting more and more crowded now, late on Saturday afternoon. On the stage, the teams and soloists of the 1000, 500 and 250 distance are welcomed by the speaker and honoured by the head of the organising committee. With so many distances, there are a lot of winners - one award ceremony follows the next. Friends and families receive theirs - the majority of participants come from Switzerland, many from the region. You can see beaming faces everywhere - the joy and pride in your own achievement is palpable. A little later, Luc rolls into the hall.
Exploring boundaries
He has no strength left for words and lies quietly on the hall floor. He has covered 450 kilometres - not as much as he had hoped, but still a personal record. The time limit is still a long way off, but his personal battery is too empty to go out on the track again. He lacks any energy for pride or joy - he still has a headache and his eyes are staring into space. Sabrina is in a better position, parking her bike after 350 kilometres and receiving a big kiss from her boyfriend. She has completed 50 kilometres more than planned and is feeling really good. "I felt better on the last lap than on the previous one," she says, beaming. "I'm proud that I managed 50 kilometres more." She and her boyfriend have already been thinking about what challenge they could tackle on next year's Tortour. The premiere has whetted their appetite for more. Oliver is also really proud of his ride and would "definitely like to do it again next year". It's clear that he wants to cover more kilometres then - riding at night appeals to him. Only Luc is so exhausted at the finish that he can't imagine doing it again. But because pain is quickly forgotten, the last word has probably not yet been spoken for him either. His pride in his own performance seems to grow with every moment of recovery. And that is exactly what makes the Tortour so unique.
Info: Tortour Switzerland
The Tortour describes itself as the largest ultracycling event in Europe. Around 500 participants took part this year. You can start over 1,000, 500 and 250 kilometres, either alone or in a team. In the "Myself" variant, you can complete a 50-kilometre lap as often as you like within the time limit. A maximum of 24 hours is available for this. This year, Küsnacht near Zurich was the start and finish location - the event will return to Schaffhausen in 2026. The starting place for the Tortour Myself was available from 100 euros. Info: www.tortour.com
Kristian Bauer
Editor
