Benedikt Fundel is already the King of Freiburg: he has won the 2025 Schauinslandkönig. Today, the 27-year-old from Freiburg is once again preparing for the mountain time trial up Freiburg’s local mountain: on the table lie his aero helmet, aero socks, his time trial kit and a full water bottle. Only the race bike is still missing – he’ll pick that up from the rental station of Freiburg’s bike-sharing scheme, Frelo, just outside his house. It’s a Nextbike City hire bike weighing almost 20 kilograms. He tries out three bikes: On one, the gears won’t shift; on the second, the mudguard rattles – the third is just right. He lubricates the chain and fits his road bike pedals – then he sets off towards the start. The fact that last year’s winner is competing on a heavy as hell hire bike is fitting for the event. Nowhere else is the field of participants as diverse as at the Schauinslandkönig: you see every conceivable type of bike and piece of sports equipment.
Teams at the Schauinslandkönig
The many teams in matching jerseys really catch the eye – alongside clubs and cycling groups, there are also plenty of work colleagues at the start. Fifteen men and women from Volksbank-Raiffeisenbank Freiburg are competing as ‘Team Volks bike’. They usually only see each other at the running club – the main aim of racing together is simply to have fun. A few metres away, Luisa Lämmle stands with her colleagues as “Team BBNV Road Warriors”. She is taking part for the first time and is full of anticipation and excitement. Not far from the valley station of the Schauinslandbahn, colleagues from the hospital have gathered as “Sportfreunde Stiller” – named not after the band, but after their boss, Prof. Dr med. Brigitte Stiller, at Freiburg University Hospital. The Schauinslandkönig is an event that draws many Freiburg residents up to their local mountain. The team names on the start list underline that, alongside the sport, it’s all about having a laugh: ‘Pas Normal Brudios’, ‘Team Schwabbelwaden’, ‘Schienenersatzverkehr’, ‘Juventus Urin’ and ‘Team Wadenschaden’ are all competing as teams.
A diverse field of competitors at the Schauinslandkönig
The diversity of the starting field becomes particularly apparent from 11 am onwards: unicyclists, inline skaters, longboarders, roller skiers, para-athletes and tandem cyclists are now lining up in front of the starting arch. A little further away stands a father with a child trailer attached to his bike, with his child inside; next to him is a surprisingly young lad on a mountain bike, and there are also many women and men on road bikes. For the past hour, the participants have been setting off one by one at intervals of just a few seconds. Eva Maria Dorer also gets on her bike and tackles the first ramp. The 35-year-old, wiry athlete comes from nearby Kirchzarten and has been mountain biking for many years. However, she’s increasingly taking to the road bike. This year’s Schauinslandkönig is a highlight of her season – as it could open up opportunities for her in para-cycling. Eva has hemiplegia, which affects her performance. “The distribution of power between my two legs is roughly 60:40, sometimes even 65:35.” She has been cycling for many years – but she hasn’t been involved in para-cycling for very long. Para-cycling offers her new opportunities: she’d like to put herself forward for a starting place in a World Cup race and is therefore particularly nervous. Dorer monitors her performance using the readings from her power meter – a method that many others also use. For most, the goal isn’t the podium, but a personal best.
Everyone has their own favourite spot on the local hill
That was precisely the inspiration behind the Schauinslandkönig. Freiburg is a sporty city, and every cyclist knows their time up the Schauinsland. So what could be more natural than to organise a time trial and make the race against the clock the centrepiece of the event? Alexander Lang, who has competed in the Ironman 25 times, came up with the idea and organised the inaugural event in 2007. He was surprised by its success at the time: “We’d expected perhaps 300 or 400 people to turn up, but we were completely overwhelmed. We had over 1,000 entries in the very first year.” Right from the start, his aim was to involve as many athletes from different disciplines as possible: “It’s not purely a cycling event, but is kept a bit more open.” This also applies to age: there’s no minimum age. Ten-year-old Kaleb Suhre is at the start line. He took part last year and loved it. What he remembers most of all: “The delicious sweets at the finish line.” Just to be on the safe side, though, he’s tucked a few fruit jellies into his jersey pocket. Last year, Kaleb rode his mountain bike – now he’s got a new road bike. Naturally, he wants to get to the sweets at the finish line even faster – definitely in under an hour. His clever strategy: “Ride at a steady pace and really push hard towards the end.” He’s probably not the only one setting off with this idea in mind. The best riders are tearing up the mountain at an average speed of 23 km/h. Daniel Debertin is one who could maintain that pace. The Karlsruhe native signed up on the spur of the moment and is a well-known name on the road cycling and cross-country skiing circuits. The sports scientist has already won the Imst Cycle Marathon and came second in the Kitzbühel Cycle Marathon. However, the 34-year-old doesn’t believe he’ll win today. He’s aiming to keep his wattage constant right up to the finish line and, above all, to “have fun”.
A tricky start to the Schauinslandkönig race
In the Schauinsland mountain time trial, you can push yourself to the limit right from the very first few metres: immediately after the start in Horben, the road features gradients in the double digits. After that, the route climbs steadily through the forest along beautiful hairpin bends and long straights, covering an elevation gain of around 770 metres between the start and finish arches. The road, which has recently been resurfaced, is particularly smooth to ride on this year. Part of the race’s appeal lies in the fact that the route – which is otherwise popular with tourists and extremely busy – is closed to traffic on race day, making it much easier for the organisers to manage than is the case with most cycle races. The Schauinsland only needs to be closed at the start of the climb, at a junction and at the top of the pass. There are no protests from local residents, as there are no villages along the route. The only ones who might complain are the owners of the ‘Holzschlägermatte’ roadside restaurant, who miss out on customers on race day. But the sporty owners make good use of the enforced closure: ‘If we have to close up anyway, we might as well cycle along with the staff,’ thought Dörthe Minuth and her husband Mike a few years ago. This time, the team from the restaurant has lined up ten people at the start, all wearing matching cycling jerseys. The focus today is on having fun together cycling up their local hill.
Pressure on the pedal
Last year’s winner, Benedikt Fundel, is currently demonstrating the perfect combination of fun and maximum wattage. He’s really pushing hard on the pedals and needs only the second-lowest gear, even for the steep ramp at the start. After that, he uses the twist grip shifter to switch between third and sixth gears depending on the gradient, trying to maintain as steady a pace as possible. In the front, in the shopping basket, are his water bottle and race documents; when overtaking, he can’t resist the urge to have a bit of fun and rings his bell. Most people then look over in disbelief, unable to believe what they’re seeing. The time trial on the heavy Frelo is a new experience for Fundel, who usually rides for the strong amateur racing team Strassacker: the saddle is so soft that he rides mostly standing up. He’s also not used to being overtaken on the Schauinsland.
The King on his Mountain
As Schauinslandstraße is closed to other traffic, there are only a few spectators standing at the side of the road. However, the closer he gets to the top of the pass, the louder the applause becomes. Fundel, on his hire bike, receives a particularly warm reception. “The king is coming,” echoes across the road. The applause reminds him a little of the day before, when he himself was standing by the roadside in the Vosges cheering on the riders of the Tour de France – although he was already aware that the 200-kilometre cycle ride to the Vosges and back would be too much to manage if he was to defend his title the following day. The ride on the City hire bike therefore seemed like a compromise to him, as he didn’t want to miss out on the Tour de France. The stream of cyclists shows no sign of letting up; Kaleb is overtaken by his father and is slowly starting to feel it in his legs. Eva Maria Dorer glances at the data on her cycle computer. But her muscles are also telling her that the climb is dragging on. A climb of just under 800 metres can feel like an eternity when your heart rate rises and the strength in your legs is fading. Yet the spectators on the home straight and the course announcer, whose voice can be heard from afar, spur all the participants on once more, giving them a burst of energy.
Energy for the final sprint at the Schauinslandkönig
Dorer stands up out of the saddle and accelerates once more in the final metres. Ten-year-old Kaleb also launches into his final sprint as the finish arch comes into view. After 51 minutes and 18 seconds, he crosses the timing mat and is delighted to have been a little faster than he’d expected. A short while later, at the finish line, he receives the sweets he’d been dreaming of, which taste particularly good after all that effort. He really enjoyed it again, even though his legs were burning more than last time. He’s already got plans for the rest of the day: to recover, “there’ll probably be an ice cream”. Benedikt Fundel reaches the finish line on his city bike after 46 minutes and 33 seconds – that’s around 17 minutes longer than last year. He’s almost surprised at how well it went on such a heavy bike. “It’s all about the fun of cycling, but I was riding at my threshold almost the whole way,” he says. As a result, last year’s winner finished in 524th place this time, yet still overtook hundreds of cyclists on lightweight road bikes. Daniel Debertin was significantly faster – although he couldn’t maintain his planned wattage, he took second place. He hadn’t expected this and barely even realised it. He was already about to head down into the valley when he noticed in the rankings that he’d secured a podium place. Eva Maria Dorer, too, can’t stop beaming. Although she wasn’t able to beat her time from last year, she learns the more important news at the finish line: her strong performance has earned her an invitation to a Paracycling World Cup race.
Today, everyone is a king
For many hours to come, exhausted but happy conquerors of the Schauinsland continue to reach the finish line. The atmosphere is relaxed amongst the food stalls and beer benches. Not far from the finish arch stands a royal throne, where participants are having their photos taken non-stop. There are plenty of queens and kings on the Schauinsland today; the official coronation ceremony is, of course, still to come: at the prize-giving ceremony this afternoon, the winners in each age group will also be presented with a crown. David Breinlinger is the new Schauinsland King with a time of 30:04 minutes. However, former King Fundel still has the most dangerous part of the day ahead of him: the descent into the valley. The Frelo isn’t designed for that. “The brakes are hard to modulate – they either don’t work at all or are far too powerful. The descent was the second adventure,” he says afterwards. His Strava profile reveals that he didn’t just test the limits of the city bike on the climb: the recording shows a top speed of just under 80 km/h. The king has abdicated – but he’ll still go down in the history books of the ‘Kingdom of Freiburg’ for his ride.
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About the Schauinsland King
The Schauinslandkönig is a mountain time trial with individual starts. The race begins in Horben, just outside Freiburg, and the finish line is located just below the Schauinslandbahn mountain station, 11.5 kilometres and around 770 metres of elevation gain further on. There are many categories in which to compete: with a child trailer, on a unicycle, on roller skis, on inline skates, on a longboard or using para-sport equipment. The event takes place annually in July, with the next edition on 18 July 2027. On 27 June 2027, there will also be the Kandelkönig mountain time trial over 11.5 kilometres and 950 metres of elevation gain.
Website: https://www.schauinslandkoenig.de/
Kristian Bauer
Editor