Offers for group road bike rides are springing up like mushrooms in major German cities: Facebook communities, teams for everyone, cycle cafés and shops offer group tours. The larger the group and the more colourful the participants, the more unpredictable the dynamics: waiting for slower riders, coffee stops, pee breaks or breakdowns almost always limit the average speed. The Fast Tuesday organised by clothing manufacturer Rapha in its Munich shop is completely different: instead of a slow train, a high-speed express is guaranteed. The rules are simple: as soon as you reach the city limits, it's all guns blazing. No breaks, no stops and no waiting. "It's a drop ride. If you can't keep up the pace, you're out," says the announcement. This is also a respectful announcement for me: what am I supposed to write if I'm dropped after one kilometre?
Road bike group ride with clear rules
Fast rides without regard for slower fellow cyclists have been organised in Munich in the Facebook community "Rennradln München". Under the names "Testosterone Tuesday" and "Titty Twister Thursday", there were calls for speed chases. It was three friends of Florian Stolper who organised the group road bike ride at the time. The 28-year-old remembers the battle for equipment: "They used everything from disc bikes to aero gloves, time trial one-pieces and aero shoe covers to save seconds." During the coronavirus pandemic, however, the rides fell by the wayside. Since the opening of the "Rapha Clubhouse" in Munich in 2021, however, there has been a new opportunity for fans of elimination riding: Florian Stolper has passed on the idea of the fast tempo chase to Rapha under the title "Fast Tuesday". Between 5 and 15 brave souls are at the start each time - it remains to be seen how many will arrive. Rapha Club members and guests can take part by pre-booking via the website or app.
Ride Leader Flo
The "ride leader" in charge of the speed orgy today is Florian Stolper, who everyone just calls Flo. The raised aero socks on his fearsomely slim racing bike body signalise what's to come. The start is at 6 pm at the Rapha shop in the centre of Munich - the first riders gather 20 minutes beforehand.
"I want to test my limits," says Martin Neppl, who is keen to get fitter by pushing himself to the limit. "I've dropped out the last three or four times," admits the 32-year-old with a grin. Philipp Mandler and Sven Roehricht have also had to let the group go, but are both keen to race again. Men usually dominate Fast Tuesday - but today there are two fast women taking part, Pauline Beisenherz and Kathrin Chudoba. Kathrin's profile on the internet platform Strava proves her talent for high speeds: The 43-year-old holds around 600 segment best times, known as "QOM" in Strava-speak, short for the English "Queen of the Mountain". "Riding fast in a good group appeals to me. I notice my progress over the year - I still felt bad on the first Fast Tuesday in April." She is not afraid of the male-dominated group - she knows how strong she is.
A sharp start to the group road bike ride
Before we set off, the ride leader explains the rules for riding through the city and how to behave when taking over in the slipstream. At the last minute, we are joined by three other riders, so that there are twelve of us rolling through the city. Due to the traffic, the speed chase doesn't start until later - but we still don't dawdle. In a line of two, we weave our way through the evening traffic, swiftly out of the city through Perlacher Forst, and after the last set of traffic lights in Oberhaching, the sharp start awaits.
As soon as the traffic lights turn green, the express train starts moving. The speedometer shows 44 km/h, and the speed remains as high as that when a small incline comes at the end of the town. "I always pedal a little harder at the start so that people who can't keep up are better off dropping out straight away," Flo tells me later. It's not uncommon for the first riders to burst away after just one or two kilometres. This tactic doesn't exactly suit me either - with my mouth open, I suck the air deep into my lungs. We regularly change the lead in the single file and when it's my turn, I'm out of the wind again after just a few seconds. For me, it's all about surviving today - leading for longer is unthinkable.
Take a deep breath at the crossroads
I'm glad when we have to slow down at a junction and the pressure eases for a few seconds. For the next three kilometres, we're chasing along at 48 km/h again - it doesn't feel quite as bad for me because it's not uphill. Tactically, I made the biggest mistake after the start: I lined up behind Pauline's narrow back, which offers very little slipstream. A few kilometres later, when the group regrouped, I took the opportunity to get behind the widest back I could find. Now the effort seems manageable and I even have the time to eat a gel. The feeling of racing on a group road bike ride comes up. Unfortunately, the group regroups after two roadworks and the wide slipstream gap is gone again. To make matters worse, we accelerate again - we are approaching 50 km/h.
Road bike group ride at the limit
"Pain is a big, fat creature that's always breathing down your neck. The further you ride, the heavier it gets. The harder you pedal, the tighter it squeezes your chest. The steeper the climb, the deeper it digs its sharp claws into your muscles," is a quote from cycling journalist Scott Martin. As much as I love this quote - I lack the toughness to take up the fight with the creature today. When the body is no longer willing and the mind is weak, there is a tantalisingly simple solution on Fast Tuesday: ride out on the right and let the express train pull away. That's exactly what I do now. The group pulls away and in the distance I can see another rider fall off the back. I enjoy the first few metres with less pressure, but after a short break and with fresh air in my lungs, I start to feel guilty: Have I given up too soon? I pedal harder again and sense my chance: if the traffic lights turn red in the next town, I could catch up again. Luck is on my side: the red tail lights are in front of the traffic lights and just as I arrive, they switch to green. I'm only very briefly pleased that I'm back on the road - the pressure increases as I leave the town and I have to fight again. It's already too dark to recognise the speed on my bike computer, but I can feel the virtual speedometer needle in my legs.
Rescue shortcut
As we push up a small climb at an estimated 40 km/h, my air is getting very thin again. I don't have long to think about it, but I spontaneously come up with a tempting plan: if I turn off at the next junction, I'll save myself a small loop and with luck I'll meet up with the group again later. Thought, done. As soon as I turn off, I am surrounded by rural silence. Dusk slowly descends over the fields and to the left, far away, I can see the small red dots of the tail lights of the speeding cyclists disappearing. A fox calmly crosses the road in front of me, stops and looks after me. As soon as I've recovered for a few minutes, my guilty conscience kicks in again and a worry arises: if I want to catch the group later, I have to keep up the pace despite the shortcut. To write about the road bike group ride, I need to catch up with the group again. I lean over the handlebars again and follow my small cone of light as it bores into the dark forest. I've only been riding alone for a few minutes when the group - or what's left of it - actually rushes up from behind. Three other cyclists were unable to keep up. "This is the first time that someone who was left behind is back in the group," a voice greets me from the darkness.
Road bike group ride with speed
On the 50-kilometre Strava segment with 160 metres of elevation gain, the group ended up with an average speed of 41.7 km/h. That's not slow, but it's a long way off the record - the darkness in the final third prevents lead changes at maximum speed. Strava reveals that three years ago at TTT Tuesday, ride leader Flo tore off the 50 metre lap with an average of 46.8 km/h. But we didn't dawdle in daylight either: Kathrin and Pauline set two new QOMs and even Flo set a personal record on a short section. Thanks to the shortcut, my average speed on the shortened TTT loop was 38.6 km/h. I've never raced that fast through the south of Munich.
Slower in the dark
I'm glad that we're no longer shooting in the dark, but just driving fast. We roll back in pairs and stop at the end of Perlacher Forst. After a few minutes, the group of those who have been left behind arrives. In the blackness of the night, it's impossible to tell who has driven the whites out of their eyes today. "This is the first time I've ever had a cramp in my leg," reveals Pauline. Kathrin is completely relaxed, "because it wasn't the fastest ride today". Martin managed to stick with it to the end this time - a personal victory that makes him happy: "The speed is fun." A lot of struggle, a bit of a struggle, a few people who fell off and in the end a lot of happy faces - Fast Tuesday kept all its promises.
Passenger portraits:
Florian Stolper (28)
As ride leader, Flo wants to ride as fast as possible - without blowing up the whole group. There are usually only five to eight people and then there are often changes at the front. He has been riding for Team Baier Landshut in the Elite Amateur class since 2020. He has never been left behind, but even he has had to bite.
Kathrin Chudoba (43)
Kathrin rode the Ötztaler Cycle Marathon in 9:17 hours this season and was the second fastest woman at the Alpen Challenge. "I rode at the limit for seven hours." She is usually the only woman at Fast Tuesday. She can feel the training effect: "I torture myself for an hour - you wouldn't do that on your own. I notice the progress."
Martin Neppl (32)
Martin has always dropped out of the last few rides - but he is still motivated. He wants to get faster and learn to judge his body better: "If you ride at the front for too long at the beginning, it takes its toll". This year he rode the Ötztaler Cycle Marathon in 10:14 hours. "Without Fast Tuesday and the other Rapha rides, I wouldn't have managed that."
Pauline Beisenherz (28)
As a community manager for Rapha, Pauline takes part in all the rides - Fast Tuesday is not her favourite: "The pressure is much higher than on the other rides". Pauline comes from a skiing background and proved her climbing skills at the Ötztaler Cycle Marathon 2023.
Tips for Driving in a group.
Kristian Bauer
Editor
