Darkness: The 10th anniversary

We’re back from SiS and I guess all of us agree we had a fantastic time again. In Weidenthal we feel kind of home and in the last years we have written quite a lot about SiS on this blog, so I won’t go into detail to much. Hanging out with the gang in the BWR-camp at the middle of the festival area was great fun and so was the riding.

Some of us joined the singlespeed race a couple of hours before the actual nightride/nightrace. This time, the SSP-fun took place on a really flowy singletrack course up in the woods where we had to ride laps and drin Pfälzer Schorle.

At the nightrace afterwards I felt we lived the right spirit, somewhere between fun and racing. Our crazy soloists Ausilia, Mandi, Kalle, René and André did impressive distances with up to 160Ks. Ausilia won her category and Mandi, Kalle and René podiumed (the latter being punished with non-alcoholic beer). The Fatbike-team with Michael, Phil, Rick and Sheldon seemed to have a lot of fun and “the slow bastards” consisting of Mat, Jelle, David and me fucked it up at three in the morning – which acutally was really funny and at least brought Mat and me some Malteni beer during the race. Rüdiger also seemed happy after his ride in a one-person-2er.

Guys, that was great – see you soon!

 

And finally Bensheim

The last race of my Cyclocross season was the Deutschland Cup in Bensheim one week ago. After a long debate between rationality and stubborness I decided to do the drive up to Hesse although I had been ill the two weeks before the race and couldn’t ride a single meter. During the practice laps a little pain in my sinuses still reminded me at every pump in the course that I probably wasn’t in best shape ever. Strangely, as it turned out the race obviously helped me to get better. The longer it took, the better I was able to breathe and on the morning after I felt completely recovered.

But enough of sinuses and colds – this is a race blog. The course was not top-class but allright and with quite some elevation for a cross circuit. My favorite passage was a run-up over stairs where the only fast option was to have the bike on the shoulder in Belgium style.

So, off we went and little Christian was back in race modus. I pushed myself to the limit and tryed to stay there, but had to find out this was still a bit too much. Soon enough I had to scale it down to 80% and did my job at the end of the field. In the end, it was a fun day and I came in on position 24 of 27. Not a good result, but I know it was way under my limit.

That was my season. Given the time available for racing and training I am pretty happy with it. Now Christmas can come.

Have it good out there

Christian

Welcome to Swabian Hell

Photo copyright Dirk 🙂

After the desaster of Mannheim four weeks ago I was really hot for another Cross Race. Last Saturday it was finally the day of our home-match here in Stuttgart, where one of the local clubs organises a race of the national cyclocross series every year. However, until Friday evening I wasn’t even sure whether I would ride there or not. First, I had a slight cold and second there were some organisational issues in the way. Lastly I decided to ignore the cold and to work around all the other stuff. So, we went there quite early in the morning to register, afterwards I went off to pre-ride the slippy and tricky course. Due to all the loose grass on the track it was sure that the main problem of the day would be to keep the derailleur hanger on the frame.

It was really cool to see all those people who had turned up here in Stuttgart: Sandra and Ken Bloomer from Crema Cycles had come up from the Allgäu, Dirk had done the drive from Freiburg and the local Stuttgart gang around Bicicletteria was here as well of course – all together 64 (!) people stood at the start line of the 40-minutes hobby race, which is more than in the pro category during the afternoon, and made the first minutes a little survival trip.
As I had registered only an hour before the race I had to start at the very end of the field, but nevertheless it worked out great! I was able to keep touch with the people around me for the first two laps and then started to overtake. It felt a bit like being part of a video game, working myself up the ranks and at the same time making sure not to crash, keeping the pace exactly at my modest limit. As I heared the bell for the last lap I really gave all and finally got a little reward: After DFL in Mannheim four weeks ago, I was on place 34 of 64 here in Stuttgart in the end and, apart from that, really had great fun during the race.

Have it good

Christian

Cross Time again!

The first race with the new team kit did not exactly go as planned. We went up to Mannheim to do the Star Cross there which every year marks the beginning for the Cyclocross season in Germany. As it turned out, the organizers there are super friendly and the 2-k course is exactly as I think a Cross circuit should be: Some passages twisty, but also speed in it and some really tricky little descents.

The day started with my friend Bekka ripping her rear derailleur out of her one week old frame – bummer! And well, it went on like that: The Hobby-guys, including me, started together with the Pros and around half way through the first lap I crashed in a muddy corner. I needed some time to sort it all out and so I had lost the field. I spent the rest of the race chasing the other unlucky ones and managed to get at least two of them (who later gave up unfortunately). But not enough: Close to the finish one of the Pro guys decided he had to scream ugly stuff at people he was overlapping. What the hell? If you start shouting “HEY! HEY! HEY!” thirty metres away don’t expect us to vanish in a millisecond, but either tell us “Right!” or “Left!”. One of the guys directly in front of me tried to tell him afterwards. Things got even worse and in the end those guys (well, more the Pro guy than the other one) were really close to beat each other up. Never had that at a cycling event, never want to have that shit again.

Oh, here are more picks of the lame duck in the cool jersey.

New Team Kits

Our new teamkits are here. It shows a new BWR logo and represents our cool sponsor brands Just Pedal Bike Shop, Osprey, Crema Cycles, Supernova and Spok Werks. Christian Cotterman took care of the design and Phil Fogg was the project manager for producing, ordering and distribution (write the story down and send it to the next university, they will award you a Ph.D. for that!). Thanks to both of you!

Big Wheelers at the Singlespeed World Championships

Wow, it’s already two weeks ago that we have been to the 2013 SSWC in the Aosta Valley, Italy. We had a really cool weekend there, extremely nice bunch of people and some great riding. An SSWC course facing such impressive mountains and glaciers will really have its place in our little racing history. Thanks a lot, Marco “Yoda” Nicoletti (teammate and SSWC chief organizer) for all your efforts to put to together this great event.

We had a really strong BWR group present. The above picture shows, from right to left: Ausilia, Sheldon, Rick, Michaela, Seba, André, Phil and Christian. Jelle is somehow missing, if I remember correctly he took the picture, and Marco is missing as well. At that time he was busy steeling 200 wheels.

And it’s time again to thank our sponsors: Geax tires took us round the challenging 32-k-course safely, Supernova made sure we had a little sun with us during Friday’s nightride, Osprey  and Biciclista made us look so sexy.

And here’s a video by Sheldon, showing some of the best parts of the race.

This young gentleman…

…has just finished the GST. Congtratulations from the team, not only to you Michael but also to Phil, who rode close to the finish in a very good and constant pace but unfortunately had to give up due to injury. Great job you two!

Marco riding like the wind

Marco Nicoletti made his way to Butte, around one third into the legendary Tour Divide from Banff, Canada to the Mexican boarder. Marco, we’re all having an eye on your data and in case you read this: Fucking great job man, go on and ride, ride, ride!

[Photo taken by Gunnar Fehlau, thanks mate!]

Saumagen and Kölsch: Gäsbock und die Wilde 13

Prologue
[06.05.2013 22:09:20] Jelle @ SinglespeedNL: what uebersetzung will you use?
[06.05.2013 22:09:30] Christian Förster: 32×18
[06.05.2013 22:09:34] Jelle @ SinglespeedNL: pffff
[06.05.2013 22:09:40] Jelle @ SinglespeedNL: ok, then mine will do 🙂
[06.05.2013 22:09:49] Christian Förster: What do you take?
[06.05.2013 22:09:54] Jelle @ SinglespeedNL: 32×21 on krampus
Jelle was so damn right.

The Race
Finally the Gäsbock – after it somehow never worked out for me I miraculously had both time and a spot this year. Epic trails, little culinary treasures at the aid stations and quite a unique atmosphere – that’s what Gäsbock stands for. Besides, it was really time to go back to one of my favourite riding areas and do some Pfalz trails again.

It was really cool that BWR was represented quite strong: Rüdiger and Mathias, our two locals, came over – and I was especially happy about the fact that Jelle came over from Holland, who is not exactly a local but got Petra’s spot. No race time this year for the mum to be. We packed the camping car on Friday and made the well-known drive up to Lambrecht, just a few villages before Weidenthal, Germany’s legendary Singlespeed Hall of Fame. It was a cozy evening, cooking and eating tons of pasta and chilling in the camping car, before things got busy on the next morning. While Petra helped selling Gäsbock-jerseys I met Jelle, Rüdiger and Mathias for a quick BWR-photo before the neutralized start of the field which led the 555 starters up to the village’s church where the proper race start was to take place.

With a little trick we worked ourselves through the whole field (right around a large building instead of left) to celebrate a Gäsbock-tradition: The singlespeeder’s LeMans-start in the first row. 5-4-3-2-1-0 and off we went. We ran to our bikes, thereby almost produced the first crash, and sprinted up the hill through the valley.

Strange feeling to suddenly ride in front of more than 500 people – at least we made it around one k until we entered the forest and started the first climb on gravel. And now it suddenly dawned to me that Jelle might have been right in choosing his gearing. Together with him and Reiner, another member of the SSP-family, I worked myself up the hill and didn’t feel too well. I knew that pace was much too fast for a day with 74 km and 1.900 metres of climbing, so I let the two head off. The first great but rough downhill trail led us to aid one: An old local station where a historic steam train just had rolled in to greet the riders, following the day’s motto: Gäsbock und die Wilde 13 – who’s into German kid’s book will know the story only too well. And of course it was not just bananas and power bars: They served us delicious Dampfnudeln with Vanilla sauce. First some really hard singletracks and then a steam train and Dampfnudeln? Welcome to Gäsbock.

After a Dampfnudel I went off and started my way back into the forest. I didn’t count all those singletracks, but my hands and wrists knew that it was just the right amount! In a moment where I didn’t think about the pain in my hands, I discovered that I was really hungry. Luckily they had prepared the Palatine speciality Saumagen at aid station two. After two of them the hunger was gone. I grabbed my bike and rode the remaining k to the course switch between middle and long distance. And who was there to wait for me? The Petra-wife. And even more: the volunteer (who had dressed up as Poseidon – “Die Wilde 13” again), had just opened a fresh Tannenzäpfle-beer. I thought that might be a perfect combination with Saumagen and talked him into sharing it with me. Thanks Wolfgang!

From that point onwards I simply felt great. The legs were spinning and the lungs worked just as I had whished for, it was a dream. Uphill I was riding like the steam train accompanying the race down in the valley and downhill I was flying like a young god. The course took us to aid three. Being right in the flow I quickly felt a water bottle and raced onwards.

After four hours and something we came to the last, never-ending climb. Now it was pay-day for little Christian with his 32×18-bike. The steam train had run out of power and the young god had turned into a devil, sitting in my neck and laughing at me. Our buddy Dirk passed me and said: “Come on, only 4 k, and then you can have a beer!” Well it was a bit more than 4 k and I had a power gel before the beer, but finally even I arrived at the little beer garden which had been set up on the top of the last climb. We had climbed 1.900 metres now and there we got the reward: Kölsch-beer and Curry-Wurst!

But at some point it was time to leave again and say hello to the last singletrack downhill of the day: Rocks, roots, steps, many 180-degree-turns, then there was the finish. I was tired, but I have to admit, I was even sad that this great marathon was over when I reached the finish after 5.5 hours. Jelle and Reiner where already there and had already showered … of course.

That was the Gäsbock. My race season was short and intensive, but due to the wonderful changes upcoming in our little family in just a couple of weeks, I decided to concentrate on even better things for a couple of month and go out for some uncomplicated fun rides only. Ride on guys, stay strong, have some fun and a beer,

Christian

New member: Welcome Mathias!

Born 1979 in West Berlin,lived my life without Sports to the day everything changed. Near my 29th birthday, this time i lived in Spain, i decided to change something radical. Went back to good old Germany (South-West / Pfälzerwald), i met my wife and my son and settled down.

Bought my first Mountainbike (26)….. yes thats it. The Nature, the Speed and the Sport of course the Adrenaline. My first Marathon (Wasgau/Lemberg) in 2009, it rained the hole way but it was great. The Situation was clear, Marathon, thats my thing.+++BREAKING NEWS+++APRIL 2012+++BOUGHT A SIMPLON RAZERBLADE 29+++BREAKING NEWS++++ Trying to be on all local Events and since last year also the interesting ones farer away.

RIDE ON

STAY STRONG

Mathias

P.S. by Christian: I really need to find out how to put all the members above in one category, since the header gets fuller in fuller the more the team grows (which is great). As soon as I found out I will add you there Mathias…