Race Report TPBR24 (title photo credit: @ideenrausch)

Almost everybody I talked to said that this year’s edition of Three Peaks Bike Race was especially hard and that was also my impression, though I could only compare it with my participation in this race in 2022, when I was still quite new to the ultracycling sport. In the meantime I had some sobering DNFs and learned a lot from them. DNF is not failure, it’s always a lesson. 

In comparison to my successful finished TPBR22 I wanted to improve 3 things: route planning, weight of bike setup and efficiency. Fitness was not the problem, I invested a lot in my training, but you also have to pay attention to other things. So I spent more time in front of the computer and picked a route that would match my setup (I’m not superleight and my bike isn’t either), so avoid additional elevation.

I finished in Nice in 9 days and about 11 hours. I had cycled 2352km with 36.286m elevation.

I made up a few places on my way to France due to a route that took less effort. All in all I can say my route planning was solid and flawless this time.

I had decluttered my bike setup and also decided to stay more in hotels, cause I thought in this year’s edition we would be quite often in high mountains especially on the finish parcours. Sleeping outside might not be possible anyways. So I did not bring a sleeping bag nor a mat, only a bivvy for emergencies (and some bubble wrap to lay on, that doesn’t weigh anythingand can be thrown away). My bike setup went from 18kg in 2022 to 15kg this year.

The start parcour to Mariazell was already more demanding than the one in 2022, but also well chosen with quiet roads and beautiful views. Almost everybody overpaced a little and it was also quite hot. In Mariazell I already looked very salty. I wanted to cycle the first night through, but I stopped for water at a graveyard and a bench there was too tempting, so I layed down for 2 hours. On day 3 I made it to Checkpoint 1. Monte Grappa with almost 1600m elevation was very tough, but what really challenged me was the Manghen afterwards (it was basically another Monte Grappa). I had to push a lot and pull myself together.

Day 4 was my worst day (just like in 2022). I could only make 140km, it felt like I had to stop every 10min, but at least I made it to Switzerland. I knew the body would adapt, that’s what I told myself. Day 5 was really tough: Albulapass, Oberalpenpass, Furka and Grimselpass (4400m) were on the menu (I had chosen the north route). The bad weather in these high mountains was also frightening. Wet and cold, I made it to a Hotel in the downhill of Grimselpass and I was satisfied with my progress. Next day would be a transfer stage to the last checkpoint. I had developed my strategy: to besiege the big mountains. Sleep at the bottom and climb them in the morning. Day 7 started with Grand Ballon and the parkour in the Vosges. Later, I was surprised to see on Trainingpeaks that this was the hardest day with over 400 TSS points. Little did I know that it would almost end with a DNF. I did the beautiful parkour, I swore a lot on the gravel of La Super Planche and headed south into the Jura. I had been warned: the Jura is a region with no infrastructure, there is nothing. I didn’t believe it. It rained quite heavily on/off. I was very cold and had problems resupplying. When I made it to a little town in the evening I had to find out that all hotels were closed. There was absolutely nothing. After 15 hours of cycling and 4500m elevation I had a meltdown and self pity attack. I didn’t know what to do. A Burger King saved me. I warmed up there and ate a whopper with fries. Then the world looked different. After they kicked me out I stayed in a bank lobby until 4am. This was for sure the lowest point, but also the tipping point. In every ultracycling race I did there was a point where I could have failed. Sometimes I went on and succeeded and sometimes I failed to get over the lowest point. This time I made it.

Day 8 was another transfer stage. My route to Grenoble was quite flat, mostly leading next to the big lakes (Lac Leman and Lac du Bourget) and I managed to do 300km. I had a fantastic nap in Genevre in the park and felt strong again. In Grenoble I stayed overnight and tackled Alpe d’Huez in the morning. Then the finish parkour started. 378km with over 9000m of elevation. I knew that these climbs would suit me more than the Dolomites. Long, but not steep. Roads made for admiring the French landscape. So I thought I could be in Nice the next day, but only if I managed to do Alpe d’Huez, Col de Lautaret, Col d’Izoard and Col de Vars in one day (5500m elevation). And I did it with liters of Orangina 😃. The last climb was really tough and the descent was quite cold. I got down to 1200m in the little village of Jausiers which was beautifully decorated for Le Tour. This would be a good place to stay. After 3 hours on a park bench I got up to climb Col de la Bonette, the highest mountain pass road in Europe. I felt awful in the thin air and had to push a lot. The shepherd dogs did not like that and chased me. No ultra race without scary dog encounters. When I reached the top at 2802m and saw the sign to Nice I cried a little. All the cortisol had to come out somehow. From now on the tendency was downhill and I felt better and better. Col de Couillole and Col de Turini with 1000m each were not a big problem, just the heat got worse and my tire was losing pressure. The rear tire could hold about 2 bar, so I decided to just leave it, even though it slowed me down a little. Col d’Eze was the last climb and I was flying up that hill. The finish line was such a magnet. Nice was always the most rewarding goal for me. I can’t describe the feeling when you get out of these lonely mountains and then you get the view of the Mediterranean Sea, the palm trees and the Esplanade. And then the race director and the other riders give you a warm welcome. I already thought: Encore! 😃