Category: Allgemein

These are the daily ride reports from No. 7 (2024).

Preview: Taunus Bikepacking No. 7

Already in its seventh year, Taunus Bikepacking is one of the longest-standing events in the bikepacking calendar. Still, over all these years, it has managed to remain relatively small-scale and under many people’s radars. While the small scale is absolutely on purpose, it’s definitely on more and more people’s radars lately.

What began as a pretty casual bike ride amongst a handful of friends in 2018 has grown steadily over the years, but the event has stayed true to its relaxed spirit and atmosphere. Don’t let the laid-back, community-driven spirit fool you though: This one-thousand kilometre roller coaster through the Taunus hills is anything but easy. In fact, after finishing it last year during her preparation for the Transcontinental, Marei Moldenhauer called it “at the same time the most beautiful route I have ever ridden and one of the hardest”.

The mixed-surface course is put together with a lot of love and attention to detail, but it’s still brutal and takes a high toll on riders and machines. Typically, only about 50 to 60 percent of riders make it to the finish line. The climbing is relentless. Blown-up knees and sore achilles heels are testament to the demanding nature of the course. Taunus is just a medium mountain range, so we’re not talking about big mountains here. They are really just small hills. But it’s the sheer amount of them, strung together in close succession, that make it incredibly hard to find any kind of rhythm on this track. Couple that with the unpredictable surface changes and you’re in for a memorable ride. Gravel roads, dirt trails, cobblestone alleys, paved country lanes and the occasional section through high grass – there’s a bit of everything.

At times, riders might feel like they are in the middle of nowhere, just to be spat out in a little village with resupply options a few moments later. After all, we’re in the middle of Germany here, so the next shop or at least vending machine is actually never too far away. In that sense, this event is very much suitable for beginner bikepackers, because the safety of civilization is always near. The track manages to make you forget that at times though. You might not meet a single soul in these forests.

On any long bike ride, especially the ones that veer away from the tarmac ever so often, the weather plays an essential role. If it’s hot and dry like it was the last couple of years, it can be challenging to cool down and find enough shade. Even after a hot summer day, the nights can get surprisingly cold and if it does rain, many of the trails turn muddy and slippery fast. The month of June is no stranger to sudden thunderstorms either, so riders will have to come prepared for any eventualities.

Bike choices typically range anywhere between a gravel bike and hard tail MTB, but people have ridden it on cyclocross or even road bikes before. Make sure to check the Bikes of Taunus Bikepacking right here on dotwatcher.cc to see what this year’s riders are bringing.

Talking about riders…

There are 94 registered riders from 18 different nations. 35 of these riders are returning veterans of previous Taunus Bikepacking editions. This means only 59 are Taunus Bikepacking “rookies”. The youngest rider is 19, the oldest is 68 years old. And even though the application ballot was making a point in favouring underrepresented groups, there are still only 16 female riders, which definitely still leaves lots of room to improve for the future.

So, who to watch? All of them, of course! We don’t want to single anyone out. However, this is not supposed to become a super long post and there are some names that experienced dotwatchers might recognize and even expect to see near the top of the leaderboard, so let’s focus on those for now.

Speaking of regular sights at the top of any leaderboard, you cannot look past Robin Gemperle. The Swiss rider is probably best known for giving Christoph Strasser something to worry about during their wild chase across Europe in last year’s Transcontinental Race, where he eventually finished second. However, his palmares includes numerous wins at prestigious races such as Atlas Mountain Race and Hope 1000, too.

Kristian Buljan and Georg Stiebeling are two local heroes. Both already proved more than once how fast they can ride on these Taunus tracks. Kristian came in fastest last year and Georg was second fastest for two years in a row. Both live and train in Taunus and know very well what to expect. Even difficult mechanical problems couldn’t stop them last year. No doubt both will be highly motivated.

Nicole van Batenburg has been at the pointy end of pretty much every event she entered so far, including Paris-Brest-Paris, Desertus Bikus and, most recently, the Race around the Netherlands. While Nicole is definitely capable of finishing at the top of the leaderboard, this is her first long off-road ride and the terrain couldn’t be any more different than in the Netherlands. It will be interesting to see how she handles what the Taunus throws at her.

Hannah Ghazi-Idrissi has quickly made a name for herself in the ultra cycling world with very strong performances at difficult events like Three Peaks Bike Race, The Unknown Race, Seven Serpents and others. Hannah lives in the Austrian alps, but is originally from Taunus, with her family still living in the area.

Benno Möser is still the youngest Taunus Bikepacking finisher to date. After riding the event, he switched sides last year to become a crew member and is now back riding. Christopher Rißmann has recently finished the gruelling Accursed Race. Lars Hundscheid brings experience of some of the hardest off-road events like Atlas Mountain Race or Across the 3. Dimitri Franz is originally an accomplished road racer. Bastian Zwack has a number of ultra race finishes under his belt. Thomas Metz is the only rider left to start every single edition of Taunus Bikepacking since 2018. Fabian Köhler has only missed the start once and never failed to finish. Sara Dicks is just returning from an extensive bike trip across the Balkans. Nathalie Hoogeveen finished the Race around the Netherlands and Bright Midnight. Andreas Hölderle is partially paralyzed and rides a special bike with both brake levers on one side, which doesn’t stop him from taking on his third Taunus Bikepacking. Antti Lihavainen is known for riding to the start from Scandinavia. We could go on and on. The rider list is very diverse and the best stories are yet to be written.

The start is on Sunday June 16th. Riders are leaving the base camp in one minute intervals from 8 in the morning. Nils Laengner and Gosia Michalik will provide the photography, so make sure to follow the Instagram channel.

Day 0: Family Reunion

This year the base camp already opened two days before the start, leaving more time for riders to arrive early, relax at the beautiful base camp and most importantly, connect with each other. With over a third of the field consistint of returning riders from previous editions, it was something like a family reunion. After a night of heavy rain, the clouds parted to let the sunshine through just in time for the Saturday inscription window.

All day there were riders arriving. Volunteers have been busy setting up camp, stamping numbers on rider caps and checking everyone in. Bike checks have been carried out by Moritz from The Inner Cycle bike shop, fixing a lot of last minute problems big and small.

The camp is brimming with excitement. During the day, the riders chat group was flooded with pictures of bikes on trains on their way to Taunus. Some had a real adventure just trying to get to Eppstein. Cap 60 Filip Bieleszuk was particularly unlucky, as not only one, but two of the trains he was meant to take were cancelled, making it a very long day for him. At the time of writing, the crew is still waiting for Filip to arrive, crossing their fingers he makes it before midnight. It will be a short night.

Photography by bite.of.me

Day 1: Trials and Tribulations

The camp was getting alive early Sunday morning. After breakfast and briefing, riders lined up to start their adventure through the Taunus hills, leaving in one minute intervals.

It wasn’t long until the first issues were reported. Cap 43 Maike Schneider suffered shifting issues early on. Cap 88 Thomas Nylen lost his phone, which he only noticed after a local mountain biker retrieved and reunited it with the owner. Some trackers were misbehaving, but the team managed to find the respective riders and fix the issues. At the time of writing, only cap 38 Jan Malek still has a patchy tracker. These mishaps seem minor compared to what cap 60 Filip Bieleszuk is up against. He was the last rider to make it to inscription late at night due to two of his trains being cancelled. Only a few hours after the start, dotwatchers noticed that his dot seemed to go back and forth.

Soon after, a post brought the explanation.

If anybody would be curious what’s happening with my tracker then everything is fine. It’s just that my jockey wheel got broken, I’ve managed to patch it up, then 15km later my hanger got broken and when I’ve replaced it I’ve realized that I’ve left one piece of my chain breaker a few km back.

He is now riding single speed. Not an easy thing to do in such hilly terrain. Filip took a hotel for the night and hopes to get his bike fixed in Wiesbaden tomorrow. There is another rider that is riding singlespeed, but completely voluntarily. Cap 93 David Jason Innes was brave enough to bring only one gear to this rollercoaster of a course. He walked the climb out of camp and he probably will have to walk a lot more climbs on the course, but doesn’t seem to mind too much.

At the front of the field, Robin Gemperle established a healthy lead over the course of the afternoon. He is being chased by many, most closely Tobias Vögtlin, Benno Möser, Kristian Buljan, Nicole van Batenburg and Hannah Ghazi-Idrissi. Progress at the pointy end is astionishingly quick. Nicole and Hannah inspired many dotwatchers today and were cheered especially loudly by the locals. Due to the staggered start, Nicole had started a while before Hannah, but Hannah steadily closed the gap until she finally caught up with Nicole just before Bad Schwalbach, an important resupply point before heading into remote Wisper valley. Both stopped only short. Nicole filled up her water bottles at a local fountain. Bad Schwalbach is a spa town and famous for its springs. Some of them have a rather acquired taste. Meanwhile, Hannah grabbed what she called “the best dinner” at a small kebab store, stored it in her frame bag for later and jumped back on her bike. The two left town only minutes apart.

Just as the sun went down, Robin Gemperle was the first to reach checkpoint 1 at the summit of Kalte Herberge, 278 kilometers from the start.

As the riders laid down to sleep for the night in various places, some positions have been shifting overnight, most noticeably cap 5 Georg Stiebeling who has put in a night shift to get himself up into second place as the morning breaks on day 2. The weather has been taking a turn for the worse though and it’s still many hundreds of kilometers to go.

Four riders abandoned the ride on day 1.

Scratch report

• Cap 94 Bastian Zwack decided to stop due to lack of inspiration
• Cap 42 Nina Jäcker scratches due to health reasons
• Cap 50 Mario Martins has to abandon for personal reasons
• Cap 25 Moritz Schön feels an oncoming cold and takes the sensible decision to stop

Photos by Nils Laengner

Day 2: Mammals and mechanicals

On the morning of day two, riders all over Taunus woke up to pouring rain. Eventually the sun broke back through and then the rest of the day was characterized by constant weather changes. Spells of sunshine interspersed with all kinds of rain between drizzle and sudden heavy downpours kept riders busy putting layers on and off.

Amongst the front runners, cap 5 Georg Stiebeling probably slept the least and made up a lot of ground during the night. The infamous Sauerthal singletrail section through fields of nettles became even more tricky after all the rain. Slippy mud puddles kept everybody on their toes. Georg crashed not once, but twice on this segment. A short while after, his shifter cable snapped, forcing him to detour to a garage where he could get it fixed. After fixing the bike, Georg had to ride back to where he left the track so he could continue his chase.

Georg was not the only rider with mechanical problems. Cap 74 Nicole van Batenburg was spotted climbing the vineyards in the rain with a smile on her face, exclaiming “this is just like Dutch weather”. However, she had to deal with a slipping seat post and a broken tailfin rack, which cost her quite some time. Nicole managed to fix it though. She was later seen at the halfway point of the route and reported feeling fine, so her setbacks were of the mechanical kind only.

Cap 51 Hannah Ghazi-Idrissi spent the night safe and dry in an abandoned elementary school building. She started into the rain. Oblivious to her position, she only seemed to feel a sense of urgency after a friend had made her aware that she was riding in third overall position.

Cap 41 Robin Gemperle spent three hours of the night sleeping underneath a parked trailer to shelter from the rain. He reported seeing a lot of wild life and almost running into a wild boar at one point. Especially the area around Wispertaunus is known to be very alive at night, something our volunteer Malte can only attest to. On a mission driving to the night, he counted 14 deer, 2 raccoons, four foxes and a huge family of wild boar crossing his way.

In other news, cap 29 Rouven Münch’s bike fell over during a break, bending his derailleur hanger and forcing him to look for a bike shop. Cap 15 Marc Schnitzius was seen wearing a jacket as shorts, so he could wash his shorts on a cemetery. Cap 59 Markus Baran‘s original plan was to run a half marathon this weekend after finishing Taunus Bikepacking. That plan is now scrapped. Cap 23 Nicolai Wolf‘s thru-axle loosened on the downhill from CP2, luckily without leading to a crash.

The second day’s list of abandons is a clear sign of what this course does to rider’s bodies.

Scratch report

• Cap 43 Maike Schneider, signs of an oncoming illness
• Cap 17 Andreas Hölderle, knee pain
• Cap 9 Benno Möser, throat pain
• Cap 8 Knut Faust, back pain
• Cap 63 Manuel Schmid, neck pain and headaches
• Cap 64 Bosse Niestlé, saddlesores and mental fatigue
• Cap 34 Dennis Krüger, saddle sores and knee pain

Day 3: All weather

Between getting absolutely drenched in torrential rain and baking in the afternoon sun, day three literally had all the weather in store for our riders.

The leading female rider Hannah Ghazi-Idrissi found another interesting sleeping spot in what seemed to be some kind of public shower.

Kristian Buljan rode through the night without sleeping. In the early morning he caught Georg, who was having a hard time. Not only did his knee hurt, but his phone was damaged from the water that the morning’s heavy thunderstorms brought. He was spotted in Dachsenhausen trying to find a pharmacy.

Meanwhile out front, Robin Gemperle has had more sleep than the two chasers combined. The gap he has at this point is substantial and it’s only starting to grow. This goes to show that being able to function on little sleep is not everything.

And so, just a little while after the sun had set on the third day of Taunus Bikepacking No. 7, Robin Gemperle was the first rider to make it around. It took the Swiss rider 2 days, 13 hours and 26 minutes to complete the course.

Even though the course changes every year and cannot easily be compared with other editions, it’s more than ten hours faster than anyone has ever finished Taunus Bikepacking. In fact, before this edition, it was only Joseph Thomas in 2021 that managed to do in less than three days.

It was certainly not the easiest edition ever, especially with these weather conditions.

At that point, Nicole van Batenburg is chasing Hannah Ghazi-Idrissi. She is determined to catch her, but Nicole’s eyes are giving her some trouble. That night, she finds herself in the middle of a bad storm and shelters in a dairy farm.

Marc Schnitzius washed his shorts on a cemetery, wearing his jacket as pants while doing so. In the evening, he also had to take shelter from the storm, but still got drenched because water flooded his shelter.

The third day’s scratch report is the longest so far.

Scratch report

• Barry McWilliams, health reasons
• Haico Bianchi, fatigue
• Rouven Münch, mechanical
• Carsten Boehm, mechanical
• Cem Giorgio Ucan, achilles heel and wrist pain
• Heike Sturm, fatigue
• Norbert Münch, fatigue
• Romain Corvest, knee pain
• Thomas Metz, broken freehub
• Stefan Baumgärtner, broken freehub
• Markus Baran, technical defect

Day 4: When it rains, it pours

The heavy rain forced many riders to shelter, trying to avoid the worst of it during the night. Some were more lucky than others. Cap 15 Marc’s shelter got flooded during the night and so all his spare clothes are drenched. A small group of riders including cap 16 Miriam Hamscher somehow managed to spend the night in an empty nightclub. It was reported to be nice and dry, though it lacked the advantage of morning daylight, which wakes most riders automatically, so they started the day later than they wanted.

After a bit of sleep in the camp, first finisher Robin was found looking at the map in the morning, commenting on the convoluted nature of the track “It makes you realize just how crazy this is – in a good way.”

Tobias and Kristian battled it out for second place, crossing over Feldberg, the highest point of the course, in the heavy rain. Tobias actually reached the finish line first. However, the time difference from the staggered start meant that Kristian took second place and Tobias took third. Both riders were absolutely drenched and dirty, but happy.

Nicole had a very rough night, was suffering from saddle sores and has problems with her eyesight. Just ahead of Limburg, she finally decided it was all too much and walked to the next train station. She clearly didn’t take this decision easily.

A little bit further ahead, Hannah has slept in a shelter surrounded by little dormice, one of which stole her bread roll. She suffered a dip in morale when the news about Nicole’s scratch reached her. Nicole had been Hannah’s closest chaser. With no urgent reason to push hard, Hannah had to find new motivation to finish this ride. She slowed down somewhat and was spotted in Wetzlar’s old town enjoying some pizza and coffee.

Further back in the field, people were struggling with all kinds of problems. Around the 500 kilometer mark, a dotwatcher has opened their heart and their house for all passing riders, offering food, drink and even warm showers. In Taunus Bikepacking, such acts of kindness are allowed as long as they are unsolicited and open to all riders equally. For some riders that were considering giving up, this was the straw that they needed, giving them just the little boost of motivation to keep on going. Michael Sherman had a hell of a night, riding through the worst of the thunderstorm, with lightning all around him. After falling on a downhill section and injuring both his knees, he made it to the dotwatcher’s refuge at 1.30 am, showered in all his dirty clothes and fell asleep almost instantly.

During the day, many arrived at this point shivering due to the cold rain. All of them were dirty. At the halfway point with still 500 hard and muddy kilometers to go, this is where the mental challenge really begins. Nicole Stuber arrived here very exhausted after a tough and sleepless night at CP2. She used the opportunity for a 20 minute nap before pushing on. Some other riders, such as Dutch couple Nanke and Eelco, took the smart decision to book a hotel room for the following night. Daniel and Fabian are veterans of Taunus Bikepacking and know how to take care of themselves. They spent the previous night in a hotel and seem to be in much better condition compared to most others.

Back in base camp, the afternoon and evening saw the fourth and fifth finishers, Georg Stiebeling and Markus Valentin, enjoying some well deserved rest and recovery. Especially Georg, a veteran of multiple Taunus Bikepacking editions and always found near the front, had a tough ride this year with lots of problems to solve.

As is to be expected in such tough conditions, the scratch report of day 4 is another long one.

Scratch report

• 19 Jeremy Harris, broken tooth
• 20 Jeannette Schönbein, weather-related
• 22 Benedikt Strittmatter, ran out of legs
• 45 Federico Bellomo, unknown reason
• 54 Christopher Rißmann, drenched, exhausted and subsequent lack of motivation
• 68 Ulrike Glaser, weather-related
• 69 Cem Giorgio Ucan, knee pain
• 71 Dimitri Franz, unknown reason
• 73 Lukas Maier, brake defect
• 74 Nicole van Batenburg, saddle sores and eye problems
• 78 Filip Wapelhorst, weather conditions
• 88 Thomas Nylen, broken bottom bracket

Photos by Nils Laengner and bite.of.me

Day 5: Feldberg fever

Großer Feldberg is the highest peak of the Taunus. On Taunus Bikepacking, it is the last serious climb that stands between the riders and the finish line. From the top, it’s – almost – all downhill. So it has been dubbed the inofficial finish line of Taunus Bikepacking. Riders that make it up here usually finish the ride.

More and more riders are doing just that now. And so, the camp is getting livelier by the hour. After the first five finishers were in, the intervals of arrivals kept getting shorter. The long list of arrivals for day 5 was opened by Hannah Ghazi-Idrissi, finishing as sixth overall and fastest female rider. She had to deal with some motivational lows after her closest chaser Nicole scratched yesterday, but pushed through and made it. All she wanted was a shower. Luckily, the base camp at The Eppstein Project provides this luxury.

Janek Schwenker was next, followed by Markus Kraft, Jens Bacher and Marc Schnitzius rounding out the Top Ten. All of them had visibly pushed hard. Many more followed throughout the day and the volunteers had their hands full stamping cards with the prestigious finisher stamp.

For most riders, Taunus Bikepacking is far from over, though. Everybody out on the course is fighting the conditions, mechanicals and themselves. The longer such a ride, the more evident it becomes that it’s not only about pedalling, but just how important problem-solving skills are.

Isabel Hopp laid her bike on the floor for a short toilet break when a car appeared out of nowhere and rode over her back wheel. Somehow she managed to make it to a bike shop for a new derailleur and rode on with a repaired wheel. Vadym Tiroshko took advantage of a village fountain to clean his muddy bike, only to slip and fall into the mud a few kilometers later. Insa Puchert needs to stop frequently because her crank keeps coming loose. She was seen retightening it with the help of a tire lever.

Now that the dust has settled on Robin’s impressive ride, it becomes clear that he has slept more than many at the pointy end of the ride. While some have cut down their sleep time and even rode through some nights, Robin has had a consistent and healthy amount of sleep, enabling him to push hard during the day and always stay in control. Other riders were emptying their reserves so much that they made mistakes and literally dragged themselves across the line in a bad physical state. Overall, they were still not nearly as fast as Robin. We’d like to emphasize this as it addresses one misconception that has plagued long–distance cycling for years: It is NOT merely about who sleeps the least. It’s the one that manages their resources best that will return first. Compared to many others, Robin looked fresh and relaxed at the finish line and he probably had more fun, too.

As riders are now coming closer and closer to the finish line, the scratch report of the day only contains one name.

Scratch report

• 37 Joachim Röhe, knee pain

Day 6: Taunus dreams and nightmares

Some riders checked into the infamously expensive Thermenhotel in Bad Ems for the night, while Manfred Fleck decided the nearby playground was just as comfortable – and free! He was gone early in the morning and back on the road before the townspeople even had a chance to notice him.

Trail magic is a staple of Taunus Bikepacking. Support is only allowed when it’s available to all riders equally. Locals know that and take pride in supporting the riders. After a few days, the field is spread out so far that this becomes difficult, though. And so some locals simply put up boxes with sweets and soft drinks next to a sign saying it’s for the riders. That can go wrong though. In at least one case, local children found the box and had it all for themselves. Hopefully the parents are enjoying their kids on a sugar high.

Elke Gutermann is a Taunus Bikepacking veteran. So she is used to challenges, but somehow today she managed to end up with a huge stick jammed between her spokes, unable to get it out. The stick was so huge that she had to saw it off before being able to remove it. At a later point, she had to backtrack to retrieve her lost glasses.

But Elke wasn’t the only one with problems. Nathalie Hoogeveen was well on her way to become the second female rider to finish, when tragedy struck and her derailleur ripped off merely 70 kilometers from the finish line. Nathalie didn’t give up, but bodged her bike into a single-speed machine and set off to pedal and push it over the hills standing between her and the finish line. Unfortunately she didn’t make it far until her chain snapped. Even after this second setback, she still attempted to find a way to continue and finish.

Rolling down to town and visiting a bike shop, it quickly became clear that nobody could help her, though. And so, with a heavy heart, Nathalie was forced to scratch.

She made it back to camp by train, where she was welcomed by the other riders.

The second checkpoint is located on top of a viewing tower, so riders have to climb a set of stairs to get there. Benedikt Strittmatter had such bad knee pain that he had to climb the whole stairs backwards. Carsten Heinz got there just after a rainshower and his shoes with road cleats turned out not suitable for the wet wooden planks, so he climbed the tower without shoes. Ross Anderson reported sleeping in a graveyard. But it wasn’t as quiet and peaceful as he expected it to be, because the nearby clock tower was ringing every quarter of an hour throughout the night.

In the meantime, the camp is filling up with more and more finishers resting and relaxing ahead of tomorrow evening’s finish party. Among them are Svenja König, Isabel Hopp and Insa Puchert.

Fabian Köhler cemented his reputation as a local legend of Taunus, even though he is from Erfurt. Fabian definitely knows the Taunus better than most locals though, because he now finished a remarkable six editions of Taunus Bikepacking – every single one he started. And he always makes it look easy.

The scratch report of the day is another short one.

Scratch report

• 16 Miriam Hamscher, broken body and bike
• 40 Nathalie Hoogeveen, no derailleur or chain

Day 7: To finish is to win

Saturday night is the finish party of Taunus Bikepacking. For many riders, making it to this party is the ultimate goal.

While many riders out there are fighting to get up Feldberg and to the finish line today, Tom Schumann has other things on his mind. The young local rider already reached the finish line yesterday, after a brutal 28 hour stint riding through the night. He didn’t bother to clean his bike or even take the bags off before lining up for the next race, back up on Feldberg – a local enduro MTB race. He even rocked the t-shirt while a lot of his rivals were wondering what this guy is, or rather was, up to. What a legend.

Sara Dicks woke up early in the morning with a snail crawling across her face. That gave her all the motivation she needed to get up and face the rest of the track. She was chased furiously by Michael Sherman. Michael came close but couldn’t catch her. They were separated by only seven minutes at the finish line.

For many, the top of Großer Feldberg is a place of triumph, but for Eelco Meuter it became a place of tragedy. The Dutch rider ended up with a broken rear wheel, making him possibly the rider scratching with least kilometers to go of all previous Taunus Bikepacking editions. His wife Nanke continued, finishing on her birthday.

The evening saw many more emotional finishes.

And then it was time to celebrate and share stories with each other. It’s been a memorable seventh edition of Taunus Bikepacking. As always, the weather played a big part in how riders experienced the ride. While most previous years had been dry, hot and dusty, this one will go down in history as the muddy edition.

Scratch report

• 67 Eelco Meuter, broken rear wheel

An event like Taunus Bikepacking would simply not work without the help of dedicated volunteers.

Do you want to become part of our crew for Taunus Bikepacking No. 8?

Then go ahead and apply today via this form: https://forms.gle/YjAD9z79RrxhjTX66

We’re looking forward to your application!

These are the daily ride reports from No. 6 (2023).

Preview: Taunus Bikepacking No. 6

This coming weekend, the sixth edition of Taunus Bikepacking kicks off in Germany. Having been around for as long as 2018, this event has still managed to stay somewhat under the radar. That’s on purpose – much of what makes this self-supported adventure so special has to do with its small scale. The 1,000 kilometer mixed-surface route is the brainchild of Jesko von Werthern, veteran of races such as the Transcontinental Race, TransAtlantic Way, Race through Poland, to name just a few. With the help of only a few close friends and family, the event has managed to grow a loyal and close-knit community of veterans that keep coming back for more year after year.

Don’t be mistaken by the small scale, “Jesko’s rollercoaster”, as last year’s fastest finisher Peter Batt lovingly coined it, is actually very challenging. The course, which Jesko has been continuously scouting and improving for seven years, is definitely not a walk in the park or a sprint. About 20,000 meters of climbing mean that it’s basically never flat. The Taunus hills are not high mountains, but the relentless up and down is more than enough to wear bikes and riders out.

Graphic by Stephan van Raay

Blown up knees and inflamed achilles tendons are testament to those who underestimated these hills before. The ride is also infamous for its annual heat waves – temperatures exceeding 35 degrees celsius are not unheard of. It has been an unusual cold and wet spring across Germany, but the temperatures are now rising by the day as we count down the days to the start.

Taunus is a relatively small region in the middle of Germany, full of remote forests, ancient castles and dreamy little villages. To cram a route of this length between the rivers of Main, Rhine, Nidda and Lahn means you get a track that looks like a plate of spaghetti. Over a wild mix of gravel roads, asphalt lanes, cobblestone alleys and forest trails, riders get treated to a tour of this region’s history. Remains of the Roman empire’s last frontier, medieval towns, deserted army depots, defunct slate mines – you name it. Scenic viewpoints and plenty of wildlife are sure to take the rider’s minds off the pain.

We’re excited to give you daily updates on the biggest field of riders to brave Taunus Bikepacking yet, so keep checking in to see what unfolds over the coming week. The ride starts at 8 am CET on Sunday morning June 11. To get you in the mood, check out last year’s commentary here.

Photos by Nils Laengner

Riders to watch

With 95 registered riders from 11 different nations, this is the biggest field on the start line of Taunus Bikepacking yet. So which riders should you keep an eye on? Every single one, of course. However, we know a bit more about certain riders than others.

First things first, the cap numbers. These are not allocated randomly. While classic races traditionally reward previous winners with number 1, Taunus Bikepacking does this a little bit different. It’s not the fastest returning rider who gets number 1, it’s the rider with the most experience on the track, namely the one who has got the most starts and finishes under his or her belt. There are no categories either, everybody is equal. More than a third of the field consists of veterans – 32 are back for more. So every rider with a number lower than 33 has been on that start line before. It’s a bit like an annual family reunion.

Cap 1 Ken Kölzer has started every single edition of this ride, which is an impressive feat in itself. Out of his five starts, Ken has managed to finish four. There is one man that is on his heels and that is Fabian Köhler, cap 2. Fabian also recorded four finishes, but he has missed out to start one edition, which makes the difference here. So if Fabian finishes and Ken doesn’t, the prestigious number will switch heads next year. That should be enough to keep both of them going. Ken has barely ridden his bike this year, but experience clearly pays off – he didn’t train last year either and still managed to finish.

Daniel Schleh #3 has three finishes, Olaf Flechtner #4 three starts, two finishes. You get the idea.

Georg Stiebeling #5 was the second fastest rider last year. Georg is an accomplished ultra runner and is known to ride 1,000 kilometres non-stop on Zwift when he feels like. Just ask his neighbours. The guy just doesn’t like stopping and we would be surprised if he takes many breaks this time around.

#7 Kristian Buljan had a high-speed crash with a deer last year, taking him out of contention, but turning him into a valued crew member for the remainder of the week. Kristian was riding at the pointy end when the accident occurred, so he is surely aiming to do the same again. Fingers crossed for some better luck this year.

#8 Dirk Wendt finished the very first edition of Taunus Bikepacking back in 2018. We wonder how much he will still recognize. Probably not much, because the route was heavily changed over the years.

#11 Bernd Schall has been an avid supporter since year one. Bernd went from fan to dotwatcher to finisher to volunteer and is now back to ride. He knows the event inside out and is unrivalled in his knowledge of bivy spots. Quote: “I’ve slept in that hedge!”

#12 Patrick Das certainly loves the Taunus hills. After his strong ride last year, he was seen several times at the base camp in Eppstein and out on the Taunus Teaser course with friends.

Riders with a number higher than 32 are rookies to Taunus Bikepacking, which of course doesn’t mean they don’t have bikepacking experience. There are some very accomplished riders and, as always, some dark horses.

Jeremy Harris took on the gruelling Atlas Mountain Race and knows the area very well, as he regularly goes on long training rides through the Taunus hills.

Isabel Riffel, Katharina Nippgen and Jennifer Dinnebier have all been part of the komoot x TWAR women’s weekender on the Taunus Teaser course last summer. Taunus Teaser is a shorter version of the route that can be ridden all year. They definitely have a good idea of what’s in store.

This might be Mareike Sanner’s first bikepacking event, but she certainly has the right mindset and is well prepared, which will surely benefit her.

Anne De Smet and Stefan Maertens from Belgium are no strangers to long distance events. They have just recently finished the infamously hilly Mittelgebirge Classique. Anne was struggling with achilles heel pain for the last few weeks as a result, but prioritised recovery and hopefully is fit enough to ride. Stefan is not only a Tour Divide, Hope 1000 and TCR finisher, but also the track builder of Across-the-3, so he sure loves a hard course with plenty of steep hills.

Marcello Pabst and Dennis Krüger are both local ride guides. Marcello’s recent training rides include a casual 500 kilometer spin to the Dutch coast.

Ross Anderson is another former volunteer switching sides to become a rider.

Joris Pesch finished 6th in last year’s Seven Serpents event, which certainly means he is not one to hang around long either.

Julian Klose looks back on solid performances in TCR and the Race through Poland. He is also qualified for this year’s Paris-Brest-Paris.

Antti Lihavainen is a randonneur from Finland. While most other riders are still at home, finetuning their setups or debating which kit to take, Antti has already been on his way to the start line for a while. He decided to ride most of the way from Finland to Taunus by bike and is currently eating and pedalling his way through Eastern Europe. He should be properly warmed up by Sunday.

There’s many other riders worth mentioning, but there’s only so much space in this preview. We hope to get to know everybody much better over the course of the coming week.

Photos: Nils Laengner

Day 0: Checking in

It’s been a hot day in Taunus. Ninety riders have checked in to basecamp at The Eppstein Project, the start and finish location of Taunus Bikepacking. There were lots of familiar faces picking up their bags, caps and the all important GPS trackers from Follow My Challenge. The usual mix of anticipation, excitement and a little bit of nervousness lies in the air.

The sun is already beating down and people are making use of any available shadow. Some sorted out last minute mechanical issues, but the overall mood was pretty relaxed. This is probably helped by the high number of veterans who know very well what to expect.

While most people went to sleep early, a small group has been making use of the beer garden and still sat by the fire until dark. People are now sleeping all over the camp using bivy bags, tents or hammocks.

It’s an early alarm for most. After breakfast, Yannick Rathmann will be the first rider to start at 8 am, closely followed by the rest in one minute intervals, until it’s Ken Kölzer’s time to leave at 9.34 am. Just like last year, it’s an uphill start and then a continuous rollercoaster of up and down for a thousand kilometres. Make sure to follow these dots.

Photos: bite of me (Gosia Michalik) and Nils Laengner

Day 1: A reckless fox and the magic of the trail

While everybody was sleeping peacefully in camp the night before the start, a local fox became interested in the unfamiliar bunch of bikepackers and decided to investigate. What he found must have seemed like a buffet to the sly animal. The fox, who’s been known to steal shoes from the campsite at night, was not afraid to come up close and scored some sausages from one rider’s bags, was seen standing on the sleeping bag of another and even took a bite out of an emergency blanket.

Source: Marei Moldenhauer

After the sun had risen, riders gathered for a breakfast lovingly prepared by the campsite crew before the group photos and the start procedure.

Riders then set off in one minute intervals under the applause of the other camp guests and local supporters.

Speaking of local supporters, the inhabitants of Taunus have already impressed with loads of support and cheers for the riders and this year looks very much the same. Privately organized support is not allowed, but riders can accept anything that is equally available to all. The locals living along the track know that and just support everybody. This is the trail magic of Taunus. After only thirty kilometers in Kronberg, a family had prepared a colourful welcome, offered to fill up bottles and gave plenty of cheers. Water was especially valued today as just in time for the start, the temperatures were rising fast over 30 degrees. It’s a tradition, after all…

At the airfield in Michelbach-Aarbergen, the local baker and his mountainbiker friends set up a whole stand with drinks, sweet buns and even offered the airfield as a shelter opportunity, which many riders gladly accepted.

There were also difficult moments for some of the riders, of course.

Marco Störmer has mechanical issues and hopes to find a solution tomorrow. He looks to have found a room in Wiesbaden close to the track. Alex Becker‘s shoe is broken. He fixed it with tape and hopes to find a solution tomorrow when shops are open. Ross Anderson lost a sandal, though he still has the other one strapped to his saddlebag. Somebody else lost their bananas and cucumbers, but Verena Zimmer found and happily ate them. Georg Stiebeling crashed and bent his handlebar, but he keeps riding.

Joris Pesch was first to CP1, closely followed by Arne Große Hülschewiese, Julian Klose and Kristian Buljan. The four of them are still close together as night draws in.

At the time of writing, seven riders have had to abandon. This brings us to the daily scratch report.

• 40 Alexander Gleiß crashed hard in a downhill. He tried to push on, but was in pain and went to the hospital to get checked, where they found he has three broken ribs. It’s his birthday, so do send the man some good wishes.
• 42 Levent Cakir crashed twice, resulting in a swollen knee and a bruised elbow.
• 48 Stephan Trettin leaves the track due to a medical emergency at home.
• 53 Marcello Pabst’s knees and wrists are not agreeing with the demands of the course.
• 54 Jan-Dick den Das is not in the right mindset and struggling to focus, which is an equally good reason to scratch.
• 58 Kai Bette is “grilled” by the heat and his body simply says no.
• 74 Johannes Erbslöh suffers from back pain.

Photos: Nils Laengner and Małgorzata Michalik

Day 2: Forest fires, punctures galore and the race to CP2

After staying in close proximity for most of the night, the leading group rode into a new morning, riddled by punctures. Especially Kristian Buljan suffered a few. Kristian eventually ran out of spare tubes and limped to the bike shop in Nastätten by twisting his last tube into a knot, arriving two hours before opening hours. Luckily for him, the employees were already in the shop and Kristian managed to snag a few spare tubes and fresh sealant, enabling him to keep riding.

Source: Kristian Buljan

Georg Stiebeling also had two punctures and later lost the battery of his lupine front light on a gravel downhill. He bought a spare one that is definitely less powerful and might not last as long, but that’s better than nothing. Meanwhile, a back light was found in Mühlbachtal. This ride is not only hard on the riders, but also the material. Till Kramer lost his powerbank, Pascal Streng his airpods. Pascal eventually retraced his steps to retrieve the lost item. The experienced cyclist was quoted as saying that this is the hardest thing he ever did on a bike. Let’s hope he can make it to the finish. Isabel Riffel also had to turn around after forgetting her phone in a bakery. Olaf Flechtner slept in the very same shelter as the two previous years, this time sharing it with two other riders. Another victim of multiple punctures was Miriam Hamscher. Thomas Kollrepp suffered with cramps that only ended when he lowered his saddle. Many riders were struggling to get solid food down due to the heat and some switched to a liquid diet.

While the pointy end was travelling through the spectacular Upper Middle Rhine valley and towards CP2, the bulk of the riders were ticking off CP1 over the course of the day. Social media is filled with photos of this important milestone.

Source: Anne De Smet

Source: Bernd Schall

Michael Jacob had to steal his own bike after the lock failed to open.

The bakery in Singhofen turned out to be a very popular resupply spot. The employees love it.

In the afternoon, both media teams and Joris Pesch had a close race to CP2. Gosia and Jesko won it by just a matter of minutes. Joris was closely followed by Kristian Buljan. At the time of writing, these two are the first two riders to reach the Lahn valley.

Tomorrow morning the leaders might already be closing in to the eastern half of the track, where forest fires were reported. The organizers are in contact with local authorities, monitoring the situation closely and are ready to take necessary steps if the situation doesn’t improve in time.

Before we get to the scratch report, let’s close the day with the words of Beatrice Weglartz describing the route: “So beautiful, but so hard, but so so beautiful.”

DNFs:

• 24 Katleen Veelaert was struggling with the heat.
• 87 Stefan Draisbach underestimated the mental battles of his first bikepacking adventure.
• 88 Oliver Weber felt unsafe on the gravel descent with his narrow tires and cantilever brakes
• 13 Marc Schnitzius had a tight time schedule and cannot break himself before the next important event in three weeks time

Photos: Małgorzata Michalik

Day 3: A goat’s dream and the search for water

After two incredibly hot days, the temperatures are finally starting to go down a little, but the afternoons are still so hot that riders are using every opportunity to cool down and stay hydrated.

The media team witnessed some almost heartbreaking scenes in the remote village of Presberg. The climbs around here are particularly demanding and there are not many shops or water sources. The village shops close for the afternoon and so if you are unlucky with your timing, one can easily run out of water around here. A steady stream of riders arrived in town, having tackled the long climb from the valley below, desperately looking for a water source. What followed was a rollercoaster of emotions as they saw a fountain, only to realize that the water is not clean. This didn’t stop Moritz Hoffman from drinking it, but most others refrained after taking a taste test, even though the locals insisted that it’s fine. Riders would then check their route notes and their faces would light up with hope when they realized there is a cemetery just up ahead – in Germany, typically with an accessible tap, so a relatively safe water source. But this one was dry and so the riders had no choice but to descend into Wispertal, do the hard climb to Ransel, where – you guessed it – the grocery shop was closed as well – then down through the demanding Sauerthal trail section, until they could finally quench their thirst at the oasis of a supermarket in Lorch.

The slopes of the river Rhein, which forms the scenic backdrop of the route section most of the field was passing through all day, are exposed to the sun, which doesn’t help if you’re out of water.

Isabel Riffel woke up on a deflated mat, applied a patch and hopes the fix will last. Carolin Goecke had the same fate and instead of patching, got creative by glueing some insulation layers bought in a hardware store to the mat. It holds for now! Till Kramer’s phone broke. It cost him three hours, but Till managed to buy a new phone, make a new email address, get the route files back and keeps on riding, proving that the will to continue and talent for improvisation is key in these rides. Another prime example of this is Mareike Sanner. The navigation device froze, so she had to navigate with the phone, which drains a lot of battery and thus calls for regular charging stops. Mareike found an outdoor power socket and used the opportunity to get everything charged up while having dinner and listening to the life story of a local Rauenthal woman. Efficient time management is not to be underestimated.

Another rider that is facing lots of mechanical issues is Finnish rider Antti Lihavainen. After all the abuse he gave his bike lately, we hope it gets some TLC at a bike shop and Antti gets to continue his ride.

Source: Antti Lihavainen

The Taunus hills are brimming with wildlife. Till Falke managed to snap a shot while riding.

Source: Till Falke

The day before, after yet more punctures and having switched from tubeless to riding with tubes, Miriam Hamscher planned to take a hotel room in Bad Schwalbach, but there were no free rooms available, so she switched plans to bivying on a playground in the cold valley of Fischbach. Luck had it that she ran into the party of the local tractor appreciation group where she was offered cold beer and a warm sleeping spot. Also, wifi. Fischbach is becoming more and more known for its hospitality. The remote village has no phone reception, but USB charging sockets and one of the Dorfautomaten vending machines that riders appreciate so much. Later today she was seen having a little pizza party with other riders at the Rhein river banks.

*Source: Miriam Hamscher *

Levi Schmidt is the youngest rider in the field. He says that he has some problems with the heat, but the way he rides says something else. Apparently, Levi’s secret weapons to getting up the hills is blasting Rihanna on the headphones.

Andreas Hölderle is way ahead of his daily 100 kilometer goal and in a good mood. Last year he had to scratch, but this year he is “not even last”, as he says with a smile.

That honour goes to Matthias Rieckert, the self-titled broom wagon. Matthias has almost no bags on his bike, but chooses to travel with a nine kilo backpack instead, containing knifes and kitchen equipment amongst other things. He put up his hammock in Fischbach, bought a steak from the village’s vending machine and cooked himself a steak dinner. Yes, there is steak in these vending machines.

Meanwhile at the front of the pack, there is some leapfrogging going on. Joris Pesch had slept in Lahn valley and Kristian pushed through to take the lead, both closely followed by Georg Stiebeling, Stefan Maertens, Julian Klose and Arne Große Hülschewiese. Kristian was leading for most of the day, but had multiple punctures and suffers from stomach cramps. He also needs regular power naps at this point, which is more than understandable. He says ice cream works for well for him. We hope he gets salts in as well. The salt crust on his jersey is any goat’s dream.

It will be very interesting to see which of the six riders at the front paced it best and has the most reserves. Of course, luck or rather the absence of bad luck always plays a big part as well.

We only have to report one scratch for day three. Michael Fitzner is fine and enjoying himself but stops for private reasons.

And that’s it for today. Make sure to follow these dots and check the rider’s updates on social media for some great entertainment.

Photos: bite.of.me / Nils Laengner

Day 4: Podium pizza party

Kristian Buljan is the first rider to make it back to basecamp.

The Croatian rider living in Frankfurt rode 3 days, 6 hours and 40 minutes to complete the loop. It was a case of unfinished business for Kristian, who had to abandon last year after crashing into a deer and ending up in hospital. After intense days of constantly leapfrogging each other at the front of the field, about six riders stayed in contention until the final night. Kristian finally managed to break away and kept his lead. He got through the last night with short power naps to arrive first. Kristian was closely followed by Georg Stiebeling and Joris Pesch, who were both never far behind. All three riders had their share of problems to deal with during the ride. Crashes, series of punctures and lost equipment didn’t stop them. Joris still punctured in the long descent from Feldberg, but held on to third position.

Stefan Maertens and Julian Klose actually shared a shelter on their last night out on the course. Stefan got up first, leaving Julian to chase him. Arne Große Hülsewiesche somehow snuck in between them. After his rear derailleur stopped working, Arne finished the last eighty kilometers, including the highest peak of the route, on his two remaining gears.

The riders gathered at base camp for an inpromptu pizza party and a few beers until eyes were starting to fall shut.

Today’s scratch report is a long one:

• Levi Schmidt, knee pain
• Jörg Handeck, neck pain
• Malte Burdinski, saddlesores
• Johannes Bosch and Caroline Goecke, numb fingers
• Jennifer Dinnebier, exhaustion
• Felix Schön, stomach issues
• Markus Recker, sleep deprivation and problems with eyesight
• Verena Zimmer reports “a happy scratch, not a sad one”

Photos: bite.of.me

Day 5: Over the top

Marei Moldenhauer put in an impressively consistent ride. She slept five hours each night, just a little bit less in the last. Cemeteries were her bivy spots of choice. On Marei’s last day out on the track, she had some issues with the power management of her dynamo set-up, so in order to keep the navigation device alive she had to push hard on the flatter parts of the long climb up to Großer Feldberg. It took her only 4 days, 4 hours and 58 minutes to complete the gruelling 1,000 kilometer course with close to 20,000 meters of climbing. Asked how she liked it, Marei replied that she enjoyed every minute of her journey through Taunus, and that she feels she was always at the right place, at the right time.

Just a few hours behind was Isabel Riffel, who used the last light of the day to crest the iconic summit, finishing shortly after in the dark. After issues with her sleeping mat deflating and breaking her headphones, Isabel was singing loudly to keep herself entertained on the final stretch of her ride. She was welcomed at the finish line by friends and family.

Scratch report:

• Christian Dilger, physical exhaustion
• Philipp Altschuck, mechanical
• Christoph Erbslöh, mechanical
• Matthias Münzner, too many mechanicals, oncoming cold
• Katharina Nippgen, knee pain

Photos: Nils Laengner

Day 6: Finish line frenzy

On the sixth day of Taunus Bikepacking, the finish line has been busier than ever. Riders kept coming in throughout the whole night and day, including Sylvia Pietruska as the third woman to complete the loop.

Barry McWilliams was so disconnected from daily life during the ride that he forgot which day it was. Barry was quoted as saying that he might have been slower than last year, but enjoyed it more. Little did he know that he was actually a full day faster, giving him more than enough time to unwind and recover before the finisher party.

Ross Anderson started with a pair of sandals strapped to his saddle bag. He lost one of the two early on and carried the other one for the whole thousand kilometers in hopes of somehow bringing them back together.

Antti Lihavainen has a new nickname. “Fast walker”, as coined by Larin McPeak, doesn’t have a suitable gear ratio for the steep climbs of Taunus. He gets off his bike to push a lot, but that doesn’t slow him down much, because he walks so fast. Antti had plenty of mechanical problems, too. Having ridden to the start line from his home country of Finland, he had already worn his bike out before the start. When he reached Geisenheim, his last hope was the local bike shop, which initally turned him away for a lack of resources. Antti tried to fix his bike himself in front of the bike shop, which attracted the owner’s attention, who eventually took pity on him and decided to help out after all. We met Antti in Schmitten where he enjoyed some canned fish with lemonade. It’s a glamorous life.

Martin Schneider crashed yesterday. He took a good night sleep in Bad Camberg to try and recover and was reported as saying that walking hurts, but cycling doesn’t. Luckily it’s a cycling event with very little walking involved.

Bernd Schall had an unwanted visitor in his shelter. A sly fox (maybe the same one causing mischief before the start?) entered his shelter and stole Bernd’s honey waffles. It’s not only the local economy that benefits from hungry bikepackers, but also the wildlife.

The scratch report of day six only includes three names:

• Röttger Schiffels, wrist pain, cannot properly shift and brake
• Pascal Streng, numb right hand, both feet as well
• Thomas Dinnebier, unconfirmed

Photos: Nils Laengner and bite.of.me

Head to the application form now for one last chance to ride with us in June. Applications close on May 16. Limited spaces only.

Would you like to help us with making the seventh edition of Taunus Bikepacking the best one yet? Open roles include Camp Coordinator, Ride Reporter, Driver and Dotwatcher. It’s a great opportunity to experience the event from behind the scenes. Find more information and apply as a volunteer under this link: https://forms.gle/LCUwoCXf85oym7Dh9

EDIT: Thanks a lot for all your applications. Interest was high. We have now closed the applications and are contacting all volunteer candidates.

These are the daily ride reports as posted on dotwatcher.cc during edition No. 5 in the summer of 2022.

Preview:

Taunus Bikepacking is a self-supported bikepacking adventure in the Taunus hills of Germany. The distance is fixed at 1,000 kilometers, though the route gets changed every year. It’s a mixed surface ride on gravel, asphalt, trails and everything in between. The route is undulating and convoluted, taking in all of the hidden gems of the region. The fifth edition features the most challenging route so far. With more than 18,000 meters of climbing, it’s basically all up and down.

The weather always plays a big part in Taunus. You might not expect it in the middle of Germany, but on every single previous edition, riders had to deal with intense heat (except on No. 3, which was postponed to September). Extreme weather is almost a tradition. When it does rain, the trails can turn muddy very fast. The mixed surface and undulating terrain make the bike choice difficult. Check out The Bikes of Taunus Bikepacking for an insight into how riders are preparing their rigs.

The ride starts Sunday morning and the finisher party is on the evening of the following Saturday. To make it to the party, riders have to cover around 150 kilometers a day, which is definitely harder than it might sound. The fastest recorded time so far is by Joseph Thomas with 2d 23h 10m. The field will spread out fast. Most riders are likely to aim for 5 to 6 days. Some will go faster and some will take their time. There’s enough to be seen along the track to make an extended holiday out of this trip, so it will be interesting to see how different riders tackle it.

The start list features 70 riders from 12 countries. Out of these 70, there are 29 veterans, of which 19 are previous finishers. While there is unfinished business for some, others are just back for more fun. There is a tight community around this ride that is growing every year. Next to the athletic efforts, it’s the inspiring stories of camaraderie and adventure that come out of Taunus Bikepacking. There is much more to it than just how fast some people manage to finish.

The women’s field is only small, but brings a lot of experience and grit to the start line. Miriam Hamscher is the local hero, living and training in Taunus. Elke Gutermann is a finisher of classic and hard rides such as the Grenzsteintrophy, Steppenwolf, Cherusker 500 and Tuscany Trail. Franziska “von den Socken” has extensive bike travel experience. She already visited many countries by bike, including a 8,000 kilometer trip through Europe. The female representation is completed by Sylvia Pietruska and Nina Kollrepp, who calls her own participation “madness” for a lack of bikepacking experience. We love that she is doing it anyway and are sure that her positive attitude will bring her far. After all, every experience has to start somewhere.

Jacob Rozansky is an experienced thru-hiker from Florida and spends most of his life outdoors, but only bought his bike a few weeks ago. A lot of people say getting to the start line of an event is the hardest part. Seeing how he managed to ride his new bike across the Alps from Marseille to Frankfurt to get to Taunus, we’re not worried about Jacob. His youtube channel is worth a follow.

And then there’s the veterans. Fabian Köhler, Knut Faust, Johannes Reining, Jörn Brumm, Daniel Schleh, Benno Möser and Olaf Flechtner are all looking forward to their third start on this event.

Nobody is as experienced as Ken Kölzer and Thomas Metz though. Both riders are back in Taunus for the fifth time, having ridden all of the previous editions. Their experience is reflected in their cap numbers 1 and 2. Ken has 3 finishes under his belt, while Thomas has 2. When it comes to allocating the cap numbers, Taunus Bikepacking rewards experience and consistency over speed – the lower the number, the more starts and finishes that rider has. This means cap 1 through 29 are all veterans.

Finally, some of the riders we might see riding at the sharp end – no pressure guys… 😉

Peter Batt rode into the top 10 at last year’s Race through Poland and more recently came in fastest at Rob Gardiner’s Wild West Country in the UK. He is a veteran of Taunus Bikepacking but was forced to scratch last year, so finishing will be his priority. Peter is from the UK but lives in Frankfurt, so he knows the Taunus hills very well.

Fabian Wurm cannot get enough either. The rider from Siegen loves climbing, having just finished the Mittelgebirge Classique the other week. Similar to Peter, he was riding at the sharp end last year, but suffered from the intense heat of the first day so much that he was out early with symptoms of a heat stroke.

Another rider that has already seen the front of this field is Stephan Wagner. Stephan was leading the third edition before eventually coming in third behind Olaf Flechtner and Ina de Visser. He’s most definitely one to watch.

Speaking of Olaf Flechtner – he is back for his third start after coming in first on No. 3 and a DNF on No. 4. Olaf knows how important it is to stay comfortable over long distances and has fine tuned his bike setup accordingly.

Matthias Fischer might be a rookie to Taunus Bikepacking, but has already proven several times how fast he is. The winner of the Orbit Gravel series and top 10 finisher of the Italy Divide is sure to aim for a top spot in Taunus, too.

These are just a few of the names to look out for during the coming week. There’s plenty of others that will bring the fifth edition to life with their stories and we can’t wait to get to know them better over the next few days.

Dotwatching starts Sunday morning at 8 am CET.

Day 0: Inscription

Riders have been signing in all day at the Taunus basecamp. With so many veterans of past editions, it’s a bit like a family reunion.

There was live music at the local beer garden and so the crowd got infiltrated by more and more yellow caps over the course of the evening.

After a few rainy days, the traditional heat has come just in time and promises to stay for the next few days. It looks like it’s going to be another scorcher.

Most riders are now ready to camp down for the night. Some are still sitting by the fire swapping stories.

After an early breakfast, the ride starts tomorrow morning 8 AM CET. Riders are setting off individually in one minute intervals.

Keep an eye on those dots.

Day 1

With the applause and cheers of the locals, riders set off in the morning individually in one minute intervals. After the first pedal stroke from the line, they were already climbing. This year’s course features some very steep climbs in the first fifty kilometers, so the field was reshuffled and spread out pretty fast.

While temperatures were still pleasant at the start, it quickly began heating up. Soon there were lots of salt-crusted jerseys to be seen and riders kept stopping at any opportunity to cool down, whether it be village fountains or water tabs on cemeteries.

Private organized support is of course prohibited, but there were already several examples of “trail magic”. This being the fifth edition, some locals already know how to support all riders equally by putting out water crates or even organizing feed stops.

At the pointy end, after some back and forth, it was cap 64 Maarten Vanhaverbeke who established a lead over the course of the afternoon. As the sun was nearing the horizon, he was being chased by several riders including 25 Peter Batt, 9 Benno Möser, 29 Fabian Wurm and 30 Matthias Fischer. We caught up to Maarten at the Roman fort of Pohl. He reported feeling good and wanting to push on until he didn’t anymore, which would be “probably tomorrow”. He also said “If they want to catch me, they will have to work for it.”

Maarten made it to CP1 first and bagged his stamp at 10.42 PM. He took a two hour break in a shelter between Rauenthal and Kiedrich.

We saw Peter Batt in Bad Schwalbach last night grabbing a handful of Snickers just before the last shops were closing.

They seem to have served him well. Peter pushed through the short night and is now riding in front. As the sun is coming back up again, he’s now tackling the climbs of the Rheingau vineyards. As many veterans know, these southward facing slopes without any shelter from the sun become a furnace in the afternoon sun, so he will be very glad to be tackling this section while it’s still early and cool.

There was one crash early on, caused by a little pug that darted out of a driveway and caught Cap 3 Fabian Köhler by surprise. He was able to push on with a scraped knee and noticed only later that the derailleur hanger was bent. With the help of a friendly stranger, Fabian was able to bend it back. None of this dampened his good spirits.

Cap 1 Ken Kölzer forgot his wallet at base camp. We’re not sure if he is now begging his way through Taunus or just living off the land. The cherry trees along the route are carrying fruit, so he should be just fine. He is not carrying cap 1 for nothing.

Scratch Report

• Cap 6 Jörn scratched in Idstein with breathing issues.
• Cap 47 Tobias struggled with his mindset and took the sensible decision to stop.
• Cap 29 Fabian had issues with spoke tension most of the day, constantly having to stop and retighten them until he deemed the wobble in his wheel too risky and folded.
• Cap 13 Stephan for yet unknown reasons.

Day 2

On any bikepacking adventure, life quickly boils down to the essentials. And so there were three main topics on everyone’s mind today: Mechanicals, sleep and the big one: food.

Mechanicals This ride is not only taxing on the riders, but their machines as well. Cap 8 Olaf Flechtner has some issues with his front suspension, but that doesn’t stop him from descending like a daredevil. Cap 50 Christoph Götz had to detour to a bike shop in Eltville to get a new rear tyre. This detour meant even more climbing meters for Christoph, as he then had to get back to the spot where he had left the route. Cap 53 Tobias Schulte is sheltering above the Rhein with a broken spoke, hoping to find a bike shop along the track soon.

Sleep All our riders got through the night in different ways. Cap 30 Matthias Fischer simply took power naps whenever necessary.

After some fast food from Idstein messed up his stomach, Cap 69 Michael Press had a tough evening, but eventually found rest at the Hauserbachsee campsite.

Cap 2 Thomas Metz enjoyed the silence on his cemetery bivy. Cap 42 Miriam Hamscher prefers playgrounds over shelters.

Cap 41 Patrick Das got cosy in the remains of an ancient Roman fort.

Other riders prefer to nap during the day and ride into the night.

Food Food is always a big topic on long rides. You have to take what you can get.

Luckily, the Taunus locals keep supplying riders with generous gifts.

As the second night begins, Peter Batt is steadily increasing the gap to his chasers. Only him and Maarten Vanhaverbeke have ticked off CP2 at the time of posting. Behind these two, it’s now Cap 17 Georg Stiebeling riding in third position. The riders are in for a real treat tomorrow as many are approaching the spectacular views of the Upper Middle Rhine valley.

Scratch report

• Cap 58 Frank Wiessner, technical issues.
• Cap 27 Markus Goetzke, saddle sores.
• Cap 11 Rob Packham, exhaustion.

Day 3

In the early hours of day 3, cap 16 Kristian Buljan was riding strong and constantly making up places near the front when around 4.30 am, he collided with a deer in a high-speed descent. Kristian was taken to hospital. Luckily he suffered only road rash. His broken helmet illustrates that it could have been much worse.

Throughout the day, the bulk of the field was travelling along the stunning Rhine valley, where tough climbs are rewarded with breathtaking views at every corner. Many riders were battling with knee problems, saddle sores, exhaustion and the many difficulties the route throws at them, though the general consensus was that it’s all worth it. The area around Rhine and Wisper valley are very remote, with lots of wildlife and only very few resupply options. In large parts, there is not even phone reception.

There is still a fierce, close battle for the remaining top ten positions as Peter Batt built on his staggering lead. With such a huge gap, Peter was able to finally slow down a little and enjoy a pizza in Brandoberndorf. He then rode into what will be his last night on the track. And what a night for it. Not only is it a full moon over Taunus tonight, it’s a rare “strawberry moon” lighting up the sky. Picture him riding through that scenery, towards the last big climb and behind that, the finish line.

Scratch report

• Cap 16 Kristian Buljan, wildlife collision.
• Cap 66 Sandor Decsy, suspected broken ankle.
• Cap 42 Miriam Hamscher, lack of motivation.

Day 4

The first five finishers have arrived back at base camp over the course of the last twenty-four hours. After what he called a terrible night, cap 25 Peter Batt sealed the deal on his previously unfinished business and crossed the line as the first rider home. Astonishingly fresh, he didn’t look as if he had a terrible night at all though. Peter managed to complete the gruelling course in a time of 3 days and 49 minutes.

After a beer, breakfast and a shower (in that order), you’d think he would have enjoyed some well deserved rest and sleep. Instead he waited around for the next riders to buy everybody drinks and swap stories by the barbecue until the late evening. Peter finally rushed to get the last train and is already back at work this morning.

Cap 17 Georg Stiebeling and cap 64 Maarten Vanhaverbeke had leapfrogged each other for hundreds of kilometers. Maarten caught up to Georg at the beginning of the long climb to Großer Feldberg. This is a nearly twenty kilometer climb to the highest peak of Taunus. The summit lies about twenty-five kilometers from the finish line. As to what happened near the top of the climb, there’s two versions of the story. According to Maarten, Georg put in an attack and accelerated, so Maarten countered and the race was on. Georg states that his gearing simply forced him to push a bit more in order not to come to a standstill on the steep and loose gravel. In any case, the race for the finish line was on. Both riders went all out from here.

Even though Maarten made it home with a nine minute gap on Georg, the time difference from the staggered start means that Georg is second overall while Maarten takes third. All three riders sat by the fire sharing beers and stories until the sun had gone down and the fourth rider approached.

On his third attempt, cap 9 Benno Möser became the youngest Taunus Bikepacking finisher ever. The nineteen year old rider had already gotten far on his first attempt, but was stopped within 200 kilometers from the line by saddle sores and painful feet. In the second year, it was the effects of the heat stopping him from completing the course. This third time around, he battled with the heat, mechanicals and stomach issues, but paced himself well and pulled through to take fourth spot in 3 days, 14 hours and 16 minutes.

The top five is completed by Belgian rider Filip Rousseau, who never even seemed like he was in a hurry and still posted the very impressive time of 3 days, 16 hours and 19 minutes. Chapeau!

Scratch report

• Cap 50 Christoph Götz, achilles problems
• Cap 68 Andreas Hölderle, hand injury after an earlier crash
• Cap 33 Jan Beuling, saddle sores
• Cap 34 Herbert De Nijs, broken rear hub
• Cap 30 Matthias Fischer, sleep deprivation and exhaustion
• Cap 5 Johannes Reining, quote: “the amount of hurting body parts is just too high”

Day 5

This course takes no prisoners. Most riders out there are nursing some kind of injury at this point. Most prevalent are knee issues and saddle sores. The accumulated fatigue of riding consecutive long days in demanding terrain and hot weather also plays a big factor. Many people are talking about going through bad patches. It can be an emotional rollercoaster as much as a physical one.

One of the few ones that doesn’t seem to be in pain is Sylvia Pietruska. She’s enjoying the adventure to the fullest.

When we met him a few days ago, Marc Schnitzius was worried whether his knees would hold up. They did, he is now on the final stretch with his main concern shifting to saddle sores. Marc was spotted in various town fountains cleaning his bib shorts. Tobias Schulte has been riding with a broken spoke for hundreds of kilometers. Cap 69 Michael Press’s Di2 battery ran out eighty kilometers from the finish line and so he tackled the last big climb on a single gear.

After a full day of recovery, cap 42 Miriam Hamscher is back out on the track with her family to support the riders with encouragement and bags of candy.

Meanwhile, the finisher list is steadily filling up. Patrick Das took sixth place, adding to the strong Belgian showing.

Olaf Flechtner’s suspension fork failed early, which didn’t stop him from riding strong and finishing seventh.

Behind Olaf, a close race developed for the remaining places in the top ten. Artur Reimchen, Alexander Dimopoulus and Ronni Andersen all arrived within one hour, with Lukas Eger missing out on tenth place by an agonisingly close four minutes.

There’s at least ten more finishers expected on Friday to join the weary riders recovering and trading stories at base camp.

Scratch report

• Cap 23 Jonathan Höller crashed, resulting in a broken derailleur hanger.
• Cap 45 Simon Ermert scratched at CP2. He enjoyed the ride, but simply ran out of time.

Day 6

Even though the fight for top ten was decided yesterday, the riders on the course still have plenty of battles to fight. Battles against injury, heat, hills, mechanicals and more often than not, against themselves. Just like anyone, cap 1 Ken Kölzer experienced plenty of highs and lows over the last few days. The one thing that kept him going in the darkest hours was the number of his cap. The number 1 is earned with lots of sweat and awarded to Ken year after year for being the most consistent rider, with the most finishes. So in order to keep it for another year, Ken just had to finish. And he did.

While the media team was pulling in a parking lot next to the course in Okarben on the hunt for Ken, a rider was already approaching, so they jumped out of the car, but to their disappointment it was just local pro John Degenkolb out on a training ride.

Another rider that proved just how important reaching the finish is for him is cap 61, Jacob Rozansky from Florida. He was hit by a car on Winterstein by a driver who ignored Jacob’s right of way. Jacob smashed into the car window and was lucky to escape with wounds on hands and legs. Yet his only concern was the buckled front wheel which left him unable to ride on. After checking that he was allowed to accept a lift to a bike shop as long as he made it back to the course by bike, Jacob was brought down to the nearest town by the local police. He was able to buy a new front wheel and is now back on track for a finish in time for the party.

The finisher count is up to 30. As more and more weary riders stream into the base camp, random events of the day include cap 65 Barry McWilliams being bitten by a big black dog in the Lahn valley.

The most punctures were reported by Cap 63 Christoph Erbslöh with the count of six.

In the past few years, there were always a few people searching and cheering for riders on the track, sometimes offering them some food and drink. As long as it’s not exclusive to one rider but available to all, this doesn’t count as organized private support. However, this year the “trail magic” escalated somewhat. The riders reported a large number of dotwatchers along the track trying to flag them down, talk to them, ride along with them, sometimes even offering beds in their houses. While the moral support is always appreciated, some riders were overwhelmed by all the questions and generous offers and felt that some of it cost them more time and energy than it actually helped.

Scratch report

• Cap 32 Michael Jacob, stung by a bee right over the eye
• Cap 70 Till Kramer, lack of time and motivation to push

Recap

A total of 33 riders made it back to camp in time for the party Saturday evening. The seven finishers of the day had just enough time to take a shower and relax for a few hours, while some of the earlier finishers had already recovered and brought their families. There was a bunch of weary riders sharing their stories while enjoying a barbecue and some beers.

The base camp at The Eppstein Project had proven to be the ideal start and finish location. Not only were the owners very supportive, many other guests of the campsite had become fans and supporters of the riders throughout the week.

As is custom on self–supported rides, there are no prizes for the faster finishers. Everybody’s equal. There was a gift for everybody though, as cap 65 Barry McWilliams had illustrated a fantastic map of the route for riders to take home and hang on their walls.

The party lasted until the early Sunday morning. The next day, all attention shifted to the three riders remaining out on the course. They were far from forgotten, as everybody willed on their dots and sent messages of support. Caps 51 and 52 Nina and Thomas Kollrepp resisted the lure of their nearby house, sleeping in the woods instead. They hadn’t even brought a key just so they wouldn’t get any ideas. Sticking to the convoluted course can be mentally tough, especially for locals. While knowing the area certainly has its advantages, they are also constantly confronted with the demoralising detours the route takes. It snakes through the Taunus hills for thousand kilometers while never leaving the region, meaning you are never actually that far from base camp, or your own house if you’re local. This can play tricks with your mind. Thomas and Nina stayed strong though and kept true to the track. A friend of them had bet that they wouldn’t make it round, which was more than enough motivation for them to keep on pushing. The pair finished together on Tuesday afternoon.

The prestigious title of lanterne rouge was claimed by cap 57 Elke Gutermann. The former ultra marathon runner treated the ride as recovery from a recent knee injury. She enjoyed sleeping outdoors, meeting the locals and riding her 26” MTB for eleven days. Elke even topped it off with a bivy on the slopes of Feldberg, the highest peak of the route, just under 30 kilometers from the finish.

Some stats: 70 riders from 12 different countries were registered for Taunus Bikepacking No. 5. 57 made it to the start line. 36 finished. One rider was disqualified for organized private support and 20 abandoned the ride early. There were a few crashes, the most serious ones Kristian Buljan hitting a deer at full speed and Jacob Rozansky being hit by a car. Both got away relatively unharmed, Jacob was even able to finish the ride after detouring to a bike shop for a new front wheel. The only broken bone was the ankle of cap 66 Sandor Decsy after an unlucky fall onto an inconveniently placed rock. He still managed to drive his car home to Hungary with a swollen ankle, where the fracture was confirmed in hospital. Cap 1 Ken Kölzer managed to record his fourth finish in five starts, securing him the prestigious cap number for another year. The fastest rider was cap 25 Peter Batt with 3d0h49m, lanterne rouge Elke Gutermann finished in 11d4h35m.

Taunus Bikepacking No. 6 is expected to start in June 2023. Watch this space.

Instagram: @___neyna____

Jetzt hat es mich mal wieder gepackt… das Fieber… das Brennen, mich einer schier unlösbaren Herausforderung zu stellen… 1.000 km/ 20.000 hm selfsupported durch den Taunus.

Eigentlich völlig wahnsinnig hier an den Start zu gehen. Aber aus meiner sportlichen Vergangenheit weiß ich: Bad ideas make the best memories. 

Zu mir:

– keine Ultra-Sportlerin!! Mehr Kopfsache!

– Ich vertraue auf mein Muskelgedächtnis und meine mentale Stärke, die mich in der Vergangenheit schon mehrfach zu Höchstleistungen geführt haben

– mäßige Erfahrung mit Overnightern

– sehr kurzfristig doch noch dazu entschieden, meinem Thomas (mr.t_bike-emotion) auf diese außergewöhnliche Reise zu folgen

– bin kein Planer – ich mach einfach mit

– mein Mantra auf steilen Bergaufpassagen: „…wenn Du nicht so langsam wärst, dann würde es nicht so lang dauern…“

Was ich mir erhoffe:

– neue Menschen zu treffen, die mit mir die Leidenschaft für’s Biken teilen

– neue Geschichten mit nach Hause zu bringen

– persönlich zu wachsen

– das TBP zu finishen (egal in welcher Zeit) 

Hope to see you soon!

Nina

Having missed none of the four previous editions I‘m still very much looking forward to the fifth one.

I may well know the challenges of Taunus Bikepacking, but changes to the route, meeting new riders and familiar faces, challenging weather and other surprises make it exciting every year.

My Salsa Cutthroat will be mostly unchanged for the third time. It‘s the perfect bicycle with drop- plus aerobars, mountainbike wheels and geometry, big gear range, many mounting points while being super comfortable. I‘m working on details though to make it even better.

Finishing and having fun will be my main priorities. No chasing records and sleepless nights for me. See you soon somewhere in the hills of the Taunus.