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Next year is my 40th and I have long planned doing something epic.
Doing some research I think this fits the bill and my hand keeps hovering over the register button. Previously it had to be done in pairs but no one I would normally ride with fancies the size of this challenge.
Has anyone previously completed this event any have any words of wisdom other than get skinny and good at climbing and is there anyone else from round these parts considering doing this event in 2020?
Guided transalp for two and a bit seasons.
A few firms from Germany and Austria that will ferry your luggage from a to b each day. Either join one of the guided tours or if you're savvy enough with a map or GPS ride the same /similar route (maps and description of route provided) and still have your luggage ferried. This means you've no worries about where you're going to sleep that night and whether you want the left or the right path from the pass.... However, you need to be at the next hut/Hotel in the evening. This generally means riding through some shitty weather.
Or, ride "auf eigene Faust" and carry all your gear on bike and back. This means knowing where you're going and perhaps having to prebook a bed, study your route and take all the necessary material with you. On the other hand if you arrive somewhere and the weather is awful you don't have to ride.
Once a mate and I bivvied across the alps, sleeping under a tarp. We had a rough idea of where to go (I had written the names of towns or passes that we should be heading for), but with the motto no wasted metres descending fire roads. We also used the occasional cable car of one was available to gain height and maybe sneak in an extra trail. We made it just short of half way after six days, but rode hardly any asphalt.
A few years back with a we made it from Bavaria to lake Garda in for days using each possible cable car or train /bus that cut out lots of boring asphalt in the valleys.
That is one thing to consider; the amount of asphalt you need to cover if you are pushed for time. Obviously, taking in as much high alone terrain is the goal. However, this means distances covered will be greatly reduced unless you are done kind of superhuman.
There are plenty of routes and resources online, albeit mostly in German. Let me know if you want more info or help with translation....
I reckon you mean the bike transalp race, not just a (guide) tour? I did the race, but many years ago, 1999 to be precise. It was tough, but I loved it. People will now tell you that it was/is too XC-like, but I am sure it has gone with the times and it's more technical nowadays, not that I thought it was too fireroad-ish 20 years ago. Very well organised!
Yeah,
Mean the race. Everything I have read says its well organised and an epic ride. I am just a nervous about committing to something so far out my comfort zone!
I've not done TransAlp, but have done similar...I don't think you'd regret it
(well, you will almost certainly regret it in the depths of winter when you're training, and there'll be days on the race when you'll ask yourself why, but afterwards.....)
I think in the depths of winter zwift will be my friend......
Am just trying to sort out a riding partner then think i will take the plunge.
I have friends who rode the Transalp a couple of times, as a pair. They really enjoyed it but definitely found it demanding (and they are experienced cyclists, used to big days out on the bike).
Another alternative multi day event is the MTB Challenge:
http://www.mtbchallenge.com/en/
Not as epic as the high Alps, but some great trails and varied riding in the Polish/Czech borderlands.
I also quite fancy this, but not next year. I did the Grand Raid Cristalp (BCVS) last year and that was enough at 125km and 5000m climb. I'm curious to hear if anyone has done both and can compare the single day GRC to the TransAlp (sorry for slight hijack). Maybe Cristalp is an option for you?
Different sorts of challenges in the two events. The Cristalp is a bigger day than any single stage of the Transalp, but in a multi stage event you have to recover and do it again next day, and keep yourself and your bike running for a week.
I don't think I would travel to the Alps for a one-day race like the Cristalp, at least you get a week out of the TransAlp. I was in my early 20s when I completed the TransAlp, I would say I was a fairly sporty person overall, but still only cycled once a week for 2-3 hours, twice at most, but being fairly young helped in the sense that I just kept going. I had done two guided alp-crossings before with far less mileage/climbing, but given that you don't spend an hour at lunchtime sitting in a hut during the TransAlp, but you are fed at the feeding stations, and everything is so well organised, the long distances and the climbing result in days that don't feel overly long, yes, you spend the best part of the day in the saddle, but you arrive mid-afternoon, with enough time to recover (rather than arriving in the evening and falling into bed).
Also, while you go at your own pace, and don't have to overdo it, given that there are 100s of other riders, this kind of drags you along when you are not feeling your best. I would say: do it!
I have done it twice now, once as a pair and just did it solo last month. Seriously hard but loved it hugely - was fitted this time around but probably could have worked more on strength as so
seriously steep climbs in low gear.I would guess about 40% were doing it solo. Was considering it again next year but decided a road trip for 2020. Pm me and happy to chat.
Thanks everyone for this info.
I am under no illusion about quite how hard this will be. I am fully expecting to be hitting the trainer hard over winter, having to commit to off the bike training for core and upper body as well as just racking up the miles and potentially enlisting the help of a coach.
@texwade will be in touch shortly