Mountainbike marathon - Tegernseer Tal

Hi all,

I was talking to someone on TT about doing this "race" before and thought I would open it up to the forum.

I have just signed up for this mountain bike marathon at Tegernsee. Now, its called a marathon/race/whatever but it really is just for fun!

Briefly - there are 3 course options:

Strecke A: 39,8 km, 580 hm, 25 Euro*
Strecke B: 59,2 km, 1.990 hm, 30 Euro*
Strecke C: 78,4 km, 2.750 hm, 35 Euro*

I have signed up for Strecke B.

If anyone is interested, they do not need to be a super fit athlete cyclist to enjoy it, however it is worthwhile doing a certain amount of training beforehand. As I am doing this with guys from work (a group of all abilities, even beginners), we will be doing evening cycles along the isar to get the legs ready. We will also do a couple of runs at tegernsee to get our legs used to hills again. Anyone wishing to tag along to find their legs will be welcome I am sure.

I first did one of these marathons a few years ago in Garmisch (50km). The only training I had done was a couple of killer days with a colleague in some mountains but that was enough to make the actual race challenging but still enjoyable. You get a real sense of achievement by just finishing one of these things.

The tracks are usually not over technical :-( - i.e. you are mostly just cycling along normal trails, not too much rocky stuff. You will need a reasonable mountain bike though. Hardtails are fine (if not preferred).

If anyone is interested, then the official site for it, where you can sign up, is here. Let me know and then we can train.. or something

Hey Tom,

This sounds cool and would give me a goal to train for. The snow is about all melted down here in Garmisch so I've finally broken out the mountain bike for some riding.

If you like, we could even meet up down here some weekends in the future for some training...lots of hills as you know!

Also, there appears to be another mtb marathon in Garmisch the following week...y'all come on down, y'hear?

Kit

Tom, I could be interested...I'll let you know.

I'm definitely up for this... keep us posted with any training runs.

I just signed up for strecke C which I plan to do on a singlespeed... I know all the climbs though and this corner is pretty much my favourite. The Walberg climb is one which I love. I 'ain't going to be fast but strecke B don't have Walberg so I'm going for the longer one.

I'm interested in any training going on but I'm well into it at the minute anyways.

And also to those who are not interested in riding but might be up for a nice day by the lake (tanning & beer perhaps?!), lemme know

Hey I'm definately interested. When is it, and when do we start our for fun/training rides?

Actually still waiting for my bike to arrive, but as soon as it does, I'll be ready to hit the trails.

tom ..do you have a website link for this ? am interested like ...i suppose you have now fixed your gears so that you don't need to lower yourself down to the chain to manually change it every time ? ...will be in training soon ..need to take the bike in for an Inspektion first... may do course.. b may be.. c

The race is on the 5th, though the whole event is over 2 days, hence the title saying 4th & 5th.

and yep, I have gears now Finally no more manual gear changes!

I posted the web site link in the first post but here it is again... http://mtb-festival.de/

As I am hopeless, I am already losing track of who is up for this and who is not... Who is registered, who is going to register and who to bring along and inform about any training rides I should be doing with the people from work.

I believe that long distance but flat rides along the isar should be starting in the coming couple of weeks...

Now.. about signing in on the day.. We can either do it from 10am to 8pm the day before, which means a bob trip to tegernsee... or do it on the day from 5am to 7:30am- This would mean an early BOB train on the sunday.. up for that are we?

The people I have down so far are...

Interested:
Me
Kit
Canuck
Satman
Lurch (on a bike with only 1 gear!)
Mybutterfly
acockreland2balls

Signed up: I think strecke a is full up.. I didnt see it on the signup page
Me - Strecke B
Lurch - Strecke C (psycho!)

Interested in training with me: We will start from work normally, which is near the Messe. We will also be doing a couple at Tegernsee too.
Me! (+ ~10-15 peeps from work)
Kit
Canuck?
Satman
Lurch
Mybutterfly
acockreland2balls

And if anyone is up for a lake trip only.. water sun and picnics, then Blimeygirl is your.. girl.

@Blimeygirl - I'm definitely on for a day of tanning and beer at the lake if the weather is good.

Wooo my 'Screw Exercise' campaign is working Muahahahaha

One day I might do a race...but certainly not starting with 40k. That's just crazy talk.

OK I have news of the first training run.. I found out on my way out of the office...

Next Wednesday. We will be leaving from work (near the Messe) at about 4pm, heading for the Isar and then heading down along the Isar as far as, if memory serves, Schäftlarn, or was that Straßlach, they are both near to each other and most of the way towards Wolfratshausen. Then we will come back along the Isar.

If anyone wishes to join, then we will have to work a meeting point... Would have to be punctual though as I dont imagine the crowd I will be with hanging around waiting. I will be too busy in pain trying to keep up with them to make them wait for people

As a guesstimate, I would say something like the zoo at 4:30-4:45.. just a guess though.

So maybe see some of you on Weds!

I can't make wednesday But I'll be probably doing the same sort of run on Saturday sometime and again on Monday after threeish. If anyone wants to join, just let me know.

tomsiebzehn ...can't make that training session but keep me informed about the next one .. weeknights circa 7pm are more my starting time ..personally-speaking

I'm afraid most, if not all, of the evening training runs will be starting at 4pm from our work... Sorry :-(

Lurch, I might be up for something on Monday, depends on how the easter weekend and painting of the old flat goes

hokay!

01632570278

gimme a buzz if you get out.

Not for that one, but Ill try to get into the Garmisch one. (Kit, you better have enough couch space for me, my nizzle...)

@tom17
forgot that i am actually at a wedding in italy that weekend so please strike me off the list ..still interested in training ...also if you plan to do the routes of the competition in advance ..i have done most of them last summer but i'm sure they'll remain pretty challenging..!!

I'm still waiting for my bike. If all goes well I should have it by next week. It may take me a few days to put it back together .

@Tom: 4pm every Wed is impossible for me. Maybe we could go for a ride sometime on the next few weekends??

@ canuck ...4pm starts during week nights might be difficult for some others too ...with the evenings getting lighter, i am up for a circa 7pm start (2 hours plus beergarden afterwards and weekends of course..

hey, i think i could swing the A trail! managed about the same twice at lake garda last year and i survived. thanks for the heads up tom17.

might be too intimidatd to ride with just fellas though.

Its so not just fellas!

In the group from work, there are guys and gals, beginners and semi-pro's

And I think there are girls interested in the TT group too... No need to be intimidated anyways

@ everyone...
As for the 4pm rides I will be doing from work, I dont think I will be able to sway the peeps here to start later... But I will always be up for more rides starting later.. and then of course weekend rides too

This looks like fun; however, I don't have a mountain bike. Does anyone know if they allow cyclocross bikes (I'm talking road bike-like ride with 30 mm tires and cantilever brakes--not what passes for a german cross bike), and if a cross bike would be suitable for this course (Streke C)?

I dont *think* they disallow any bikes.. but cannot be sure.

However, I would strongly reccommend not doing it on anything other than a capable mountain bike. If you are sure you will be ok going down possibly very steep rocky sections on your bike, then sure.. I guess...

*has image of someone going down the mountain on an old 'push on the tyres brakes' bike* hehe

I think they can't disallow anyone since they now allow 29" ers to race. And by the way I can't think of anypart of the streche C which would pose too many problems on anyone who could handle a 'cross.

And it goes without saying you'll be a damn sight faster than anyone else

Signed up for C... not many of us there, for the moment... guess it will pick after the 'great flood' ends...

wow.. am I the only one signing up for Strecke B?

@Tom 17 Cmon, join the real men in Strecke C... I will be doing it on a "Deutsche Post" delivery bike, with brewskis in the carry basket!

Sorry, I did the 100K at Garmisch 2 years ago and regretted it...

Though that last waldberg does look nice & steep on t' way down... I guess I could go and do C after finishing B

Not committing to that though... me no crazy

@Tom: Yes you be crazy!! I think you're crazier than me??!!!

Found it. Tom, count me in too. Might give the C trail a go if anyone else is up for it!

Guys thinking about doing strecke C... That last hill, Waldberg is a real b*tch from what I hear... I thougth about it briefly but discounted it when Alain explained to me that its just a long hard slog up a steep path with those annoying diagonal bits of wood across the track (that you always slip on).

Just be warned, doing C instead of B could turn it from a real enjoyable ride into hell... I am so only doing B.. and with the amount of extra work I have been/will be putting in this year, it should be a pretty enjoyable, yet challenging, ride.

So everyone.. remember to sign up as soon as you can.. dont want to miss the boat! URL for signing up is at the beginning of the thread.

Yep, I just looked at the profiles.. C is just B with a huge great feck off hill at the end

Maybe I'll just do B

I've also heard that the Waldberg hill is a bitch (especially the route they're taking)...I won't be doing C, B is a good possibility for me too. Haven't signed up yet though...

OK OK I am in for B too...

Cmon, I'm doing Strecke C in my G-sting with one leg tied behind my head... who said anything about fun?

Wallberg 'ain't that bad It's 50 min climb at most and there's only one bit which goes above 22%.. (which I will be pushing no doubt!)

And it's all on tarmac apart from the last little bit!

Annnd then you got 30 mins of lovely twisty downhilling

what more do you want?

Ahh! I just had another look at it!

Guess it's up the wanderweg and then down the tarmac!

Makes it easier!

It don't go above 17% that way! (Guess I'll be pushing the whole damn way )

shame to be missing out on that nice cruise downhill.. but the up still scares me...

OK, to summarise:

Strecke A:

elfenstar?

Strecke B:

Tom17
canuck
tench
Pascoe
acockreland2balls?

Strecke C:

lurch
mrbobke
carpetmunchener

Undecided:
satman?
mybutterfly?
kit?
MPIchaos?
Crotaline? (Come on! You're gonna have to learn to go UP hills as well as down them one day )

What happened to PatTheSwede?

@DrivinWest - I here you've got your bike over here now.. No excuses!

I just signed up for Strecke 'B'.

I guess I have to start riding my bike now...

Planning to go out on the MTB on saturday afternoon for a couple of hours. If anyone wants to join, give me a shout.

I am also signed up for Strecke B along with a friend from work.

Not signed up yet, but will be going for Strecke B...

Just signed up for Streke C, hopefully they will allow my cross bike since the wheels are of a larger diameter.

Incidentally, this ride happens on my birthday. They have to allow me to ride!

Oops, my finger slipped. I've signed up for Strecke C too


Tom, I can hear those words going through my head as I hit that last climb already

oh, you can see who has signed up! am signing up for A as we speak.

Good stuff elfy.

Just thinking about transport.. Are people planning on staying down there on saturday night?

I suppose the BOB goes pretty much direct?

I'm hoping to go down the morning of, if at all possible.

I have no idea about transport.