Cycling: Martin Temmen and Matthias Fischer want to travel from Moscow to Vladivostock in July – as a team of two in the longest cycling race in the world. Velomotion spoke to the two.
Velomotion: Martin and Matthias, you have set yourself an extreme goal for the 2016 season: the “Red Bull Trans-Siberian Extreme”. What is it exactly?
Martin: It's a stage race along the Trans-Siberian Railway from Moscow to Vladivostok. 14 stages, 24 days, 9.200 kilometers.
That's almost a triple Tour de France. How did you come up with the idea?
Matthias: There were several impulses. On the one hand, Martin and I have been riding racing bikes together in the Rhein-Main area for years. Long distances in particular have recently appealed to us, and we were looking for a special adventure. Then we have a lecture by two members of the Guilty76 teams heard who competed in the Trans-Siberian Extreme last year. That was very inspiring. And finally, a physiotherapist who accompanied the race last year told us so much about it that we are now really motivated to try it ourselves.
Martin: A funny anecdote: In August 2015 I was standing at the starting line of the long-distance classic Paris-Brest-Paris and found out there that the lecture mentioned was to take place in Frankfurt in three days. I thought I'll never make it. But then I was able to cover the 1.200 kilometers of PBP in two days, drove to Frankfurt and listened to the lecture - dead tired but totally hooked.
Don't you sometimes have doubts about what you got yourself into?
Matthias: Sure, now that the race is slowly approaching, you're already thinking, 'Whoa, that's a big deal.' But the more intensively we deal with it and the more concrete the plans become, the more tangible it becomes. I'm up for it. The stages are awesome: Two are over 1.000 kilometers long, some 600 kilometers long. A short stage is still 400 kilometers.
Martin: But it is very important to us to differentiate. We start as a team of two, which means that the 9.200 kilometers become 4.600 kilometers per person. Divided by the number of race days, that adds up to 250 kilometers per day and person – a challenge, but initially nothing inhuman. We plan to take turns every hour. At night we drive for three hours at a time so that the other gets a longer sleep phase. The bottom line is that the stress is less than if you drive 1.200 kilometers in one go, as in Paris-Brest-Paris. The worst thing you can do is stand still. As long as you keep moving, everything is fine. As soon as you stand, everything falls apart.
How are the stages going?
Matthias: There is a mass start for all participants. Groups will probably form then and we'll try to stay up front for as long as possible. The team that finishes first wins the stage, the times are added together for the overall ranking. Unlike the Race across America, we feel this mode is much more like an actual bike race.
So you don't just want to ride, but have real racing ambitions?
Martin: We don't want to do sightseeing in Russia, otherwise we would take our touring bikes with panniers. But we also see the whole thing realistically. We probably won't be able to keep up with experienced long-distance teams. Nevertheless, it's not just about finishing for us.
Do you have personal ties to Russia?
Martin: I've been to Russia twice. Once I cycled to St. Petersburg and another time I rode the Trans-Siberian Railway, which the race track is also based on. I was particularly impressed by Lake Baikal. I really feel like racing there, in these endless expanses. I also think that our image of Russia is wrongly very negative. I experienced incredible warmth and hospitality there, as well as extreme cultural diversity.
Matthias: I don't have such a personal relationship with Russia. I haven't been there yet, but I'm very excited because of the stories and I'm looking forward to it. We'll be cycling through the country in our tunnel and won't be able to collect any great cultural impressions. But just seeing the landscape, driving through the cities and doing this race there is a great experience.
What are you currently doing in your preparation?
Martin: Mainly with three things: We train to get physically fit. We put together our material and our support crew. And we are looking for sponsors.
Let's go through it point by point: How do you train for an event like this? Which scopes are you currently completing and what are the focal points?
Matthias: One focus is of course riding a lot of bikes. On the one hand, we like to ride a lot of racing bikes in our free time anyway. On the other hand, we increasingly use the bike as a means of transport in everyday life, riding it to work and to our other leisure activities. Towards summer we will also complete 200 to 300 kilometer units. But at the moment our sizes are probably not that different from those of other ambitious racing cyclists.
Martin: A particular focus at the moment is general athletics. Three weeks of road cycling will place high demands on the trunk muscles, upper body, arms and neck. We are currently training quite extensively here. I go to the gym three times a week, Matthias even four times. We don't want to stand on the side of the road in Russia, and our legs can still do it, only the rest of the body is on strike.
Do you work with a trainer?
Martin: No. We plan everything ourselves and actually do classic racing cyclist winter training: basic riding, recreational sports, strength units.
How do you integrate the training into everyday life?
Matthias: My girlfriend is already complaining (laughs). No, the understanding is definitely there, she rides her own bike too. As far as work is concerned: Martin and I have been riding racing bikes for five or six years now. It was already the case before that you invested a lot of time outside of work, around 15 hours a week. In this respect, not that much is changing in everyday life at the moment.
Martin: My girlfriend does triathlon. Their circumferences are almost larger than mine. Matthias and I take our vacation days together, sometimes supplemented by unpaid vacation. There is no other holiday this year.
How is your support crew made up? And what does she have to do?
Matthias: Everyone has their own support vehicle, their own mechanic and their own physio. With us athletes that's six people. The cars and drivers are provided by the organizer Red Bull. These will be Moscow taxi drivers.
Martin: The support crew has a very sensitive job. It is at least as important as us athletes. Their tasks include, for example, making sure that we change clothes during breaks, that sore spots are identified and treated immediately, that we eat, drink and regenerate properly. It will be just as important to support us mentally: build up when things aren't going well, slow down when we're overconfident, entertain when we're bored. It is also important that we can report on our adventure. That means taking and uploading photos, making videos and writing blog posts. The crew has to scrutinize us and communicate our experiences to the outside world, but also leave us alone when we need it.
Matthias: That will be a balancing act. But we are in good spirits. The crew is almost complete and we have chosen them very carefully. We know we can rely on them 100 percent.
What material will you use?
Martin: Everyone has a road bike and a time trial bike with them. Time trial bikes are not allowed to be ridden in a group. But there can be situations in which it is important to make up time or to vary your sitting position. We also have several wheelsets with us.
Matthias: It will be very important that all bikes and components are compatible with each other. We both drive identical and commercially available parts so that we can exchange them in an emergency or get a replacement quickly. We will also have many spare parts with us, but we cannot carry multiple versions of every part on the bike. We then rely on the material service of the organizer and otherwise have to improvise on site.
Martin: It is clear that the material is a decisive factor. This applies to the seat pads of the pants, high-quality, weatherproof clothing, robust but also light frames, durable components. We are already carrying out a material test under extreme conditions. And of course we hope that sponsors will support us.
Have you already had sponsor talks?
Matthias: Yes, quite a lot. And we also got a lot of positive feedback and convinced some people and companies. Nevertheless, we are still looking for supporters for our adventure.
How much does the fun cost you?
Matthias: We expect total costs for the team to be around 35.000 euros. They consist of the registration fees, which include accommodation, meals, race logistics, car and driver. In addition, there are the flights for the entire crew, material and various things on the way.
How to keep up to date with your adventures?
Martin: We set up a Facebook fan page. There we will report on our preparations and of course there will be live coverage of the race here. Red Bull will report on the race on all channels with its huge marketing department. And afterwards we will give lectures and publish reports. Who knows? Maybe we too can motivate someone like we were motivated.
You guys don't exactly come across as freaks, more like the boys next door. Can everyone create what you want to create?
Matthew: I think so. There is a lot of planning involved, and of course you have to pursue the goal very consistently and over months. And of course there is a residual risk. We can get sick, injure ourselves, suffer defects, get into serious physical crises, and not be able to cope with the change from heat, rain and cold. Nevertheless, I am convinced that we will show what you can achieve alongside normal work and family life.
Good luck and thank you for the interview.
Website:
Martin's and Matthias Facebook fan page
