Greetings from the Salzkammergut!
Many of you will have noticed: part two of my four-week alpine adventure took me to Upper Austria, more precisely to Lake Hallstatt. In addition to a week's family vacation and lots of relaxation, I took the opportunity to see many of the region's sights.
Of course, the completely overcrowded town of Hallstatt deserves a special mention away from the bike. People crowd tightly across the marketplace and queue for a hundred meters for a boat trip across the lake. To be honest - not really my thing.
It's hard to guess, I'd rather look at the Obertraun bike arena, where the Austrian state championships will be held next weekend. Drops - rock gardens - North Shore Trails - root passages and all that until you drop. There is really everything here that a World Cup-worthy route needs to push me, who is a wimp in driving technique, to my limits.
Actually, I had planned to tackle the two weeks between the tour and the Bike Transalp quite casually with just a few hours of basic training, but the Salzkammergut Trophy legend was in the air.
I quickly decided it should be route B. With its 119,5 km / 3848 hm, it's only the little brother of the 211,3 km / 7119 hm A-distance monster, but still a very nice board for a spontaneous decision!
The weather on Saturday morning was bad, as is typical for the northern Alps. Dad and I drove the 14,5 kilometers from our holiday apartment in Obertraun to the start in Bad Goisern in the pouring rain.
The starting field was divided into several blocks. The 50 fastest of the previous year stood in front, in the second block the participants of the Masters MTB Marathon European Championship. From the third block, everyone was free to position themselves as they saw fit. About 200 people were now standing in front of me - fortunately I had just learned on the Transalp Tour how to weave your way forward in the field of riders with as few complications as possible.
The starting signal was given at nine o'clock. As soon as we were out of Bad Goisern we went up the 10 kilometer long start mountain. Already on the first climb, it became clear to me that QRings with only 30 teeth were exactly the right choice for this job. Gradually I drove further and further forward and contested my race according to the principle that you win on the mountain and on the flat. Downhill races can only be lost and so it happened that I got off my bike in critical situations and ran past other riders who were trying their luck on the bike and struggling down the softened root passages.
Shortly before halfway through the race, the highlight of the Salzkammergut Trophy was waiting for me. The Salzberg, which is already steep with its many serpentines, but only really tightens towards the end of the climb. This asphalt wall forces almost everyone to push.
From the Salzberg, the strong B riders approach the C participants. Of course, every now and then someone stands on the ideal line, but somehow it is incredibly motivating to constantly overtake and so it was relatively easy for me to push through high watt values.
The surprise was waiting for me at the finish: 3rd place overall and 2nd in the M20 ranking. I really didn't expect that. The day went well, but I didn't expect that I would experience my greatest sporting success relatively spontaneously at the Salzkammergut Trophy!
Thank you for this great event. The many enthusiastic spectators along the route made this day something really special. I would love to come back 😉
Sporty greetings
Your Lennard