The next race in the Marathon Man Europe series was approaching: the Erzgebirgs Bike Marathon, now in its 32nd edition. As usual, we arrived on Thursday. This minimizes stress and gives us a great opportunity to spend time with friends there.
The biggest topic, as so often this season, was of course the weather. From the first course check, it was clear that it was going to be a damn muddy affair.
The course had a new section around Reicheltberg. Here, riders were now directed in a cross-country style towards Erzalm and zigzagged past it. I didn’t really take to the new section; I couldn’t find my flow while riding it.
Sunday actually started out quite promising. There was no rain in sight, so rain gear stayed in the closet, and we headed towards the start. However, heavy rain the night before meant we knew it would be pretty wet from below.
After the obligatory warm-up, it was time for the race block. A bit more chatting with friends who were there, and then it was off. Due to construction work in Seiffen, the introductory lap was slightly modified. What remained was the high pace, as always. But we weren’t there for a leisurely ride. I managed to keep up quite well, and so we tackled the Alp de Wettin with a lot of pressure for the first time. Just before entering the first trails, I was alerted that my rear tire was very low on air. So, I took a quick look and, yep, it was almost flat. I pulled out the Maxalami from the handlebar and patched the hole. Then, I did a bit of bicep training and pumped up the tire again. To this day, I don’t know why it happened. I always carry gas cartridges and took a pump this time—completely crazy. The frustrating part was that this setback put me far behind and I got stuck in heavy traffic. I didn’t really enjoy the ride in the first lap afterward. Chasing back to the front took too much effort.
In the middle of the second lap, I finally caught up with some familiar faces. However, by this point, I had expended an enormous amount of energy. As a result, my body was increasingly shifting into “survival mode.” I must also admit that I struggled significantly with the course and the conditions this time. Although I have ridden the EBM in all possible states, I never really found my rhythm throughout the race. My brevet the week before certainly didn’t help with fresh legs either.
At the end of the second lap, I started experiencing more shifting problems on the ascent of Alp de Wettin. Throughout the lap, I had been repeatedly adjusting the AXS, but on the climb, the gears were just skipping. I decided to check my drink station briefly. The issue was quickly identified: both derailleur pulleys and the top of the derailleur mechanism were clogged with dried mud. Cleaning the mud out took a bit longer than expected. At least the result was very good, and I was able to ride the last lap without further gear skipping.
So, I hope for a better experience in Seiffen in 2025.
Next Stop Endurothon Ultra.
