From Lake Garda to the Arctic Circle: The ultra-distance cyclist Askan von Schirnding from Kochel has now tackled this 4,000-kilometer route.
The conditions of the tour are adventurous.
Kochel am See
- 350 kilometers on the bike. Every day.
Sleeping in the bus house, breaks reduced to a minimum: an ordeal for most.
For Askan von Schirnding the greatest feeling of independence.
“For me, that's the epitome of travel,” says the 27-year-old ultra-distance cyclist from Kochel am See.
"The nice thing about traveling is being on the move."
Over 4000 kilometers by bike across Lake Balaton, Poland and Lapland towards the Arctic Circle
And that's from Schirnding, who already caused a sensation in winter with his adventurous bike tour to the North Cape in Norway and back.
Now he is on the road again and is tackling the same goal on a different route: At the “North Cape 4000”, where 180 participants drive from Rovereto on Lake Garda in Italy to the Arctic Circle.
More than 4000 kilometers.
First it goes east, via Slovenia, Croatia, Hungary and to Lake Balaton.
Then the bikers turn north to Slovakia, Poland, on the border with Ukraine and Belarus towards the Baltic States, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.
“There might be a couple of passages on gravel roads,” says von Schirnding.
Extreme cyclists from Schirnding aim for 350 to 400 kilometers a day
From Talinn the participants cross to Helsinki, through Lapland to Rovaniemi, the gateway to the Arctic Circle. From there, there are still 700 kilometers to the destination, the North Cape, past Oldefjord and the Barents Sea. The race is not advertised as a competition. Otherwise sections of the route would have to be blocked. But the sporty claim is definitely there. It's all about who will be the first to reach the North Cape. “And that's what I want to be,” says von Schirnding.
He is well prepared for the "ultra-distance bike adventure in the world with the highest number of participants", which began on Saturday, according to the website.
"I am as fit as never before," says the extreme cyclist.
The participants have 22 days to complete the nearly 4,500-kilometer route.
However, the Kochler does not want to push the limits by far.
He is aiming for 350 or sometimes 400 kilometers a day.
Then he would be there in less than two weeks.
Provided he is not in trouble.
"I want to get more out of this this time than in winter."
Askan von Schirnding fights the greatest fight against fatigue
Especially since he doesn't have to deal with the cold and snow now. On his winter tour to the North Cape, he struggled with his mountain bike over icy roads and through snowstorms. "Now the temperature is not going below ten degrees even in the far north," believes von Schirnding. There are no big mountains to conquer on the way. “The altitude difference is limited.” His greatest fight will be against exhaustion and tiredness. "I don't allow myself more than five hours of sleep, that would take too much time," says von Schirnding. He also wants to keep the breaks short.
But isn't that at the expense of his independence? To enjoy the landscape and life where the route takes you? “No, the nice thing about cycling is that you are not that fast either. The fact that you can soak up the beautiful as you drive past. ”His current trip, on which he has to take care of himself again, is in full contrast to his winter tour:“ Back then it was cold and in the north it was dark all day ”, says the independent filmmaker. “It's summer now and the sun doesn't really go down at night either.” And he reduces his luggage to the bare essentials: rainwear, sleeping mat, sleeping bag, GPS tracker, he even saves a tent. “I just need some kind of roof, bus shelter, chapel, cemetery, it's nice and quiet there,” says von Schirnding.
Freund tinkers together special equipment suitable for ultra-distance
And he has tools in his luggage.
So that he needs this as little as possible, von Schirnding not only prepared well in advance.
But also fine-tuned his setup.
With the help of a good friend, Falko Wittneben.
“He's a craftsman and has tinkered with everything you want.
For example, he painstakingly fitted my bike with light, water and a mobile phone holder - parts for which there are no ultra-distance-compatible solutions on the market, ”says Kochler happily.
Ready to go.
Von Schirnding has already mastered the way to the start on Lake Garda.
By bike, of course.
By the way: Everything from the region is now also available in our new, regular Bad Tölz newsletter.
