As an ex-top biathlete and current mountain guide, Laura Dahlmeier is known for her staying power. She now showed it impressively on the bike.
Nice/Arco – Laura Dahlmeier is increasingly mutating into an extreme athlete. After the former world-class biathlete recently climbed Turkey's highest mountain, she was now on a climbing expedition in Aiglon, southern France. When her car threw a spanner in the works, she spontaneously decided to continue her journey on her racing bike – and rode all the way to Lake Garda in Italy without interruption.
| Laura Dahlmeier | |
|---|---|
| Born: | 22 August 1993 (aged 29 years), Garmisch-Partenkirchen |
| Discipline: | Biathlon |
| Greatest successes: | 2x Olympic gold, 7x World Championship gold, 33 World Cup victories |
| End of career: | 2019 |
After a car breakdown, Dahlmeier "unceremoniously embarked on a bikepacking adventure" in the south of France
Dahlmeier had been on the road with her companion for a few days in the south of France and had mastered several climbs there under fantastic conditions. When the two mountain runners arrived at the Aiglun climbing area in Provence, their car suddenly stopped playing.
While her colleague successfully struggled home with the car, the two-time biathlon Olympic champion, who otherwise also works as a biathlon expert for ZDF, had apparently not yet seen enough of the idyllic Provencal landscape - and made necessity a virtue: "I sought my fortune on the road bike and started a bikepacking adventure without further ado," Dahlmeier wrote under an Instagram post.
Is also a real endurance ace on the bike: Laura Dahlmeier. © Screenshot (2): Laura Dahlmeier/Instagram
Dahlmeier cycled from Nice to Lake Garda in a personal best time
And in doing so, the Garmisch-Partenkirchen native once again showed the perseverance that had already distinguished her on skis during her active days. Instead of enjoying the wonderful weather and the sheer view on the Cote d'Azur, Dahlmeier, who usually treats herself to a beer after mountain tours, set off for "a loooong non-stop stage from Nice to Arco on Lake Garda" in Italy.
She covered more than 500 kilometers. First, she cycled along the Mediterranean coast, crossing the French-Italian border. Only shortly before Genoa, i.e. after about 200 kilometres, did she say goodbye to the sea and jet further north. After a personal record total time of just under 20 hours and over 6,000 calories burned, the 29-year-old finally arrived in Arco. A very impressive achievement, especially since she also mastered almost 3,000 meters of altitude on her journey.
Because she "didn't want to get wet": Dahlmeier cycled 500 kilometers in a row without further ado
"The idea of doing the 500 kilometers in a row came spontaneously during the ride," Dahlmeier wrote on Instagram, also citing the curious reason for this: "After all, I didn't want to get wet and my butt hurts at some point anyway," said the seven-time biathlon world champion, who was traveling at an average speed of 26.3 kilometers per hour.
0
Also Read
Career after career: Dorothea Wierer apparently makes initial preparations
READ
Ski star (31) announces immediate end of career and reveals new profession
READ
Biathlon dream couple expecting offspring: "Exciting time lies ahead of us"
READ
Miriam Neureuther is planning a camping holiday with children – there's no room for Felix
READ
"Cook once, eat twice, I love it": Miriam Neureuther shares an old kitchen trick
READ
Fancy a voyage of discovery?
My Area
Dahlmeier was thrilled with her physical performance - and not for the first time: "I'm always surprised how new challenges motivate and push me and how my own limits can be pushed as a result," commented the 29-year-old on her mega sprint on the road bike.
So it is certainly not to be expected that this was their last sporting exclamation mark. Most recently, Dahlmeier completed her training as a mountain guide. (wuc)
