Maxxis BIKE Transalp 2024: Interview with the BIKE reader team Diasporal Alpen Challenge
Jan Timmermann
· 29.07.2024
During the Maxxis BIKE Transalp, we were able to follow Mona Schick and Philipp Weiß from Team Diasporal Alpen Challenge up close in our live blog. The two BIKE readers had won a starting place in one of the most popular and toughest mountain bike stage races of all. Diasporal and Bike prepared the two students for the race of their lives with performance diagnostics, training plans and a brand new bike including bike fitting. They took part in the Maxxis BIKE Transalp 2024 as a mixed team and finally made it to the finish line near Lake Garda after seven days of marathon racing. Mona and Philipp learnt a lot and experienced even more. In this interview, they reveal their high and low points, talk about the challenges they faced as a team, reflect on their training and give an outlook on the rest of the season.
Total madness: The BIKE reader team at the Maxxis BIKE Transalp 2024
BIKE: Now you've already got some distance to your finish in Arco. How was the Maxxis BIKE Transalp for you?
MONA: It was an amazing experience. The atmosphere in the race and in the stage towns is indescribable. Everyone is in raptures. Just telling you about it now gives me goose bumps. Crossing the finish line on seven days is simply an amazing feeling. Of course you always reach your limits, but knowing that you've covered the distance with your own body is indescribable.
PHILIPP: The Maxxis BIKE Transalp was really amazing! I still haven't realised that it's simply over. It all flashed past me like a film. Looking back, I have to say that everything went really well for us: no breakdowns, no crashes. We did our best and I don't know where we could have gained any more time.
BIKE: You finished in the middle of the field with an eighth place among the mixed teams. A remarkable achievement! However, the live blog revealed that you started the race with higher ambitions. How satisfied are you?
PHILIPP: At the beginning, you can't really judge where you stand. On the first day, however, we realised relatively quickly that we had nothing to say at the front. Beforehand, I wouldn't have thought that the fastest riders would be such machines. On the other hand, we completely misjudged something at the beginning: We had thought that we would be in the saddle for seven hours a day. In the end, to our parents' surprise, we always reached the finish line much earlier. We cycled much faster than we thought. From the very first day, you just let yourself be carried along by the masses.
MONA: We didn't dare to think about a podium, but on the first start line we had no idea how good or bad we would be. We gave it our all in training, got through without illness, only with Philipp's small crash, and that was a good thing.
BIKE: Would you have been able to master the Maxxis BIKE Transalp without this preparation?
MONA: That's difficult to say. We would certainly have got through somehow, but probably with more pain and not in this amount of time. We've made it over the Alps in the past, but of course we weren't able to maintain the same level of performance for hours on end as we did now. We were at full throttle from start to finish. I don't think you can reach this level without structured training and regular intervals.
PHILIPP: We were blue every time we crossed the finish line. I think so too, that a training plan simply makes sense for such an action. With a plan, you can also take a day off during training with a clear conscience. You still have a limit at the top. I really enjoyed the training plan and I think we were also very effective in our preparation.
BIKE: How did you cater for yourselves during the race?
MONA: I didn't see a single refreshment station during the entire Maxxis BIKE Transalp. I put my foot on the pedals in the morning and clicked off again in the afternoon. When we knew that a refreshment station was coming, Philipp rode up and topped up my bottles.
PHILIPP: When we needed something, I took Mona's bottle in my jersey pocket and topped it up. I also always got myself something to eat because I can't just keep pushing gels into my stomach all day long. Our parents had asked us if they should feed us from the side of the course, but we declined. For a one-minute time advantage, it seemed excessive.
Teamwork makes the dream work: Team Diasporal Alpen Challenge about interpersonal dynamics
BIKE: How did you organise yourselves in the team during the race?
MONA: Philipp pushed me a lot, which was definitely good. When I was in front in the downhill, I remembered that he usually always gives me tips from the front. I then tried to put that into practice.
PHILIPP: I still had my crash in the back of my mind and did a bit of pacing on the downhills. Mona was really strong downhill and took a great lead. She was often really struggling uphill. Even when I was pulling her, she really pedalled along. In a race, 1000 metres of altitude go by much faster than usual. The atmosphere gets you going. Mentally, it's completely different to training.
BIKE: A week in Team Biking can be quite long. Did everything always work out on a personal level?
PHILIPP: Of course, there are times when you swear or argue, but you forget about them relatively quickly during the race. Despite the fact that we often clashed during training, things went very harmoniously during the race. Apart from the feed stations, we were always together and rode as a team.
MONA: We didn't stay in a hotel, but were travelling with our parents in the Sunlight Camper. When we arrived, there was always someone there. That was nice. After the race, we were still totally in the tunnel and had lots to talk about. Now that I'm back home, however, I feel the need for a day to myself.
BIKE: What were your high and low points of the Maxxis BIKE Transalp?
MONA: It was always a highlight for me to cross the finish line. Especially on the first day. That's when I realised that the first stage was behind me. I had the feeling that I understood how the event worked and I was sure that I could manage the next six days. However, I hit a low on the third day. It didn't work from start to finish: no strength in my legs, no motivation. I also know from skiing that there is always a day that is tough. Interestingly, it's usually the third one. When another mixed team overtook us on the last trail, my mood was in the basement.
PHILIPP: My highlight was actually the royal stage. The way we shot down into Val Mora was great. Down by the lake, my dad wanted to join us on his e-bike, but we were too fast for him. We were so full of steam! I don't know what it was, but we set off another rocket. Then the finish in the middle of Malè - brilliant! I only had a few problems during the whole race. The route is fixed, there's no discussion. On day six, however, I put on my cycling shoes and briefly asked myself why I was doing all this. Somehow I didn't feel like it in the morning. However, I quickly warmed up again and then the race was on.
Outlook: What's next for Team Diasporal Alpen Challenge?
BIKE: Would you like to take part in the Maxxis BIKE Transalp again next year?
PHILIPP: In principle, yes. But I always say that I don't really want to ride a route twice. So there will have to be other highlights next year. I also have to say that riding across the Alps in race mode is something completely different. At the moment, I'm rather focussing on something adventurous where there isn't such a tight plan.
MONA: I would also like to come back next year. But I understand what Philipp means. Normally, you start a tour at a completely different speed. It doesn't matter if you stop ten more times for photos and then arrive an hour later. A race is a number in itself.
BIKE: What else is on the calendar this year? Will you be taking part in another race?
MONA: You've got us on the wrong foot there. There are no more races on the schedule, but we haven't really looked yet. In any case, it's extremely strange to be travelling without a destination now.
PHILIPP: At the moment I'm more in the mood for a road bike or bikepacking tour. However, I would still like to ride our Transalp bikes again. Let's see.
Jan Timmermann
Editor
