Across Europe in "Suffer Mode"

Amrei Kuhne is a 25-year-old long-distance cyclist from Freiburg, who is driving for the first time this year with the prestigious Transcontinental Race-that is 4000km and 40000th from the northwest to southeastern Europe-and is supported by Supernova with the new M99 DY Pro.

"I love to be completely on me outside in nature and do without everything insignificant," she summarizes her attitude towards cycling. As a young student of geosciences, who has no real income, but is all the more convinced of eco -mobility, she was able to promptly qualify for one of three "Mike Hall Bursaries", the official scholarship of the Transcontinental.

The adventure started not too long ago. It was not until 2019 that she undertook her first longer bike packing tour. Without knowing what she expected - especially at meters of altitude - she crossed her from north to south to Sicily together with a friend of Italy. With a trekking wheel and saddlebags, without a time requirement and as much stop as necessary. Because it was so nice, she soon ran by bike through the national parks from southern Spain or in the piece from Munich to Lake Garda.

Two years ago, her hobby became more ambitious. She bought her first racing bike. Fore long distances in a shorter time. And came to ever crazy ideas.

"Why not just venture on the Schauinsland, the local mountain of Freiburg, sometimes an Everesting Challenge?", Done ... something to snack on and go ... from the Horchen district of Bohrer to the parking lot at the mountain station, there are 780 m. Who knows how you already feel in a row after only two such climbs may not think about how the legs burn after a whopping and write ride to get the targeted 8848 m.

Amrei remained mentally calm and divided her strength well. So she made it into a little more than a day straight away. "Go to the 'Suffer mode' very consciously and find out how strong my will is," makes them the attraction of such projects.

The best prerequisites for successfully operating ultrarycling, we find.

She probably thought that too, and in July 2021 she also participated with the North Race Westphalia (in the duo) at her first unsupported bike packing race: from Bad Honnef am Rhein over 13 checkpoints about 1100 kilometers and 10,000 meters of altitude the state border of NRW. With a little more than 70 hours, they cut off as the best team! If that's not a baptism of fire! For the first time, she drove longer at night. "Quite challenging, it really makes sense to drive with good light from the start," she admits (she had no supernova lighting at that time).

Since then Amrei has been driving almost continuously. In every season, in almost any weather. But: Is that enough to survive at the Transcontinental at the end of July and even go to the top 10? The mother of all unsupported ultra races is almost exactly four times as long as the North Race Westphalia with about four times as many meters of altitude. It is decided not only by the individual fitness, but also the weather, the chosen equipment, dealing with breakdowns, the accessibility of food, drinking and electricity, how much sleep the person or the traveler needs and how well you/he is under extreme conditions in general can motivate to continue.

Can you prepare all of this, is it all trainable? Amrei already finds: "I will soon start planning the Transcontinental Route and I have targeted a few more challenging solo rides and a race for the next few weeks."

In May she went on a 300km long day tour in the border triangle and then broke out for an 800 km long bike packing trip. Then it went from Freiburg to Vienna in just two days. At the end of June, she went to England to a bike fitting that is part of the Transcontinental scholarship. Initially, she will take part in the Tour du Mont Blanc, which with a good 330km and 8500 meters of toughest bike marathon in the Alps.

But she cracked the Everest brand on the first attempt, so we are confident that she can do it with the left. And at the latest when you have the transcontinental in August, the other races on her wish list will probably not be able to harm her: Transibérica, Race Across France, Transylées and Three Peaks Bike Race, to name just a few, that she still wants to drive.

In the next few days she will also get her bike packing bags from Transcontinental Sponsor Apidura. Just like our M99 Dy Pro, which she is particularly happy about. Incidentally, not only because he is the first dynamic curtain with a high beam, but also because she, as a master student of "geography of global change", is very familiar with the influence of product life cycle on the environment and, in case of doubt, always the higher quality, more durable Select product 😀 

Photos: Amrei Kuhne / Text & Translation: Levin Sottru, Mary Jaksch