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Ultracycling Support Team Fritz Geers

Ultra Long Distance Cycling Team Fritz Geers: Crossing countries in the support vehicle

While the media is mostly only about the athletes, racing in the ultracycling reality is much more about support teams, follow vehicles and the organization of problem solutions. Each athlete or team has its own support team that permanently ensures that standing times are kept to a minimum, communication with the race organizer is up to date and cycling with as little break as possible is enabled.

Challenges for an ultracycling team

In the ultra cycling race, the athletes often sit in the saddle for days and usually only stop for a few short powernaps. A part of the crew sits in the so-called follow car (support vehicle) and mostly drives directly behind the athlete. The part of the team that is not in the support vehicle is on the road in a second vehicle, which is usually a mobile home. The support team is therefore always on the move and must first of all provide itself with sleep and food. An ultracycling race is also an enormous burden for the team, but also a great adventure in which it is possible to cross the world with completely different views.

"We make bacon with scrambled eggs every morning - or we'd rather get some sleep after all .."

The actual work of the team takes place in the follow car: The team ensures that the athlete is always fed, that the change between time trial bike and a bike for the mountains works smoothly when changing bikes and that the athlete can change clothing quickly if necessary. The crew in the support vehicle takes over the communication with the race management and navigates the athlete accordingly via radio through the traffic on the current route. The route can change due to construction sites, road closures or storms during the race. The team also makes racing strategy decisions, reacts to unexpected circumstances and, in addition to many other processes, writes live tickers for Facebook and creates videos or photos.

"We have prepared something to drink for you, laid out your rain jacket and got you a coconut"

The part of the team that is not directly involved in supporting the athlete in a second vehicle usually covers hundreds of kilometers before the next shift change. During this time, additional shopping is sometimes done, solutions to unexpected problems are found and, above all, sleep is collected as much as possible. It's like a big adventure vacation when the next shift change takes place on a mountain pass, by a blue lake or in the middle of the night near a distant city. The racing fever can be felt in the team especially at night, when the athlete and the pace car emerge from the darkness with loud music and dazzling headlights to cross the next hundred kilometers of a country.

Fritz Geers Ultracycling Pacecar

Why do people get part of a support team?

If you are part of an ultracycling team, you may not get professional cycling, but you get closer to everything and you can get involved. Here the racing happens through people who are passionate about a project and who put their heart and soul into it. You compensate for the weaknesses of the others with your strengths and in a very short time a team grows together that talks as if it has known each other for thirty years.

"What you experience in the ultra cycling race cannot be bought with any money in the world"

In the race you not only collect impressions from other countries with completely different eyes, you also get to know your limits and the limits of others. Often you leave an ultracycling race with valuable life experiences and new friendships. It is of course well when athletic success occurs, but ultracycling is actually about the people who are involved. It's about the team, the people who follow the live ticker, the sponsors and about bringing a project to the finish line together.

"Actually we all have no idea how this is going, but we have the situation extremely well under control"

Organization and professionalism contribute significantly to the success of an ultra cycling race, although there is actually nothing like that in ultra cycling. In the ultra cycling race, you will learn to improvise, deal with extreme situations and what it is like to make difficult decisions in a team. Extreme sport inevitably means expanding your own horizons and leaving your comfort zone. Nevertheless it is a lot of fun to cross whole countries with the pace car.

Ultra Long Distance Cycling Team from Fritz Geers

Many great successes have been achieved in the Fritz Geers support-crew since 2015. We were able to celebrate a European title in ultracycling at the Europe Point in Gibraltar, we rode around Germany in record time and have been live in the radio. Despite ups and downs, we are always at the starting line, developing further and are always good for surprises. Everyone in the team knows that extreme sport is not always easy, but that is precisely what allows you to keep exploring new limits!

  • Henning Borchert Ultracycling
    DoctorDr. Henning Borchert442 racing-hours
  • Klaas Heintorf Ultracycling
    PhysioKlaas Heintorf429 racing-hours
  • Moritz Thömen Ultracycling
    MediaMoritz Thömen211 racing-hours
  • Nikolas Khurana Ultracycling
    MediaNikolas Khurana305 racing-hours
  • Maik Weichert Ultracycling
    SupportMaik Weichert478 racing-hours
  • Maik Czesla Ultracycling
    Car-MechanicMaik Czesla234 racing-hours
  • Pauline Geers Ultracycling
    SupportPauline Geers286 racing-hours
  • Maximilian Preuss Ultracycling
    Bike-MechanicMaximilian Preuss42 racing-hours
  • Alexander Denecke Ultracycling
    SupportAlexander Denecke167 racing-hours
  • Martin Mruck Ultracycling
    Car-MechanicMartin Mruck144 racing-hours
  • Sven Holly Ultracycling
    SupportSven Holly185 racing-hours
  • Jendrik Heintorf Ultracycling
    SupportJendrik Heintorf387 racing-hours
  • Steffen Hercher Ultracycling
    SupportSteffen Hercher58 racing-hours
  • Patrick Weitkamp Ultracycling
    SupportPatrick Weitkamp24 racing-hours
  • Artjom Gräfenstein Ultracycling
    SupportArtjom Gräfenstein37 racing-hours
Ultracycling at Night Alps

How can you become part of the team?

In the team you will be professionally prepared for the next ultrcacling race and you don't need to have any experience. We cover the travel costs, provide equipment such as team clothing and teach you everything important. Get in touch to find out which country we will cross next or which project is planned next. You should be reliable, motivated, and ready for adventure. Then we are sure to have a good time!

Tell us who you are:

Impressions from the team out of the ultracycling race