Chapter 8: Salzkammergut Trophy: The Return

At Team Ventus, we are immensely proud to share the remarkable achievement of our outstanding rider, Anna! For a second consecutive year, she fearlessly conquered the challenges of the most extreme and arduous MTB race (Salzkammergut Trophy) covering 209 km with an awe-inspiring 7008 meters ascent, achieving an amazing second place in the GC (General Category).

Congratulations Anna, once again for another incredible accomplishment! Your victory is a symbol of the indomitable spirit that defines Team Ventus. ✌

Read below Anna thoughts in the Ventus Rider's Diary:

As the Eminem song goes,

"If you had one shot, or one opportunity
To seize everything you ever wanted...
Would you capture it
Or just let it slip?"

My one shot came on the 13th of July at the break of dawn, in the lovely town of Bad Goisern, at the start of the Extreme Distance of the Salzkammergut Trophy, the biggest MTB event in Austria. The race, boasting 7000 meters of elevation gain over 200+ KM, is the hardest one-day off-road bike race in Europe, and among the toughest in the world.

The course features endless gravel climbs, some insane gradients, fast flat bits interspersed with forest trails over muddy rocks and roots, and even urban elements such as narrow stairs and bridges, all set in the astoundingly beautiful sceneries of the Salzkammergut region in Upper Austria. It has everything that makes this sport beautiful, and tough as Hell. No wonder the longest distance - with black finisher T-shirts and start numbers - is referred to as "the trip to Hell & back".

On the previous day the organisers invited me to the rider presentation. I had come from very far away, after all, and was about to go through Hell for the second consecutive year. I introduced myself: MTB Marathon World Champs participant during the same event in 2004, avid Trophy fan ever since, Hungarian born tour guide from Cyprus.

The road to the start line was a long and winding one. Not counting all I've been through over the past 2 decades, just a month or so before the Trophy it seemed that I would not make it there. The trip is an expensive one, and without a sponsor to cover those costs I had no chance of participation. I posted on social media, as a way of accepting that it was not going to happen... and then I got a sponsorship offer from the Austrian owner of a small resort called Glampia in Maroni, Cyprus, due to open next year.

I poured my heart and soul into the preparation, even doing an offroad Everesting beforehand to make sure my body was up to the task. Last year I was injured, and my only objective was to finish. This time I felt I had a real shot at the top of the podium.

After an odyssey across the continent involving a plane, a train and an automobile, I got to the start location. I got a new-ish bike for the race, as my training bike is over 6 years old and all beaten up. I decided to wear the Cyprus outfit by Ventus, as the island has been my training ground and home for over a decade now.
I planned everything as well as I could. Not having any support before or during the race meant that if anything went wrong, I was on my own. And things did go wrong, as it usually happens for me.

It rained buckets the day before the race and during most of the night, so it promised to be a mud wrestling match. At least it wasn`t too hot! Hundreds of bikers assembled at the start of the extreme distance, and at exactly 5 AM sharp it was GO TIME to the rhythm of Metallica`s Whiskey in the Jar. I started at a good steady pace, warming up on the first long climb on wet asphalt and gravel. The feeling was great. I was overtaking all the time, and about 30k in I was in the lead. I was riding high on motivation, and beginning to believe that I could actually make it. But...

A little while later my right calf began to hurt. As these things tend to happen, it hurt more and more, and the pain seemed to radiate through most of my lower leg, including the quads. Descents also hurt as the vibrations hit my aching muscles, turning the slippery trails even more challenging. I still had 150k to go, and the distance began to terrify me. I focused on the next 10k, and the next, trying to push on. Trying to keep my lead. I lost it and reclaimed it. Then I lost it again after cracking on the dreaded Salzberg, the steepest climb of the course. I have rarely - if ever - felt so DONE, so utterly destroyed mentally and physically like on that ramp where I usually get out of the saddle and power up, but this time I was underfueled and in so much pain I slowed to a crawl. I was finally dropped by last year's winner at the next feedzone, where I was forced to stop and take in some extra calories among many other exhausted, hungry bikers. The pain made it impossible to catch up afterwards, and I had to settle for another second place.

I rolled over the finish line with a grimace of misery instead of a smile. My right leg was so wrecked I could barely walk, and even getting out of bed hurt for the next 2 days. I missed my one shot, after all the efforts and sacrifices, after a prolonged struggle with a different injury last year. Ironically, the nickname I picked for the start number, Furiosa (inspired by the tough-as-nails heroine from the world of Mad Max) proved more than accurate, as Furiosa has one arm in the films and I finished the race with one functional leg.

It was hard to process - but the world keeps turning, regardless of our feelings. I have seen a doctor and know what I must do beforehand if I will tackle such a long and difficult race in order to avoid a recurrence of this issue. For the moment, I have to take this negative experience, the mental and physical aspects of it, and turn it into motivation as I move forward. It is yet another reminder of how far you can go from willpower alone, starting from absolute rock bottom, with nothing to rely on when the going gets tough except pure grit and love for the things that set your soul on fire.

See you next year, Trophy... Maybe.

Ride to live, live to ride.

Anna Bicskei (www.strava.com/athletes/85400368)