It’s the month of May, the season of Spring is upon us and the first events of the new season should be taking place. Normally, you have the first impressions of whether your winter training workouts have paid off, and your new equipment for the season has arrived.
At the moment, time is standing still for me. After my last post here at Gravel Cyclist, I injured my knee and since this event, I cannot ride my bike nor take my little dog for a walk. It’s all about sitting around and waiting for the healing process.
During bad times like this, it’s painful to see all the other cyclists riding and enjoying the beautiful spring rides. Please don’t get me wrong, I am in no way begrudging their opportunity to ride! Because of the Coronavirus pandemic, everything is so different compared to previous years. You can’t have social rides with friends or a stop for cake and coffee. But in Germany, we are allowed to ride our bikes outside. In many parts of our beautiful world, some people were not able to ride outside until recently, for example, Spain and France.
These weeks of waiting and healing, I realized that our “normal” life is such a privilege. We can leave the house whenever we like, ride our bike wherever we want. We are allowed to cross a border in all parts of Europe or meet people from all over the world. But now the world has changed. We have to social distance and try to stay in our home. All of our independent living is frozen to fight this pandemic. You may be questioning why I am I am writing about this topic because this article is supposed to be an update of my road to Transcontinental Race. In my eyes, we have to be thankful for the privileges we have, because not every person or animal is as fortunate. Life is more than just sports, I think of our freedom. Think about it, don’t take things for granted, hopefully, the world will turn this pandemic into an opportunity.
Due to my knee injury, I wasn´t allowed to ride my bike, the first days of that experience were nightmarish. After my Spanish point to point camp in late March, my fitness was brilliant, but now, I feel like a caged tiger. Drinking too many cups of my own coffee brand beans wasn´t such a good idea. After my girlfriend kicked my ass (metaphorically), reminding me of the bigger picture, I was able to resolve the conflict in my mind.
Wake up and think about the time when you are back on your beloved bike. The summer is coming and with Transcontinental Race postponed to 2021, I have more chances to better prepare. For example, think about weaknesses and how you could fix them. Are there possibilities to test your body and your equipment for such an event before? What will be your goals for 2020, 2021, or beyond the Transcontinental race? Were mistakes made during my winter training workouts? Are there any ways to improve, or maybe, start my own podcast? As you can see, I got a little creative in my thoughts.
Another idea I worked on, designing a German bikepacking adventure. My plan is to ride a big loop around my home county, assuming I am allowed to due to Coronavirus and visit friends alongside my route. For sure, my second goal is to eat a lot of those amazing cinnamon buns in Hamburg, just saying! Hopefully, some of my friends will join me for some stages while riding 3,500 kilometres through the German landscape.
If the government will permit and reopen the border, I would like to attend a mountain bike race in Switzerland in September. Three years ago, I won this beautiful marathon race called “Ironbike Einsiedeln” in front of my Swiss friend Fadri. Hopefully, we will have another chapter in our personal battle, all in good fun of course. The motivation is high to get in shape in time!
But it’s not all about cycling and coffee in my life. In the winter, I would like to start a ski tour with my longtime friend from Munich, Patrick. And the idea for my own podcast is no longer just an idea… in other news, the postman delivered a parcel full of my 2020 cycling jerseys. Christina, my girlfriend, designed the kit and this morning was our first opportunity to view. A combination of black and red, cannot wait to ride in it!
That’s it for now. The fourth part of My Road to Transcontinental Race was a special one for me. For the next edition, I would like to tell you more about my Germany bikepacking adventure. How I planned the route, what are the requirements and all the other good stuff. If you’ve got questions, send me a message at Instagram (@Seb_Breuer) and I will answer as soon as possible. After my last posting on Gravel Cyclist, I received a lot of messages, hopefully, everyone received an answer from me.
Please visit my Instagram profile (@Seb_Breuer).
Sebastian