Checkpoints

The “choose your own adventure” aspect sets the Monaco di Baviera Classic aparts from other ultras. There is more than one way to ride the race and, above all, always the option to take the easy way and opt out of a fierce climb instead of risking scratching or missing the time cutoff.

Go fast, ignore all but the easiest two checkpoints to finish as early as possible,
go complete, visit all the checkpoints for a full set,
go scenic and skip bullshit, unrewarding climbs like the Passo Fedaia,
… your own personal fashion.

The completist approach maximizes distance, elevation gain, and needless to say suffering, however it is a prerequisite to winning. Both Omar di Felice and Adam Białek, the two riders to finish first, took this approach. None of the riders that skipped checkpoints was faster than them which makes their performance an even greater achievement. Third to arrive Benjamin Karl was the fastest non-completist rider, having ignored all but two of the easiest checkpoints: the Engalm and Edelweißspitze. (In a podcast appearance Karl would later state this was his goal all along and he chose the MdBC to gauge to gain some experience in cycling ultras which he intends to pick up more seriously after retiring from professional snowboarding. Fascinating guy; that podcast is worth listening.) This selectiveness put him at the bottom of the ranking as the fastest of only five riders that did the mininimum work.

All checkpoints except for the Lake Garda loop were dead-ends. To reach them one had to take a predefined route that extended from the main course and return the same way to the point where we left it. Taking the Gavia, CP2, as an example it was not allowed to take it on from the Bormio side, we all had to use the same ascent from Ponte di Legno. That makes the Classic a fixed-route race with optional fixed-route checkpoints -- a unique concept in ultracycling. The chase for checkpoints is the core of the competition at the Monaco di Baviera Classic and all of them add to the experience in one way of the other.

CP1: Eng Alm (day 1)

An easy detour of about 50 km without much of an altitude gain with an opportunity to taste some of the best Kaiserschmarrn in the quadrant at Weitgries-Alm. Just about everyone caught this checkpoint except for a small number of riders whose main goal it was to conquer the Stelvio on the first day at all cost.

CP2: Gavia (day 2)

An incredibly long, tough climb up one of the legends of the Giro d'Italia. Having climbed Stelvio and Mortirolo earlier that day I arrived fairly late for the ascent from Ponte di Legno and rode into the sunset. It was night when I reached the top at around 10 p. m. A firm wind was blowing on the pass area and I took on the descent after only a short break to avoid getting too cold.

On the steep downhill I tried to remember where the potholes were that I saw during the ascent, and rang my bell frequently to keep the wildlife off the road. A bunch of deer had been greeting me on the climb after I emerged from the tunnel and I didn't want to risk getting jumped by one of the animals.

What a monster of a climb, in the dark no less! Back in Ponte di Legno I felt so fatigued I fell asleep almost instantly upon finding a sleeping spot at a campervan parking lot.

CP3: Lago di Garda (day 3)

For a Munich resident one could argue the trip to Lake Garda is almost obligatory, so I didn't need much in terms of motivation to take this checkpoint as well.

The Garda loop looks much easier on paper than it is. First the leg-crushing climb out of Trento which for me was the first hike-a-bike of the race. Then the undulating road towards the lake and, of course, the headwind that got worse with every meter one gets closer to the lake.

CP4: Passo San Giovanni (day 3)

A short, almost insignificant "climblet" to return to the Adige valley from the northern shore of Lago di Garda. All in all it was the right decision to ride the loop as there are plenty of bike shops near the lake and my main goal was to find a better pair of shoes. I have overwhelmingly positive memories of this part as it was the first time in two and a half days that I was riding almost pain-free after changing shoes. It was exhilarating climbing that short Passo San Giovanni without the feet hurting with every pedal stroke.

CP5: Passo Sella (day 4)

The first optional climb in the Dolomites, a remnant of the original route which featured the entire Sella Ronda but had to be shortened on account of a road blockage on Passo Gardena. Having conquered Passo Manghen ealier that day I arrived in the scorching afternoon sun. Since we were climbing Passo Pordoi next anyways it came fairly cheap at under 6 km distance and 430 m of altitude gain extra.

I descended with mixed feelings. While scenery up there on the Sella is incredible, the sheer traffic volume with endless columns of motorcycles and Porsches made it a less than stellar experience. Also the one close encounter I had with a car in those 1609 km was on the ascent to the Sella near the final ramp when a heavy truck that was going in the opposite direction cut a corner too tightly and almost wiped out me and two American cyclists that were about to overtake me in that moment.

CP6: Passo Valparola (day 5)

One of my favorite climbs which I tackled before breakfast. Seeing the sun rise over the Passo Falzarego on my way back down is among the top three moments of the whole race. While the lower slopes pass through quiet pine forests, the tunnels on the more exposed upper part of the Valparola after Cernadoi make for a dramatic finale. 10/10, would climb again.

Starting out at 4:30 a. m. probably made all the difference as I encountered almost no cars on the way up. That aside the Valparole isn't too hard either compared to the two subsequent Dolomites checkpoints.

CP7: Passo Fedaia (day 5)

Unrelentingly brutal and increasing in difficulty near the top -- the Fedaia proved a test of determination. Considering the glaring heat and gradients in excess of 15 % I'm quite surprised in retrospect that I rode all the way up without stopping or pushing the bike.

CP8: Tre Cime (day 5)

Before the start, the Rifugio Auronzo climb was the one checkpoint I said I wouldn't even attempt as I'd done it twice before -- on a touring bike in 2021 and on my road bike in 2023 -- but after collecting every checkpoint so far I felt almost compelled to climb it for a third time.

Nothing new to me in terms of difficulty, the climb is as tough as it ever was. However this time at the end of a long day with over 5000 m of elevation in my legs it was the first time I had to dismount and push the bike up the steepest ramps. The dinosaur sculpture at the Tre Cime viewpoint was a fun little gimmick though.

CP9: Edelweissspitze (day 7)

A short detour from the mandatory Hochalpenstrasse that almost everybody did. The most surprising thing about the Edelweissspitze is the cobbles; I had no idea the road up there wasn't paved, but it felt a bit like an out of place Flemish berg.

CP10: Kitzbueheler Horn (day 7)

What can I say, with 9.5 km at over 12 % average gradient and the final kilometers at 15 % this is an absolute monster of a climb, especially after 1400 km of hard racing in the Alps. There's a fenced off bit at the top where cows are free roaming; up to that altitude I even managed to ride the whole climb, but from that barrier onward the gradient goes through the roof so I couldn't but push the rest.

To add insult to injury the summit of that mountain got engulfed by a cloud when I was in the final meters. It was getting dark already when I started the climb but now visibility was reduced to about two meters within a few moments, defeating all my attempts at taking a picture with my phone camera. At the same time I was hit with rain from all directions which didn't stop until I reached the bottom of the climb again, leaving me hypothermic for a couple hours.

That was it. These are the ten optional checkpoints of the Monaco di Baviera Classic. By reaching all of them I joined the small club of 21 riders that rode back to Munich with a perfect score, earning me “legend” status – essentially a knighthood – by race director Iñaki.