News
23.08.2008
Team "iNOEX ON TOUR" in 24-hour cycling race on Nürburgring
Over 10.000 cyclists fascinated with Northern Bend of Nürburgring.
„Rad am Ring“ - a flourishing event! What sounded like a crazy idea in the beginning and found a hesitating response in 2003, has since then turned into a success story. The annual day and night race has got its fans throughout Europe. Despite the rain, 10.022 cyclists took part in Rad&Run on the Ring last weekend which was again a top success for iNOEX. Hendrik Witt, Benjamin John, Christian Maass and Frank & Nils Goy were in this year’s team. All of them had undergone very intense training to prepare themselves for the challenge. The newcomers Benjamin John and Christian Maass profited from the experience of last year’s team members. However – as they reported afterwards – they underestimated the differences in altitude which they thought easier to conquer. The Northern Bend was quite a challenge for our well trained cyclists with a total length of 23 kilometers and demanding 500 meters in altitude.
Still, a 24-hour cycling race on Nürburgring involves not only exhausting cycling but also the pleasure of passing through the impressive landscape of the Eifel. In particular during sunset when the hilly countryside of the Eifel is in subdued colours, when after the „Pflanzgarten“ only the sound of sonorous chain humming can be heard in the silence of the night or when during the downhill racing through „Hatzenbach“ the left-right-left turning could be repeated endlessly, then the moment has come where the 24-hour-race becomes an almost heavenly pleasure.
But, there are also these moments when the 17 % gradient after the „Karussell“ is for the umpteenth time troubling the muscles, when the need to sleep seems to be stronger than any willpower shortly before the second night’s run at 4 a.m. when one or the other quiet curse could be heard. Still, anyone who after 24 hours crossed the finishing line, seemed to rise from the „Green Hell“ directly into the seventh cycling heaven.
This years race started on August 23, 2008 at 1.10 p.m. when it was not yet raining. But already during the first hours, heavy showers came down. Despite all these circumstances, the team iNOEX ON TOUR won place 362 of 485 teams that started. In total, 21 rounds were made over the Northern bend and this within 23 hrs 56 min.
Kilometers in total: 489 km
Altitude in total: 9.230 m
Average speed: 20,77 km/h
We are looking forward to next year’s race!