I did not expect 2010 to be a year full of spectacular cycling events. But soon, I was going to be taken by surprise. During the winter I was quite lazy and Cristina was the only one to use the trainer. So, I can’t really say I was very fit when Spring has come. In February, Valentin told me that we must register for the Oe–tztaler Radmarathon 2010 edition. I was not very thrilled when I heard it, but in time it became more serious that I was expected. “€žWhat were the odds?“€ś, I was thinking. There were expected more than 10 thousand people to register for the draw. But on the 5th of March I got this email, and I was not sure If I had to worry or to get excited.
Hello Mircea!
Your dream can come true on 29 August 2010. You were drawn by the lot for a starting place in this unique cycling highlight! Simply pay your entry fee until 26 March and you will take part for sure in the outstanding 2010 Oetztaler Cycling Marathon.
The entry fee for all cyclists will be EUR 87 or CHF 136 (inclusive of handling charge) including EUR 10 deposit for the chip. Anniversary Marathon Special: Cyclists can choose between the refund of the chip deposit or an original cycle cap in the typical Oe–tztaler Anniversary Design while the registration fee of EUR 2.50 will not be refunded as it is not part of the entry fee.
We strongly recommend the cancellation insurance. In case you can’t participate in the race (due to illness, injuries, etc.) your entry fee will be refunded on presentation of a medical certificate“ no matter when you cancel the participation in the marathon.
We paid our registration fees, we even paid for the insurance, then we mused. 6 months filled with theories and training followed, 6 months of arguments and intensive physical and mental preparation. I pronounced Oetztaler a billion times. I was even asking myself if “€žI bit off more than I could chew”€ś. Several times I thought I should just give up. Nonsense! Then I started to plead against quiting. Well, yes, it all became a show, inside my mind. Eventually I decided I couldn’€™t leave the whole glory for the Austrians, Germans and Italians. So, I had to be one of the eight Romanians participating. Therefore I continued with the preparations. Vali was writing in an email, 3 days after the draw: „€žI’€™m sending you the profile, so that you can keep it under your pillow untill the big day comes!“€ś
On the 31st of July I got another email:
Dear Mircea
We are pleased to confirm that we received your payment of the entry fee. You are fully registered for the Oe–tztaler Cycle Marathon on 29 August 2010 with start and finish in Solden. This starting permission is to be printed out, signed and to be submitted during collection of the starting documents.
Your bib number:
2925
To conclude, we subscribed, they accepted us, so we were on our way to Austria on the 21st of August. In the days before the marathon we decided to climb Gavia and Stelvio and to do a bit of research in the area of Passo Rombo, the last climb of the competition. On the 26th we reached Sölden. We camped in the nearby village of Huben, just a few kilometers far from Sölden.
Friday we went to the registration office, got our starting packages, our numbers, while the rest of the day was dedicated to sightseeing and shopping for accessories and bike clothes. Friday afternoon the weather started to become a real issue. The temperature dropped and it started to rain. We had almost 2 days of continuous raining and the forecast wasn’€™t very good for the race day: 1 degree Celsius and rain. The organisers warned everyone about the posibility to have a start in very cold conditions. This contributed to lower our morale, not to mention the level of confort, which was already very low.
Race figures
Oetztaler Radmarathon – 238 kilometers, 5500 m altitude gain
Oe–tztaler Radmarathon 2010 – 30 years anniversary
The 4 climbs:
Oetz – Kuhtai: max. 18 %; 1,200 m altitude gain; 18.5 KM
Innsbruck – Brenner: max. 12 %; 777 m altitude gain; 39 KM
Sterzing – Jaufen pass: max. 12 %; 1,130 m altitude gain; 15.5 KM
St Leonhard – Timmelsjoch pass: max. 14 %; 1,759 m altitude gain; 28.7 KM
First place, general:
- Antonio Corradini 40 years old, time: 7:03.45,1
Last competitor who made it in time is Josef Stieberger, 66 years old, from Germany. Bravo!
Superlatives, world firsts, records and teachings
3 days have passed since I came back and I am still trying to manage the joy of being involved in such an event.
Oe–tztaler Radmarathon is, by far, the most difficult road marathon I have ever attended. It is also the first road marathon I sign up for. I have never climbed 5500 metters in one day before. But one of my personal records still stands: most kilometters done in one day, Bucharest-Mangalia ~ 275 km.
My advice is to join the draw! Oetztaler Radmarathon is more than a simple race, it’€™s a life lesson, an opportunity to know yourself better, especially for amateur cyclists, like us. The whole event lasted 3 days, while the entire region suffers a miraculous transformation. There are hundreds of people involved in the organization, and everyone breathes cycling. The cyclists are in the spotlight all the time! Everyone smiles a lot, everyone sits in the saddle, and thousands of cyclists make their appearance with their bikes, from all over the world.
In my opinion, if you want to finish the race in good condition, you have to rely simultaneously on your capacity for physical effort and inner dialogue! There are many things that your body will communicate to you in 9-14 hours. Let’€™s see if you have answers to all its questions! If you will be successful in answering all of them, you will probably receive an email after the race, saying something like:
Congratulations <your name> – You finished the Oetztaler Cycle Marathon!
Ah, and I almost forgot! Get some pain killers with you, something with a lot of ibuprofen, like Aspirine, Paracetamol or Nurofen. You will be in pain, so get ready!
* I have a dream – we thought for most of the time that Traum means trauma.
