DOWN TO THE WIRE
Mountain Bike Rider|October 2021
The story of how two Swiss riders racked up more descending in one day than most of us manage in several months
Martin Bissig
DOWN TO THE WIRE

What would you consider to be a big day of descending? Maybe 1,500m if you’re climbing under your own steam? Perhaps 2,000m if you’re on an e-bike? Even 4,000m if you’ve got the luxury of an uplift vehicle or a ski lift? How about nearly 21,000m of descending? That’s exactly what Ralph van den Berg and Silvan Marfurt accomplished on 20 July, 2021 in the Swiss resort of Davos, breaking the unofficial world record for the most vertical singletrack descent in a day. Photographer Martin Bissig was there to capture the day and interview the pair after the event.

Martin Bissig: Hi Ralph and Silvan! You’ve just put a few exciting and no doubt exhausting days behind you. What actually drove you to attempt this extremely challenging feat?

Ralph: My absolute favorite tour is the Davos Bahnentour, with its descent of 10,000 vertical metres. It’s something I do a few times every year. Then I saw that the 2015 trail world record had gone up to over 20,000 vertical metres. I thought that was pretty exciting, and saw it as a challenge. But at the time, I wasn’t fit enough. The first time I’d planned to do it was in 2018, but I kept putting it aside. But in early 2020 the idea of doing it really took hold of me, and I contacted the Records Institute of Germany to get the rules and then I committed to tackling the world record.

MB: Can you explain the rules of the world record? It would be too easy to just ride down a hill on a gravel road twenty times...

Denne historien er fra October 2021-utgaven av Mountain Bike Rider.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra October 2021-utgaven av Mountain Bike Rider.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA MOUNTAIN BIKE RIDERSe alt
Best places to ride with your kids
Mountain Bike Rider

Best places to ride with your kids

Five top venues to keep the nippers entertained this summer

time-read
3 mins  |
August 2023
CANNONDALE MOTERRA NEO CARBON 2
Mountain Bike Rider

CANNONDALE MOTERRA NEO CARBON 2

It’s got more suspension tunes than a Hitchcock movie, but will this Moterra thrill us or chill us?

time-read
5 mins  |
September 2023
100% GLENDALE GLASSES
Mountain Bike Rider

100% GLENDALE GLASSES

When it comes to eyewear, having a large lens not only offers a lot more protection from trail splatter, it puts the frames further out from your field of view, allowing you to focus on the terrain in front of you. The Glendale is absolutely vast, and actually has a lens size akin to a full downhill goggle, so you literally can’t see the top or sides of the frame.

time-read
1 min  |
September 2023
DMR STAGE 2 MTB RAIL SADDLE
Mountain Bike Rider

DMR STAGE 2 MTB RAIL SADDLE

DMR's new Stage 2 MTB Rail is one of those new/old products. The shape and construction are identical to the existing Oi Oi saddle, but the company has wrapped it in a new skin and added some harder-wearing reinforcement to the edges. It's also toned down the lairy graphics; this saddle only comes in plain black.

time-read
1 min  |
September 2023
STRAIGHT TORQUING - GUY KESTEVEN
Mountain Bike Rider

STRAIGHT TORQUING - GUY KESTEVEN

Has tech taken the hard work and fun out of mountain biking, or should we embrace evolution and roll with it?

time-read
3 mins  |
September 2023
STORM FORCE
Mountain Bike Rider

STORM FORCE

Manon Carpenter may have retired from downhill competition, but her new role as a trail advocate is achieving results far beyond the race track

time-read
8 mins  |
September 2023
SWEAT AND SLATE
Mountain Bike Rider

SWEAT AND SLATE

We ride 140 miles through Snowdonia on Cycling UK's newest and gnarliest long-distance trail

time-read
9 mins  |
September 2023
HEAD SPACE
Mountain Bike Rider

HEAD SPACE

New guidance reveals how to spot concussion, and how best to treat it

time-read
4 mins  |
September 2023
LATE SUMMER LOVIN'
Mountain Bike Rider

LATE SUMMER LOVIN'

Classic UK holiday hotspots that really shine when the crowds have gone

time-read
2 mins  |
September 2023
HOT STUFF
Mountain Bike Rider

HOT STUFF

WHAT WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT THIS MONTH

time-read
3 mins  |
September 2023