German ultra-cyclist Jonas Deichmann is about to set off on his latest epic from the top of Europe to the southern tip of Africa.
AIDED BY DEVELOPMENTS IN BIKEPACKING, long distance riding and ultra racing have become hip. Once, such epic rides were associated with faded cotton shorts, craggy beards and ageing panniers. Now there are ultra race circuits, and big-budget and televised record rides.
As you read this, 31-year-old German ultra rider Jonas Deichmann is preparing to leave Cape North in Norway to ride some 18,000 kilometres to Capetown in South Africa. He’s hoping to set a record, after record-breaking rides across Europe and Asia, and from top to bottom of the Americas.
What are the mental and physical differences between regular road and endurance riding?
In physical terms, I’m extremely slow, but I can ride for many hours. In the end it’s all a mental game, if you’re strong mentally you can keep going – as long as you eat.
How do you motivate yourself to keep going?
If I’m in the mountains, I have absolutely no problems . . . you have a finish line (the summit). The worst is on the flat and into a headwind. At that point I set myself short goals. If you think, “Oh, it’s 500 kilometres to go”, that’s not very motivating, so I break it down. Maybe in 50-60 kilometres there’s a gas station, and they have chocolate, and I like chocolate. Once I get the chocolate I’m happy again, and tell myself there’s another gas station in 100 kilometres, and more chocolate, so keep going.
How do you train for ultra rides and races?
It’s all about getting the base kilometres in. Last year, I cycled 52,000 kilometres, and I also do other sports. The important thing is to have fun. If I don’t want to train then I don’t. My training is travelling by bike to exotic locations, so my motivation stays up and the kilometres stay up.
This story is from the July - August 2019 edition of Action Asia.
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This story is from the July - August 2019 edition of Action Asia.
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