Going the Distance

Just to set the scene: Jana Kesenheimer and Christoph Strasser don’t just go on long bike tours. Take the Transcontinental Race, for instance. Kesenheimer, who holds a PhD in psychology, has already won it twice. The race was launched in 2013, the route changes every year and covers between 3,500 and 4,700 kilometers. Riders are out between eight and fourteen days. It’s strictly self-supported – no teams, everyone has to organize their own food and sleeping arrangements. The Race Across America, which Austrian extreme cyclist Strasser has won six times, is a different animal: a bicycle race from the West Coast to the East Coast. The distance is around 4,800 to 5,000 kilometers, riders have a support crew and sleep in an RV or a motel. And their bikes? Strasser rides a Specialized S-Works Roubaix SL8 in the Transcontinental Race, Kesenheimer a Specialized S-Works Aethos.

Ms. Kesenheimer, Mr. Strasser, can you briefly introduce yourselves and explain what drives you?

Kesenheimer: I’m thirty-one years old, work as a post-doc and researcher in psychology and am passionate about riding long distances. For five years now I’ve been racing unsupported – meaning without outside help – in events like the Transcontinental Race. What drives me is a certain uncompromising attitude: either I do something with full commitment and passion or not at all.
Strasser: I discovered my great passion early on: covering long distances by bike. At first I wanted to ride the Camino de Santiago or maybe cycle around the world. But then I discovered 24-hour races and realized competition is much more exciting than bike touring.

You sit on the bike for a week and a half almost nonstop at the Transcontinental Race, hardly sleeping. Why on earth would anyone do something like that voluntarily? 

Kesenheimer: Sure, the race is about cycling, but not only that. I have to be extremely well organized before the start. During the race I make all the decisions myself, manage problems and emotions, and try to reach the peak of my performance through efficiency. Often that comes with a state where I’m actually having fun. If you let yourself sink too deep, lose your sense of humor and start looking for excuses, you rarely make it to the finish.
Strasser: The positives far outweigh the negatives. You hear wild stories about pain and sleep deprivation and think we’re all crazy. In reality, everyone prepares thoroughly and tries to get through safely and with as little pain as possible. What connects us all is the community and the spirit. Everyone wants to be as fast as possible, but we’re also genuinely happy for each other’s successes and share our experiences.

What do you learn about yourself in the process? 

Kesenheimer: Unsupported multi-day races give me incredible self-confidence. You spend a lot of time with yourself, and all the big and small decisions, problem-solving and achievements over thousands of kilometers pay off in the end when you realize: I did this all by myself. You also learn to distinguish between the things you can’t change – like days of rain or your competitors’ performance – and those you can.

How do you motivate yourself when your body is screaming at you to stop? 

Kesenheimer: Ideally my body doesn’t tell me to stop. It’s about being good to yourself. In a race I see my physical and mental resources as a battery – they must never run completely empty. If my body really does scream at me – which has happened once – then it’s time to analyze the situation and see whether something is still possible after all.
Strasser: Complaining doesn’t really help, but it’s allowed. It’s utopian to believe you can always think positively. If things really go south, I say so openly and don’t lie to myself. I’ll curse loudly, yell at the wind or at a steep climb – and afterwards I feel better. Bottling up frustration isn’t a long-term solution. Emotions need to come out, and once they do I feel relieved and motivated again.

Ms. Kesenheimer, you pick a flower every day during a race and put it on your handlebar. Is that a form of motivation? 

That ritual started during the Transcontinental Race and turned into a little movement when a fellow rider, Sofie, posted it on Instagram. She had a giant sunflower on her handlebar in the rain. I stuck with smaller flowers and quickly realized it connected us in an invisible way. Even though I rarely saw other riders, this ritual made us part of a greater whole. And it always brought joy to carry a little beauty from the road with me.

Mr. Strasser, what motivates you along the way?

Music is a huge motivator for me, especially on an emotional level. My playlist is long, but I usually end up listening to just four or five songs on repeat. There isn’t much time anyway – there’s always something to do: checking the next turns on the GPS, watching my food supplies and going shopping, charging the lights, phone and GPS, booking a place to sleep, recording a video or voice update . . . Music is an important emotional counterbalance.

Do you ever take breaks in these races?

J.K.: Not really. Anyone aiming for a top ten finish in the Transcontinental Race barely takes breaks. With sixteen to twenty hours of riding per day, I stop for thirty minutes at the most ( ... )

→ Read the entire interview in the new rampstyle #36 »Beyond the Sea«