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We at bc love and live cycling. Most of our colleagues are regularly seen on their bikes, be it simply on a city bike or a touring bike commuting to work, on a mountain bike in the forest or in the bike park, on a road bike or a gravel bike, from a quick ride after work to a bikepacking adventure with a tent and cooking pot. Some use their bike as a practical means of transport, for others it is almost what their life revolves around. In between, there are all degrees of endearing madness. The facets of cycling are as diverse as the bikes themselves - so every purpose, no matter how specialised, can be perfectly covered with the right bike. There is a reason why some employees have 3 mountain bikes at home to cover all types of riding. Gravel bikes, which are still a relatively young category, have already established a very broad base and there are optimised bikes for racing, touring and bikepacking. E-bikes are now absolutely socially acceptable, so that even less trained cyclists can experience a lot on long rides. The road bike is a timeless classic and has a history like no other type of bike. All disciplines come together here at bc. This diversity makes it easy to venture into previously unknown areas. Personally, I used to ride mountain bikes exclusively. Thanks to the input from bc, I now also spend a lot of time on my gravel bike, pedalling through the High Fens on the edge of the Eifel, on my bikepacking steel bike with a tent or occasionally on my road bike in the neighbouring Netherlands. So it never gets boring.

But let’s move on to Svenja, Katrin and Markus now! The three have set themselves ambitious goals for the 2024 season, which probably go a little beyond the after-work ride. The wild ride is about to start!

Goals

"My highlight in 2024 will be the Midnight Sun Gravel in Finland. It starts in Helsinki in mid-June and after a good 1000 kilometres I will end up on the south-west coast in Turku. The event is not a race, but rather a gigantic tour - it's more about enjoyment, experiencing the landscape, nature and the bright nights. Of course, I don't want to be the last person to cross the finish line and go to the mid-summer party either. I expect roughly 6-7 days of riding, but I definitely don't want to stress myself out, I want to have fun the whole time."

"But before the Midnight Sun Gravel, there are other bikepacking tours to come. In March I'll be riding across Ireland for a week with a friend and in May I'll take part in the Mainfranken Graveller. I love being out there by myself. At the same time, it's also a great feeling to know that many other bikepackers are riding the same route with the same destination."

My bike

"My bike of choice for all occasions is the OPEN WI.DE, for me the ideal heavy-duty gravel touring bike. I have a solid Shimano GRX 1x11 groupset, which is nice and uncomplicated and you can get spare parts relatively easily. Although the frame can accommodate a tyre width of up to 46 mm, I stick with my Ultradynamico Rosé Race 42 mm tyres as they offer me the best compromise between comfort and efficiency. They also add that certain custom look to my bike. I love it!"

Goals

"After 12 years of professional sport, I just enjoyed cycling for a long time and didn't want to push myself too hard any more. But now I'm itching for it again. Racing never lets you go completely once you've got deep into it. Many of you will be familiar with this."

"I want to take part in the 2024 Gravel World Championships in Belgium and show what I'm still capable of. However, I first have to prove myself in 2 qualifying races - I plan to go to Valkenburg in the Netherlands and Houffalize in Belgium. Both locations are more or less round the corner, so I can almost cycle there to warm up.
If I don't manage to qualify there, I'll go to the Roc d'Azur in the south of France and take on the mountain bike marathon. It's one of the biggest bike festivals in the world and also very high on my list."

My bikes

"I currently ride Factor bikes. If I go to the World Championships in Belgium, I'll start on the LS Gravel. But if I start at the Roc d'Azur, it will be on my Lando XC, my full-suspension cross-country race bike.
The frames are technically mature, still have real custom flair and are extremely stiff. Every pedal stroke is converted into propulsion, just as it should be in racing."

Goals

"For 2024, I have set my sights on the Flandrien Challenge as my personal challenge. In Flanders, a mecca of road cycling, 59 famous climbs have to be conquered in 72 hours. That will be 3 day tours that combine the climbs in a way that makes sense. It's as if you were combining the Tour of Flanders with Gent-Wevelgem - two classics in one. The total length of the challenge is just over 400 km, with around 5550 metres of ascent.
It will definitely be a true challenge, but I’m confident. I’m firmly convinced that nothing will hinder my success and I’m looking forward to enjoying every minute of it. The aim is to get my own personalised stone on the Wall of Fame at the Centre Ronde van Vlaanderen in Oudenaarde. That is something that drives me. I don't have to prove anything to anyone but myself!"

My bike

"I am going to start on my favourite bike - the Specialized Tarmac SL7. A real rocket! Everything is just right with this bike: weight, stiffness, handling, comfort. Although the dreaded cobblestones in Flanders actually call for wider tyres with less pressure, I’ll leave my 28 mm tyres on. Besides my friends shaking their heads, this will also result in the pure, unfiltered experience and probably aching hands. The way it should be!"