With Cola and Snickers: Austrian wins toughest race in Europe

Strasser is considered the best long-distance cyclist in the world and has already won the Race Across America six times; at the TCR he celebrated his debut in a race without external supply. In the so-called self-sufficiency races, any care from others is strictly prohibited and you must also choose the route yourself. We usually spend the night in a sleeping bag on the side of the road, there is no shower, and we eat while we ride, because every hour on the bike counts.

The big difference from his previous races was: “No support is allowed here. I had to plan the route myself, look for places to sleep, buy food myself - mostly in gas stations, and fix defects on the bike. This experience here was incredible. But what amazes me most is the strong competition after many lows,” said Strasser before reaching the finish line.

“A mental battle!”

He was in ninth place for a long time, only halfway through the race did he fight his way up to third place. In front of him were the currently best two athletes in the scene from Germany: Adam Bialek and Ulrich Bartholmös. Strasser was able to catch up with the leaders before Romania, the fourth and final checkpoint that all drivers had to pass. Just caught the ferry Things got really difficult over the Transalpina panoramic road at over 2.000 meters above sea level, where a climb the size of the Großglockner had to be ridden: After the checkpoint, a long MTB trail had to be passed with the 15 kilogram racing bike. “I somehow saved myself down, was up to my shins in the mud at times, and each of the favorites had defects or falls there. Luckily nothing happened to me.” Then he headed towards the Danube, where he caught the ferry in time before the last 300 kilometers to the finish. One hour of sleep per night From the beginning, Strasser followed the tactic of sleeping as much as possible in the first few days. “For a week I stuck to three hours of sleep a night. It was only in the last few days that I reduced it to one hour because I sensed a chance of winning. In total, I slept four times in hotels and four times in a sleeping bag - on meadows, in a bus shelter in the Czech Republic or on a terrace in a shopping center," says Strasser.

Of course, there were low blows and defects: “I made a lot of mistakes in the first few days, but the last week went almost perfectly. I had some problems at the beginning, especially with navigation. Now I'm finally looking forward to good food. In the last ten days there was almost only Coke and Snickers, and occasionally a white bread from the gas station.”

Strasser has summarized his experiences in a book and he also regularly gives lectures on the subject of mental training.

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With Cola and Snickers: Austrian wins toughest race in Europe

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