Erbeskopf MTB Marathon

Last year Jeff and I went to this event last minute and were able to ride. This year 1200 people signed up and the event organizers shut down registration early, so jump on it early next year. I did the 65 km course this year which included 1700 m of climbing. It was really soggy from the rains and the mud is sticky and slimy. The highlight of the event is an 8 km climb to the top of the ski area and then straight down the face of the slope. The support is unbelievable. There were four stops on the route I chose. At each one they had sports drink, water, Coke, chocolate delights (I don't know what they are really called), the magical granola bars that Germans have a most events, waffles (YES WAFFLES!) with powdered sugar, and bananas. They also had bike wash stations at each stop which was very necessary today; everyone had gobs of trash in their derailleurs and pounds of mud stuck to their bikes. The course is fairly technical with only the longer climbs on fireroads. A lot of singletrail keeps you engaged in the course. I think I was the only American there today, but I saw riders from the Netherlands and everywhere in between. Spectators line the course even in some of the most unlikely spots and they get really excited to see you stomp on the pedals. I tried not to disappoint. Be sure to add this even to your calendar next year. It's only a 30 min drive and it would be a shame for anyone to escape Germany without giving this a shot.