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ItalianoUpdated 13.09.2022
Six days for eternity - across Germany on a road bike
The DeutschlandRUSH has reached the finish in Westendorf in the Kitzbühel Alps - Brixental. After six days in the saddle, the 20 finishers had exactly 1000 kilometres and 10,000 metres of altitude in their legs. The highlight of the last stages from Obing to Westendorf in the Kitzbühel Alps was the long and hard climb up the Kitzbüheler Horn before the field of riders was welcomed at the farmers' market in Westendorf.
The unique stage ride started on 3 September at Signal Iduna Park, the stadium of BVB Dortmund. Goalkeeper legend Roman Weidenfeller gave the starting signal for this special challenge. Because at the DeutschlandRUSH there is neither a starting number nor timekeeping; the riders work as a team, ride together and not against each other. This creates friendships and a very special atmosphere in a very short time - the famous RUSH flair.
Tough sport even without a start number
The stages: Tough enough as it is. Between 137 and 196 kilometres long, undulating and challenging, the athletes have a total of 1000 kilometres and around 10,000 metres of altitude difference behind them on their way to the Kitzbühel Alps - Brixental. What also distinguishes the DeutschlandRUSH are the routes that have been selected with great attention to detail.
The 1000 kilometres through North Rhine-Westphalia, Hesse, Thuringia, Bavaria and Tyrol lead for the most part along quiet back roads with hardly any car traffic. "Riding a road bike here is simply a pleasure," says participant Eveline Egarter. The mountain sportswoman from Salzburg was particularly taken with the variety of landscapes along the route: "Every day it looked completely different, I've never seen Germany like this before.
The idea of the DeutschlandRUSH: The organisers are not only interested in connecting countries and regions, but also the participants. In the peloton, men and women, young and old cyclists, ambitious amateurs and trained beginners meet and form a powerful community within a very short time. The RUSH brings together a wide variety of athletes; from 22-year-old students to 64-year-old master confectioners, this year's participants came from all over Germany and Austria.
Cycling is celebrated in the Kitzbühel Alps - Brixental.
After their exertions, the athletes of the DeutschlandRUSH were welcomed by the TVB Kitzbüheler Alpen - Brixental at the traditional farmers' market in Westendorf. As a reward, they were served grilled chicken and a Helles beer from the Stiegl brewery. "We are pleased that we, the Kitzbüheler Alpen, are able to accompany the start in Dortmund and the finish here with us," said Max Salcher from the TVB Kitzbüheler Alpen - Brixental. It's about showing off our region. Especially for cyclists there is a huge offer. "The DeutschlandRUSH is the ideal event to show that it is much closer to the Alps from NRW, for example, than one often thinks. In principle, we are only a bike ride away from each other," Salcher continues.
3.SeptemberSignalIduna Park via Bielefeld to Hövelhof169 kilometres and 780 metres of altitude difference
4.SeptemberHövelhofto Eisenach178 kilometres, 2150 metres of altitude difference
5.SeptemberEisenachto Kulmbach178 kilometres, 2050 metres altitude difference
6.SeptemberKulmbachto Schierling196 kilometres, 1560 metres altitude difference
7.SeptemberSchierlingto Oberding137 kilometres, 1290 metres altitude difference
8.SeptemberOberdingto Kirchberg im Brixental116 kilometres, 1970 metres of altitude difference