Rad Race Tour de Friends 2018
As official Rad Race sponsor, FIDLOCK has been taking part in the Tour de Friends since 2017. The six-day tour leads from the south of Germany to Italy. Riding with 500 friends from all over the world, a great relaxed atmosphere, and parties at the destinations make the exhaustion of many hundred kilometres and hight metres over the Dolomites bearable. The Tour de Friends is an experience that FIDLOCK will not miss this year!
This years tour leads from Augsburg to Feltre over the notorious Stelvio. And this year, FIDLOCK will not only participate with a team but also provide one of the checkpoints. The tour starts on July 7th and we are SO excited already! #stelviocalling
To get in the spirit for the next tour, read here how our graphic designer Johannes got on last year in his personal review:
Hi, my name is Johannes and I am the graphic designer at FIDLOCK Bike. 2018 was my first time at the TdF. And, spoiler alert: I’m already looking forward to 2019! The people, the Rad Race guys, the weather, the atmosphere – awesome. I was ready for the next 4 days ahead!
Day 1
Take off the jacket: Accompanied by the sun and warm late summer temperatures, the first part outside of Munich is a gravel track. And what kind of track! It feels like it will never end. The pity I feel for my 28 mm tires is endless. And always the controlling glance down: TWIST uni connector, jacket, bottles – all still in place. After some amazing views, my team mates broken brake cables, and with an empty belly we ride into the finish in Achenkirch. What a great start!
Day 2
7 am: At an unearthly hour the alarm rings. The sun hasn’t even risen over the mountain tops, but we are already back on our saddles. And suddenly, the first climb right in front of us. Awesome! Coke, sugar, energy! Magic powder mixed into the FIDLOCK bottles, snapped to the bike, and off we go to the Brenner Pass. Funny, I think to myself, not far away the Autobahn winds its way through the mountain while we creep over the pass in slow motion. After an eternity-long descent, we finish in beautiful Brixen. Carnival atmosphere! The whole town is there to greet us behind the finish line. What a special moment!
Day 3
With stiff legs I rolled out of the hotel bed early in the morning, my team mate Sören is already highly motivated and oiling his gears. All I can thinks is: 200 km! 2-0-0 km!!! We are in the Alps. Weather app says: chance of rain. A few hours later, we’re in front of the beautiful Dolomites. I must admit, looking back, this was the best moment of the whole tour. Today on the agenda: riding in the team formation for the camera. Arriving on top in Auronze di Cadore, the weather app is getting serious and its starts lashing down. Now, the camera bus gets in front of us. The trunk opens: All eyes on FIDLOCK! It was gone as soon as it arrived. And with it my team mates. Like mad ones they all shoot past me, riding towards the valley. Through the rain and my steamed-up glasses, I cannot see a thing, the brakes block, the tires slip. 62 kg – a blessing on the way up, a curse on the way down. I decide to push and a for devout moment with a view over the valley. Later, in what felt like forever, we all stand in the Cortina d’Ampezzo in a café and drink tea. Sarcasm is in the air. From here, it doesn’t look all that bad anymore, I thought. A few jokes about dead feet later, we’re riding through the next check point. Fuelling up on bananas! Reanimating the feet! A message from my team mate says: half way there. “Only” 100 km left to go. The second half flies by. Time and again, people stand on the side of the road, cheer us on. There is homemade cheese, ham, wine. The closer we get to the finish, the better the atmosphere. About 10 hours after the start, we arrive in Vittorio Veneto. Madness!
Day 4
Last day = Lap of honour. We are relaxed and roll towards the Adria. Everyone’s spirits are high. Little groups form, and people are chatting. Then, speeding. Everyone wants to get to the finish line, to the party, you can feel it. The sun is blazing down on us. I need a beer! The finish line! Cheers!