We're all familiar with training rides. Sometimes you go hard and aim for a big distance day. On others it's more about the intensity and quality. But what if you're ice climbers Matthias Scherer and Tanja Schmitt and you're looking for the perfect training for ice climbing? Well, naturally you go for a non-stop 24 hour mountain bike challenge and try for as much distance and elevation as possible!
Check the video below for a little teaser on how they got on:
“It worked out great,” Matthias tells us. “It was a perfect test and training for our 24h ice challenge coming this winter.” This is a project to ice-climb non stop for 24 hours.
“The night was quite cold and that was exactly what we wanted to have – winter like conditions on the descents. We both achieved our goals – me by cycling over 8,000 m of vertical and Tanja by passing 7,000 m.
He adds: “The circuit we cycled was a true MTB circuit – 75% rough mountain roads with loose rocks, gravel and mud!”
All images ©Matthias Scherer. Location: Urtier Valley, Cogne, Italy