Setting your goals for the season early on makes training planning easier. "It's always an advantage to spend months preparing for a competition instead of making a last-minute decision and not knowing if you'll make it through at all," says mountain bike pro Simon Stiebjahn, "the fitter you are, the more you can enjoy such a highlight". And a highlight is the Black Forest ULTRA Bike Marathon every year – for the national and international mountain bike family. The event has always set standards in terms of organization and racing atmosphere, and the C1 status of the World Federation, the highest category to be awarded in the fight for world ranking points, also enhances the sporting value of the race on the ULTRA endurance race. Since the beginning of December, it has been possible to register again for the four routes on July 14, 2024: ULTRA (118 kilometers/3509 meters of altitude), Marathon (81 km/ 2.250 meters of altitude), Speed Track (54 km/1288 meters of altitude) and Short Track (46 km/ 943 meters of altitude). The day before, on 13 July, competitions for children and young people will be offered again.

Stiebjahn is one of Germany's best marathon specialists: he is fourth in the world rankings and second in the World Cup. "The ULTRA Bike is more than just a race," says the 33-year-old mountain bike pro from Langenordnach, "it's an outstanding event that is also set for us in the Singer Racing Team every year."Early registration also has the advantage that the incentive to keep fit over the winter is greater and you can build up a good basic condition. "An early commitment also offers the organizer a certain degree of planning security: It is a kind of commitment that you are committed to this competition as an athlete," adds the Black Forest native. Anyone who registers for one of the four ULTRA Bike routes before Christmas will be entered into an Advent raffle. The main prize is a voucher for an overnight stay in the Rothaus-Genusswelt as well as a brewery tour with a total value of 250 euros. Those who decide early also benefit from the reduced entry fee of 70 euros until the end of February (1 March to 16 June: 80 euros/ 17 June to 14 July: 95 euros). Each participant will receive a pair of high-quality cycling socks as a gift next summer.

What is new is that the ULTRA Bike Marathon 2024 is part of the "HERO Series". In addition to the long-distance competition in Kirchzarten, it consists of the HERO Südtirol Dolomites (Italy) on 15 June and the Iron Bike Race in Einsiedeln (Switzerland) on 24 September. Both are demanding marathon races: In South Tyrol, 4500 meters of altitude have to be mastered over 86 kilometers, in Switzerland 3130 kilometers come together over 83 kilometers. As in the race in Kirchzarten, cash prizes await the best in the series standings. "We expect to gain more reach and additional awareness as part of the series," says Sebastian Eckmann, who is the race director of the ULTRA Bike. "We want to take advantage of synergies, but still remain independent and retain our identity and tradition as an individual race," adds Britta Schreiber, the ULTRA Bike Managing Director.

Simon Stiebjahn is currently in Mallorca. Three weeks of basic training. Due to the current still decent snow conditions in the Black Forest, all those who stayed at home have the chance to work on their basic fitness while cross-country skiing. Strength and stabilization training are also recommended. If you want to be fit in summer, you should do something about it in winter.

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