Bohemian Border Bash Race 2023

All photos by Maty Podroužek @matypodron.

It's a wrap for the Bohemian Border Bash Race 2023! Thanks for following the adventure, here's a few closing thoughts from Cory Benson.

It was a crazy fast race, almost entirely under clear skies. This meant hot days and cold nights all at once, with elevations dipping to just 120m above sea level and topping out at 1350m. Constantly up and down. More than one rider spoke to me about waking up high in the mountains to 1 degree weather, only to have hit 29 degrees later the same day in the sunny fields lower down out of the hills.

And as always, it ended with a great party - 🔥 and a fire celebration 🔥 - welcoming winners, finishers, racers who were conquered by the brutal terrain and unrelenting climbing, and a hundred more gravel enthusiasts coming to ride Bohemian Border gravel just for the weekend and cheer the BBBR riders.

Seriously though, can you imagine climbing 24,400m in just 4 days! That’s exactly what first place finisher Rick did. The entire race is almost 3 Everests on- and off-road over such tough terrain that many sections you can only hike-a-bike. Oh yeah, and with fully loaded bikepacking bags! No sherpas, included. And yes, 42 other solo riders & 6 paired duo riders completed the course. Well done to all finishers, wildly impressive.

All photos by Maty Podroužek @matypodron and the #BBBR Team.

Congratulation to Sherry Cardona, who has made it to the finish as first woman in a time of 124 hrs 58 mins!! This was fast enough to make it well within the top ten, finishing 7th overall. What a fabulous ride for her first off-road ultra-endurance race. I wonder if the bug for the rough stuff has bitten? Let's not forget that Sherry has had a whirlwind few months, ticking off The Transcontinental in July/August with pairs partner Gereon, before taking on the prestigious Paris-Brest-Paris audax a few weeks later. Time to put the feet up for some well deserved rest I reckon.

Just a few hours behind Sherry, Urszula Żuchowicz has finished as second woman in a time of 127 hrs 58 mins, kudos Urszula! So far we have 13 finishers of the Bohemian Border Bash Race and a lot more still out on course. Among them are cap 31 Lisa Schrader who will be looking to hang onto that third spot to complete the women's podium, ahead of cap 42 Isabelle Berti who is just 9km behind. With over 200km still to go and some of the roughest terrain on offer, the race to complete the women's podium is still very much open.

Cap 36 Rufus Wenlock (below) came home in 5th place, and also the unofficial prize for Best Hair. I don't know how he does it.. is conditioner an essential in his kit list? Rufus played out a strong and consistent race, holding onto 5th place for much of the second half and finishing in a time of 115 hrs 57 mins. Kudos Rufus!

All photos by Maty Podroužek @matypodron and the #BBBR Team.

The podium is in! Following Rick this morning, congratulations to the following riders who have also finished today:

2nd - Andre Jonsson - 100 hours 43 mins. Third time lucky! On Andre's third attempt he has broken last year's record by a considerable margin.. what a comeback!

3rd - Adrien Guilmin - 106 hours 46 mins. Great ride Adrien, chapeau!

4th - Christopher Kraus - 108 hours 48 mins. This was Christopher's second BBBR, a whole day faster than last time.. great work! Perhaps the podium beckons next year ;)

Next on the map is cap 36 Rufus Wenlock, with around 40km to go it looks like he will crack this in one go. The BBBR team met with Rufus (NZ) at CP10 today. The reports are that he was looking good, strong and in good spirits. He passed the Iser Mountains efortlesly and he is currently pass the CP11, which is a tri-state area of Czech Republic, Germany and Poland.

In the women's race, cap 38 Sherry Cardona is in 6th position some 75km behind Rufus. Sherry is leading the women's field and currently crossing the Iser Mountains. It is understood that she will try to find accommodation on the other side of the mountains. The BBBR Team caught up with her in the Giant Mountains and she was full of energy. Go get it, Sherry! The finish line is in sight tomorrow.

Cap 53 Urszula Zuckowicz is in the second position in the women's race. She is also in great spirits despite the mechanical issues; with 35km between her and Sherry, it will be hard to close the gap.

In other news, cap 15 Olaf Fischer hit a deer yesterday! Animals can be unpredictable at the best of times, and unfortunately it came out of the bushes during daylight but Olaf could not avoid it. The result: broken clavicle, two ribs and pneumothorax. He is in hospital, taken care off and in good spirits. We send best wishes to Olaf for a speedy recovery.

Cap 110 Mateo Paez is suffering with severe trench foot since CP6. However he continues to push on and is currently in a very respectable 11th place, determined to enjoy the journey and indulge in some hops-based recovery beverage. The non-alcoholic varity, mind... so sensible!

Today's scratch report: Cap 26 - Dimitri Spindler, cap 4 - Martin Moschek (ass), cap 44 - Robert Manig, cap 7 - Maya Christofori (knee), cap 32 - Samuel Roth.

All photos by Maty Podroužek @matypodron and the #BBBR Team.

Cap 51 Rick Steffen has just finished the Bohemian Border Bash race in a record time of 97 hours and 50 minutes.. congratulations Rick!! Captured at the finish line just now, Rick stated that he overcooked the pacing and that the brain is no longer functioning.

Generally, there are issues with some stamps going missing, such as CP4, CP5 and CP7. All riders are supposed to self-validate their arrival at the CP with a stamp in the brevet card. A potential issue for Rick is the first CP (Ghost CP) which he passed in the early stages of the race. The Race Director will have to make the final call based on compliance with the rules. Since Rich was making such rapid progress throughout the race, these things can only be investigated now that he's come to a stop at the finish. That being said, a missing stamp is generally less an issue than any significant deviation from the race track or other unfair practices.

In other news, cap 53 Urszula Żuchowicz - her right lever is not shifting and braking. Previously in the lead of the women's race ahead of Sherry Caradona, Urszula has dropped into 9th place. She is considering her options on the grounds of safety - I would imagine that having only one working brake is more of an issue that limited gearing! There's 265km to the finish.. can she hold onto a top 10 finish? Meanwhile Sherry Cardona has ticked off a few Bohemians and risen to 6th place! Such a strong ride for her first off-road event, with 240km to go we expect her to finish sometime today all being well.

Also, Cap 39 Lukas Zak suffered a crash yesterday, breaking his handlebars in the process. Lukas took a ride to the nearest bike shop; the bike is fixed and he is on his way again, currently in 48th position.

At the 4th stroke of midnight, Rick Steffen Cap 51 came over the last major climb before the gradual descent beneath slow churning windmills towards CP11 where the 3 countries - CZ, PL & DE - meet.

Now less than 75km remains for Rick in the lead. But he is well aware that Cap 33 Andre Jonsson is just behind. Yesterday, Rick took a break and was surprised to see Andre pop up in his rearview mirror in no time.

So, no rest for the weary (or saddle sores!) Rick pushes on.

Can he make it to the finish before dawn? We'll soon see!

After a tough 30km and more than 1430m of climbing over the past few hours, race leader Rick Steffen Cap#51 is on top of the Bohemian Border Bash Race world. Rolling first into CP9 high up in the Giant Mountains at 1350m above sea level, this is the highest the riders will have to climb, 1192km into the race.

But don't worry, it's not all downhill from here. ;)

All photos by Maty Podroužek @matypodron and the #BBBR Team.

Day 3 of the Bohemian Border Bash Race is drawing to a close, and the sun has set across the lands of Bohemia with CP4 in the thick of the action. Up front we've seen some podium shuffling in the past 24 hours. Last night the lead rider Rick Steffen opted for an early stop at 7pm shortly after Kaplice. Andre Jonsson executed a stealth move, slipping by into first place before riding into the night. Rick capitalised on some quality rest, and got going again shortly before 3am. Meanwhile Andre stopped at 2am to sleep for 2-3 hours, maintaining his lead.

As an impartial look at what remains for these two, after a first 600km in the western mountains, the leaders smashed out almost 400km of more reasonable, rolling terrain. But the toughest part is yet to come. From CP6 on it will feel like it’s all uphill. The climbs will gradually increase for the next 150km or so, gettting ever-steeper and higher. The leaders look like they will benefit from warm and drier weather than even a week ago, but the ground will feel waterlogged once they get deep into the Eagle, Giant & Jizera Mountains that now stand in their way. The next 300km of riding is some of the most picturesque of the entire race, but it’s possibly the toughest stretch. And even when they think the end is so close, BBBR delivers crazy steep hike-a-bikes, right up to the end!

Some 80km back we have Adrien Guilmin and Christopher Kraus, both riding a strong and consistent race having just passed the 900km mark. Another vet of Trans Balkan Race, Adrien enjoyed a 2* bivvy spot last night, complete with some hot wheels. Perhaps he dreamt of trading his bike in for something a little quicker..

In fifth place is Rufus Wenlock, who appears to be riding a very sensible race and stopped for a good rest every night. This will pay dividends in the latter stages of the race and I wouldn't be surprised if Rufus can make up some ground towards the front four.

In the womens race Urszula Żuchowicz is currently leading (and in 7th place overall) and Sherry Cardona around 25km back (9th place overall). After passing a sleeping Sherry last night, Urszula has been able to maintain a small but persistent lead all day. Having just reached the large town of Telč (813km on route), a hotel bed could be a temptation for Urszula. Depending on race strategy, she may choose to push into the night and extend her lead. Riding her own race, Sherry has cracked into her luxury item: a fresh pair of bibs, and is indulging in a diet of sweets and 7-day croissants: a true TCR veteran!

I head somewhere that the BBBR was part gravel race, part hike, part obstacle course. With shot like these, I'm starting to see why!

All photos by Maty Podroužek @matypodron

We're into day 2 of the Bohemian Border Bash Race. The peloton is strung out over the western portion of the route, all the way from leader Rick Steffen (cap no.51) to Ralf Lutzgendorf (cap no.41), with around 350km separating the front and back of the race. Such a massive spread is a testament to the attritional nature of this race, with hike-a-bike and steep rocky gradients a plenty. After the 200km long first day 'sprint', riders are starting to realise the scale of this Bohemian Beast.

Rick has just reached the beautiful historical city of Český Krumlov (UNESCO), the home of CP4. He currently holds a 60km lead ahead of second place Andre Jonsson with Christopher Kraus in third. Rick seems to be setting a storming pace however the map doesn't tell the whole story, with bodily complaints from his stomach, butt, wrists and neck. Rick's palmarès suggest his strength as a one-day classics rider. Time will tell if the current pace is sustainable or otherwise if the body demands more TLC when racing over several days with little rest. CP4 has facilities including showers, which could be enticing enough for a stop considering his gap to Andre along with lack of sleep last night.

As beady eyed Dot watchers, we have noticed a few places where Rick appears to 'skip the route whereas other dots are more diligent, such as follows.

Scratch report to date: Hannah Grazi-Idrissi (cap 46), André Scholz (cap 69), Harry Walton (cap 70), Kasimir Orlowski (cap 55).

All photos by Maty Podroužek @matypodron

In the early hours of the morning 74 out of 103 registered riders pushed off from the start line. Now past the 200km mark, at the head of the race we see Rick Steffen making a small break, with Andre Jonsson leading the chase pack not far behind.

Another strong rider to look is Rufus Wenlock. The kiwi put in a strong performance at the Trans Balkan Race earlier this season, finishing second behind Max Gaumnitz in addition to a very respectable 6th place finish at the inaugural Bright Midnight. Once again he'll be on his very recognisable purple SUFUR prototype bike; the tube connections are 3D printed and inner frame space designed to maximise capacity for all those snacks. The bike seems to be proving an obvious success so far, lets see what it's got for the Bohemian circuit.

Unfortunatley we see our first scratch, from Hannah Grazi-Idrissi who took a fall this morning and had to be taken to a hospital. She is in good hands and OK, but unable to continue. This is unfortunate given her recent success at the Three Peaks Bike Race in which she finished 2nd woman (before riding 1740km back home afterwards!).

The first few riders have ticked off CP1 and blasting towards the second. Meanwhile, the main bunch is approaching CP1.

Continued from previous post...

The route from CP4 will be relatively flat for the first 80 kilometers after leaving the city of Český Krumlov and the Vltava river. Riders take note - enjoy the short lived respite.

Soon the route heads towards the Třeboňsko region, itself designated a UNESCO MAB biosphere reserve in 1977. This area has been shaped by humans since the 12th century. By resculpting & adjusting the natural water system into hundreds of individual ponds - 460 in total - the region evolved a distinct character, becoming an important source of farmed fish. Alongside one of those ponds that you pass, you can find an Iron-curtain memorial and the northernmost point of Austria.

From CP6, the route follows the river valley before climbing up into the Eagle Mountains at the start of the Bohemian-Silesian border. This mountain range located mainly in northeastern Bohemia now marks the natural Czech border with Poland. This entire region has maintained its original natural character over the centuries with gently rolling hills, dense forests, and meandering rivers winding through valleys.

The highest peak (Sněžka / Schneekoppe) is the tallest mountain in the Czech Republic (1603m). It features an unusually alpine environment above the treeline, thanks to the exposed nature of the mountains to wind & weather blowing in all the way from the Baltic Sea. Riders should be treated to a snow-capped Snezka, even at this time of year. The river Elbe springs from this mountainous region and this section will be very tough to ride, especially on tired legs at this advanced stage in the route. Riders may even encounter snow; the main ridge is unpredictable and subject to frequent weather changes.

From Jizerske hory, the route leads to "Three Corners" - the spot where the Czech Republic, Germany, and Poland meet. Then, crossing the smaller Zittau Mountains, riders will finally arrive right back where they started some 1360km earlier.

CP1 - 199.5, CP2 - 343.3, CP3 - 523.9, CP4 - 641.7, CP5 - 756.0, CP6 - 988.6, CP7 - 1048.0, CP8 - 1126.1, CP9 - 1192.4, CP10 - 1237.7, CP11 - 1306.6, FINISH - 1361.9.