Hope 1000 - 2021  Race Preview

Day 1 Start - Swiss congestion and unusual sightings in the heat

Day 2 Hope 1000 - To sleep or not to sleep is the question, but to eat is certain.

Day 2 - The riders and the weather are rolling full force

Day 3 - A night to dry-off or summit some climbs

Day 3 closing - Markus is out, the Farmers are in and the weather is back with gusto!

Day 4 - Did you hear the one about the endurance race that ended in a 200km sprint finish…?

Day 5 - New race record, possible Brexit tensions and food telepathy

Day 5 - Top 3 and 1st female have made it to Freddie, and life is electric in Switzerland

Day  6 - Nine riders have made it to the end with more to come throughout the day

At 6am on Saturday, June 19th, when the Swiss church bell rings, 87 riders will start the roll out from Romanshorn on the picturesque shores of lake Constance. Ready to tackle a 1000km route, these riders are aiming for only one thing: to be welcomed by Freddy Mercury, some days later, in Montreux.

In its 7th year, the annual [HOPE 1000](https://hope1000.ch "HOPE 1000") is a race that traverses Switzerland from North-East to South-West, with a cumulative 30,000m positive altitude gain and on a set route of 1000km. An event originally designed by the organiser (Willi Felix) as training for his Silk Road Mountain Race entry, it will again take this year's fearless riders over spectacular Swiss passes such as Grosse Scheidegg, Kleine Scheidegg and along picture-perfect lakes like Walensee and Lake Thun. 

### The Route - shark teeth and more
As you would assume, a bike race in Switzerland is mainly spent going up or going down - and this event is no different. The first 160km lull the riders into a false sense of security and allow for a speedy start, with gentle rolling byways. The fun starts when they reach Chümibarren, which sits at 1314m to give them a very gentle introduction as to what is to come. From here, things gradually get harder, with approximately 12,500m climbed in the first 500km. And like all great endurance tests, it keeps getting harder: the second half will require the riders to climb over 17,500m in addition to what they have already done, including climbing to passes over 1900m on five occasions. This is the challenge that awaits them if they want to reach Freddy and a cold beer in Montreux.

![Hope 1000 elevation profile](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5iNZ1JAnQp2H6yPnUutFf9/a4549889f37888b27c9385cc4fef7318/elevation_profile_hope2021.png)

### 2021 - an edition like no other
Like everything, COVID-19 has had an impact on the event, showing up most notably in the rider starter list: 2021 will see 54% of the riders on home turf, and only 1 rider coming from outside Europe. What this will mean for the race we can only wait and see - will the locals have a home advantage, or will the away crowd bring something special?

![Hope 1000 2021 - Riders by Country](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/38ZTLnC7GoZn1StrXDlIaH/88d11a36462b72ea76efc0317a119489/riders_country_HOPE1000_2021.png)

Replicated from last year, there is no in-person rider briefing before the event. Instead a friendly video from Lael to showcase the beauty and spirit of this event. A staggered start with 2 riders per minute, ordered by age, is the roll-out process on Saturday. If there is any country we can rely on precision timing for the start line - it is Switzerland.

The virus is not the only uncontrollable that is shaping the race before it starts this year. A long and cold winter in Europe has meant that there is still a lot of snow hanging around in Switzerland. A scouting trip last week cleared Grosse Scheidegg (1,962 m), Kleine Scheidegg (2,061 m), Latrejefeld, Stierenberg and Stübleni/Trütlisbergpass (2,109 m) from being security risks despite snowfields still being present. However, the ascent from the Lenk to the Trütlisbergpass, has been modified to include a detour as there is still far too much snow. 

The weather is definitely making sure we are paying attention with rain and storms forecast for the week, and temperatures changing from hot on Saturday for the start, to a cooler dip as the week goes on. Let’s hope the riders have packed for all eventualities of a Swiss summer.

### Who will be enjoying the music of cowbells along the route in 2021?

__Lael Wilcox__, the current female record holder at 04 d 10 h 13 m, is back this year fresh from taking the title of 1st female finisher of the Unbound Gravel XL in Kansas. She will be able to enjoy a little lie-in with a start at 6.34am on Saturday.

[I am not stopping - Lael Wilcox](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4g1gRIEFs8 "lael wilcox youtube")

We will also see the first female finisher of last year’s Hope 1000 again this year - __Lisbeth Hofstetter__. Lisbeth will have the advantage of being part of the first pair of riders to start at 6am sharp. 

A first time female rider this year is __Quinda Verheul__ coming from the Netherlands. Although new to this race and livng in a country at the other end of the topography scale to Switzerland, Quinda knows mountains as she was one of only 5 female finishers in the inaugural Atlas Mountain Race.

Last year's winner and current record holder (Jochen Böhringer) is not on the starting list, but a few veterans are back to try their luck. __Christian Beyer__ (DE) completed the route in 4:03:14 last year. __Philip Stoessel__ (CH) was not far behind at 4:12:25, and was being hunted down to a close finish from __Benedikt Roessler__ (BE) just 2 minutes later with a finish time of 4:14:50. On Saturday morning things will be interesting as these 3 riders will all start within 5 minutes of each other (6.30am, 6.35am and 6.33am respectively) being able to keep each other in their sights. 

The early start belongs to the organiser __Willi Felix__ (CH) who finished last year with a time of 7:06:03, and will be part of the 3rd pair pushing the pedals at 6.02am.

Hope 1000 2021 will definitely be unique in the event’s history. Whether the Swiss dominant starter list, COVID-19, or the riders stopping to catch-up on the Euros, will have the biggest effect on who reaches Montreux and when - we are all ready to find out!

Bisbald / A bientot / A presto !



Lake Constance was putting on a show, gifting the riders to a beautiful sunrise as they set off early doors. Temperatures were already around 23*C (73*F), with a lot more to come. 

Riders got some fuelling in before the event, including the cyclist favourite of caffeine to get a boost after what might have been a short night's sleep. 

All riders speed off at the planned time without any incident, each accompanied by a big smile. 

![Start line hope 1000](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6UKLsPv4pkGBZHNtRDcpfQ/6431a83b3fef7fdae75308b2d3d6e02a/start_line_.jpg)

__Martin Fretz__ seemed to have stopped for a period just after passing through Frauenfeld, but we are unsure why. His dot is still moving through without any obvious issue, thankfully. 

__Maxime Besacier's__ dot looks like it took a more direct route between Frauenfeld and Sirnach, which we can only assume this is a tracker issue, or his spot tracker was stolen by a bird and then returned. 

As of 4.25pm CET today, __Marin de Saint Exupéry__ had only stopped for 19 minutes and was leading the pack with 190km under his rubber. 
__Markus Hager__ is not far behind at 188.6km and with a leisurely rest time of 50 minutes in comparison. __Philip Stoessel__ is coming in third at 179km. 

The female field is pushing through with __Lael Wilcox__ currently leading having logged 171km, and __Quinda Verhuel__ as the second placed female at 146km. __Lisbeth Hofstetter__ (last year's 1st female finisher) is pedalling through in 3rd place female. 

We can only assume that the leading pack were able to avoid the Swiss road congestion documented by Quinda, which may or may not have lead to the increased stoppage time further back in the field. In a country with 1,518,000 cows (1 for every 5 inhabitants), it was going to happen. 

![Cow congestion ](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/20wpIudIrnCNjlJdoZtDi9/127d966adaa39d0cd4f0d89f9f70799a/cow_traffic_.jpg)

The racing wasn't the only thing heating up today. Temperatures reaching 31*C (88*F) by 4pm gave many the excuse to stop and refresh at the famous Swiss village fountains along the route.
![Swiss fountains ](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5UtV0G1p5pTt9X5O5Yj488/3b220678b33ce734eef2812353bd8999/Swiss_fountains_.jpg)

The heat also lead to some others trying to find ways to cool down. Reports came in at km 109 of a naked hiker. There was no request from him for any chamois cream, so we can assume that he had the chaffing under control.

Day 1 has also, unfortunately, given us our first #scratchcount of 1. __Sacha Mutel__ had to pull out by mid afternoon due to an old injury. Bonne récupération Sacha !

The pack is still tight, with everyone peddling strong. We will be reporting back later tonight to see who is planning on catching some shut eye, and who is making the most of the short nights. 

Gute farht ! 


The pointy end is looking fresh! A dedicated dotwatcher (big shout out to __Hannes__) was out and about in Niederurnen hunting down the leaders, and got photographic evidence of __Marin de Saint-Exupery__ breezing up the col, in the leading position at the time, followed not long behind by __Markus Hager__, equally as happy to be out there. 
![Marin climbing](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5Ptq6igxl0aiZGPiGKUN8s/8936546d34e64640da3869a15511af8d/image0.jpeg)

Then the hunting was being done by __Markus__ (and his cute dashboard assistant) as he chased __Marin__ up 1000m from Neiderurnen, over the pass, descending 1000m and finally reaching him and taking the lead at approximately 9pm CET just after Schübelbach.

![markus hager dashboard](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3rzrcycL8eygCuRzp87DhL/2fc732f7f0cb4148832504a67ea6b309/markus_dashboard_.jpg)

__Philip Stoessel__ and __Yann Dercourt__ are dancing with each other and sharing the 3rd and 4th position close behind the two leaders.

__Oliver Gyger__ is following behind in no man's land, hopefully with some cows for company as we drift into the first night.

__Lael Wilcox__ has been grinding away and is gradually gaining ground on the field moving into 6th position overall and maintaining her lead as first female.  It looks like all the leading pack are going to keep on pushing through the night, and many of the riders behind also.

###Gourmet selection
As the end of day 1 approaches, the hunger levels of the riders is increasing, as well as their culinary creativity:

For __Natt Will__, colour, texture variety and easy grab-and-go seem to be the key ingredients of his fuel. 

![Natt food](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1z26tIHQaLAXqv3YTZtU7n/e7f3c20144e8d3479fe7844ccaf01a56/Matt_food.jpg)

For __Quinda Vehuel__, Crisps with Red Bull, and a hint of trail mix just happen to be her favourite - and without forgetting the obligatory peanut butter. Seems like all the food groups of an adventure cyclist are covered.

__Peter Olah__ happened across some pig roasting, but later met with some spiritual guidance that may have influenced any further food choices.
![peter spiritual guidance](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/19yZNMfXTIg4oKeIOu8gfo/8719da7da4063c47e01e1d4baca56795/Peter_spiritual_.jpg)

###Stay cool out there kids
The heat today added a layer of brutality to an already gruelling course. Freshening-up strategies showing up on social media now included being hosed down in addition to using the public fountains as a cool tub.

Tomorrow looks like it will be another scorcher, but thunderstorms could start to welcome the riders by Sunday evening. Fingers crossed they find some low ground before then.

###Scratch Total
Day 1 has given us a #scratchcount of 2. __Claude Alain Gailland__, a mountain guide and adventurer from Verbier, Switzerland, scratched earlier this evening, joining Sacha. The reason for the scratch is not yet known.

With strong legs throughout the pack, a balmy night and lots of jostling for places, it is not clear which lake the riders will be watching the sunrise over, and with whom, tomorrow morning. See you back here tomorrow bright and early!


Day 1 Closing - Hot days, hot nights and varied fuelling strategies  


Grab a sunday morning beverage and settle down - a lot has happened over night.

We wake up this morning to a __Markus Hager__ breaking free from the pack with a 60km advantage on __Marin de Saint-Exupéry__, using 2 main strategies: 

1) Taking advantage of the flatter ground from Zug to Sempach (not even stopping for breakfast) to put some distance down.

2) Constant motion - rest seems like a foreign concept to him, with an incredible 84% moving time since leaving Romanshorn yesterday (stopping time totalling 4 hours and 18 minutes.)

His dot shows a quick back track around Barr early this morning - maybe he dropped something and went to retrieve it, or maybe he was maxing-out time in the Zug canton to claim the beneficial income tax rate at the end of the year? Who knows.

As expected a lot of riders also took the ‘rest is optional’ route, including __Oliver Gyger__ who  traveled over the remaining peaks of the first-half through the night. He powered into 3rd place overall with 345km under his tires.

__Yoan Dercourt__ and __Philip Stoessel__ are within kilometers of Oliver and each other, choosing movement over sleep also, both averaging 17km/h moving pace (very close to Markus’s 18km/h). 

__Lael Wilcox__ is holding steady in 6th position, helping maintain an international flavour to the leaderboard. Sleep was the chosen strategy for her last night, with a solid 3 hour rest broken by sunrise. She has one of the highest moving paces of 18.4 km/h, which may work to her favour as fatigue sets in for the others just as the bigger climbs arrive.

### Sleep is the key
Further down the pack, riders were working on a similar rhythm, with most of them bedding down around 1am until dawn. The most sleep-conscious amongst them getting tucked-in before reaching Wattwil, to take advantage of the beautiful vistas and a roll downhill to breakfast, no doubt.

Switzerland has some great sleeping spots, such as hard wooden benches to straighten out your back after a long day’s climb. It's so safe you can sleep soundly drying your socks on your handle bars knowing they’ll be there when you wake up, as Quinda did.
![sleeping bench](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/63VNEcbhLhQvsmm2TocfZ8/e7955cec3b87b8aa25dc6d57f73c0170/Quinda_sleeping.jpg)

The cyclists were not the only ones needing sleep either:

![sleeping cow](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1CnzdGXHt81SGND1TkYFJE/5482551aba008b31c5f13166c6ec4a6c/sleeping_cow.jpg)

### More from yesterday
Before settling down for the night yesterday, __Jakub Ondruska__ was having a great day smashing the climbs, and __Brian Barry__ stopped in at the farm house to order some milk and take a rest.

![brain milk](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/20gshiEarIYzfSSlTRvTqn/8f913341403f02890add645a5809a4b2/Brian_milk.jpg)

__Peter__ and __Doris Basler__, Swiss local duo who also completed the Tour Aotearoa last year, had a slow start to the race yesterday with some mechanical issues from the get-go. Not letting this stop them, they were still able to enjoy the Köhlerfest in Hochwacht to get some charcoal culture on the route.

![charcoal](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/7nNRBJcrxOIImRS13gBp8n/90b38ad635f82a825a9b925d7b257f6f/peter_charcoal.jpeg)

### The daily scratch
We also woke to 3 less riders in the active list with __Christian Beyer__, __Seb Grob-Bieri__ and __Stefan Doering__ all scratching during the night. Interestingly, they all decided to end their event between Wattwil and Krummenau. Is there a mountain troll wreaking havoc on riders as they pass?  Or was the allure of an ice cold beverage just too much? We will keep our eyes peeled for any reports of strange activity today. 

A total of 5 scratches in day 1 shows how tough the swiss terrain is, and how strong all the riders are. 

As day 2 gets rolling, how will our riders select their breakfast fueling, and feed themselves today with all supermarkets closed? Will this impact the race leaderboard? One thing's for sure, __Florian Mertens__ is fueling for a big day on the climbs with this plate and still making sure to get his 5 a day with a tomato slice.

![florian breakfast](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/365ez32OVj40l9o2cRyjs3/5a247e9b34b34ff5719113fadf95337b/Florian_breakfast_.jpg)

Bon appetit !


Picture Mount Fuji - a majestic mountain that stands tall on the horizon. Now imagine cycling up it, twice, in less than 24 hours and you would have reached 7,552m climbing. That is approximately what __Lael Wilcox__ did yesterday over 280km in the heat. Yet despite this effort, she is holding her 6th position and has logged 475km (as of publishing).

__Markus Hager__ has passed the halfway mark at 555km, and is maintaining his incredible moving rate of 82%. 

__Yoan Dercourt__ has been the star of the pointy end today, accelerating through to 2nd place, and only 40km beyond Markus as 10pm CET. His stopped time is also only 45 mins more than Markus. 

How will this duel play out tonight as we sleep (but they probably don’t), and the leading 2 pass through into the big climbs on sleep deprived legs? 

### If you don’t like it, just hang around and it will soon change
Weather was a big conversation starter today, with everyone struggling in the heat of the morning and early afternoon. Pictures abound on social media of lycra painted with sweat stains resembling the elevation profile of the Hope 1000. 

__Daniel Bringold__ had put in an order for day 2 of clouds (delivered), but also a gentle shower on the hour. The weather gods felt he should have been bolder in his request  and instead delivered several thunderstorms throughout the afternoon and early evening.

A couple of riders offered up some ways of how to deal with the weather: __Luke Francis__ traded the hailstorm outside for pizza inside, while __Jeff Dirt__ reported back saying all was good as he was ‘sous la douche’, so we can assume he is smelling like a fine alpine meadow now.

### Good vibes only
__Ralph Bergner__ is having a fantastic time, and has sent out a request to ‘keep sending the good vibes’. __Ryan Crow__ could also do with some good vibes to get him speedily to the closest bike shop open in Cham tomorrow morning to replace 3 broken spokes on his front wheel.
You know what to do.

Sightings have been reported of a rogue local rider on the route with an interesting bike choice

![Penny Farthing](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2mkxZsLJyLOUpjKda4rHZy/bf7883cd8745aa3b61718e4dc09a6acf/rogue_rider_.jpg)

### Food is fuel
I have an edit to make to yesterday’s post. __Quinda Verhuel__ was not eating trail mix, but rather a new creation of Speck X Trail Mix. Only her photo can do the invention justice: 

![quinda trail mix](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1qbLITGLkRwGACbkkEqt2B/08425cafa4061c8c8ebf4410325202e4/Quinda_trail_mix.jpg)

After yesterday’s experimental food choices, the local cuisine has been showing up more with __Willi Felix__ and __Florian Mertens__ eating together and enjoying a (or more) Rosti each.

__Florian__ is keeping us updated with his fueling, and tonight's post shows just how much of a pro at the stop optimization he is: at the end of Sector 3 he found a spot that not only serves lasagna, but also a prime view of the Euros football game. 

![florian dinner](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4J7Mts3DXmuYicmf20DaZ8/3f9042a19ff8b131e7963c9f99ed603a/Florian_dinner_.jpg)

### The daily Scratch  - 3 confirmed, one reviewing 
We say goodbye to 3 riders today: __Hans de Bruijn__ has scratched due to knee issues, and __Gerard Ruman__ was having foot issues (both confirmed by the organiser but not yet updated on Trackleaders). __Harry Grimm__ also scratched during the day.

__Jürgen Mikusch__ reported that he got stung by a bee, which is ok - except he is allergic. He is resting up in a hotel for the night to see how things go.

It brings our __#Scratchcount__ to 8 as the remaining riders prep for the night on day 2. Hoping that Jürgen stays well, and will be back with us tomorrow after a cosy and dry night in the hotel.

Check in tomorrow to see if the Monday blues have hit the pack after a stormy Sunday!


*(All photos in this post are credited to Rugile Kaladyte (official race photographer) except where specified. Follow her on on instagram [@rugilekaladyte](https://www.instagram.com/rugilekaladyte/?hl=en))*

__Markus Hager__ is throwing sleep caution to the wind and appears to have not stopped all night - again - sustaining his lead of roughly 50km throughout the night ahead of 2nd place __Yoan Dercourt__. Markus started the 1,370m climb up Grosse Scheidegg at 5:30am CET this morning, summiting 3 hours and 15 minutes later, and then took a cool 35minutes to descend to the base of Kleine Scheidegg. 

__Yoan Dercourt__ and __Marin de Saint Exupery__ found each other again yesterday, and alternated between 2nd and 3rd places throughout the night. Their schedules seem to have synced as they both downed tools around 11pm CET for a quick 3 hour nap before setting off again. 

![Yoan riding](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1dqXmmXjGf2awcecjvjL0n/d7b618805be93264f235608393b15a78/YoanDercourt_01.JPG)*(Image of Yoan Dercourt)*

__Philipp Stoessel__ took advantage and leapfrogged into 2nd while they were sleeping, but decided a 2 hour rest at 2am CET was necessary before carrying on.

A little further down the leaderboard, __Lukas Franciszkiewicz__ (currently in 9th place) kept moving through the night powered on the previous day’s pizza. While Lukas was moving, __Axel Brenner__ got some shut-eye around 11pm CET, which gave him the energy boost needed to smash through in the early hours and regain 8th position.

Leading the female riders, __Lael Wilcox__ had jumped up to 5th place as night started to fall, having passed the half-way mark during the day. Around midnight she decided that sleep is definitely what the cool kids are doing, and had a luxurious 4 hours rest pushing the pedals again at 4am CET, having been bumped back down to 6th. 

![Lael riding](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/0116poRL6U0vgwxLVkT8pU/36d0aedf4ce5a87419845817c0a0df08/LaelWilcox_01.JPG)*(Image of Lael Wilcox)*

__Quinda Verheul__ is sustaining a solid 2nd place female, despite experiencing an emotional rollercoaster yesterday that was picked-up by finding a place open for soup and sandwiches when everything else is closed. She is on target to reach the halfway point today.

Current 3rd placed female, __Lisbeth Hofstetter__ is having a quieter ride and has just reached Aigersee at 345km along the route. As last year's first placed female, we will keep watching to see how things evolve.

![lisbeth riding](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/Jfdp8dvz0mlsoAttJK6Mi/4fbecc832e5cb49993fca303c26e9891/LisbethHofstetter_01__1_.JPG)*(Image of Lisbeth Hofstetter)*

__Peta McSharry__ has crossed over to the riders side this year, after following the HOPE 1000 2020 as a dotwatcher and hunting down Sofiane for us last year. Currently at 241km in, she seems to be enjoying her choice.

![peta riding](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1OMGr5KllI4v03kP0NJyIn/ff3116f5bd8e416886f79935035bbfa8/PetaMcSharry_02.JPG)*(Image of Peta McSharry)*

Despite stormy weather yesterday, what this route takes from you it gives back in double through the breathtaking vistas the riders get to experience. __Florian Mertans__ is certainly taking in the views (photo below), exclaiming that there is ‘no better way to start a day with views like this and listening to Britney Spears’. We are unsure if the music choice is related to sleep deprivation or not.

![florian view](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/OVtHzUKKmpm1yxMk4bZG3/d0c1f5a71e04fbdda4f8a50d1eddacab/Florian_view_.jpg)

The 3rd day is traditionally the lowest emotional point for endurance athletes, and with more storms forecast during the day, bigger climbs coming, we will see what coping mechanisms the riders use to get through.

Until tonight!


Mid afternoon, __Markus Hager__ scratched. After an incredible effort since the start, knee problems meant he couldn't continue. A big thanks to him and his dashboard assistant for keeping us enthralled at the pointy end, and we wish him a speedy recovery and hope to see him next year.

With Markus out, the leader baton was passed onto __Marin de Saint Exupery__, having zipped past __Yoan Dercourt__ on the climb up Grosse Scheidegg around 2pm CET this afternoon. The pair are now tackling their 3rd climb of the day going over 1900m, leaving from Aeschi to take the long way up and around (35km) to Emdthal  - which is actually only 2km south-west. 

Marin has now completed nearly 720km in just 2 days 14 hours (approximately). Yoan Dercourt and __Philip Stoessel__ have consistently been on his tail. Is it too early to start to talk about the course record...?  

__Lael Wilcox__ has had an impressive day shooting up to 4th place overall, and maintaining her 1st place female badge. It feels like the first half was a warm up for her and she is now at home in her favourite kind of playground.

The remaining top 10 are pushing hard to keep their pace, with all of them having clocked  over 570km (at time of publishing,) and will probably tick over the 600km mark before dusk falls on the longest day of the year.

The majority of the riders are now west of Zug, and enjoying the last of the ‘flat’ part of the route.

### Would you like some ice with that heat?

The weather is definitely not looking to sink into the background delivering more heat this morning, leading __Willi Felix__ to take a nap in the forest en route. 

![Willi napping](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6A6PBDmBHlisFmMIT0REb1/72f090491ae29de33141d2f4ddebf33b/willi_nap_forest.jpeg)

After the cumulative days of heat the riders have been experiencing, the storms had to follow. The weather had something to say about a road section of the route, and with an assault of hailstorms and downpours it changed it to have more of an off-road flavour by dragging the field stones and mud straight over to the other side. 

### The people make it everytime 

International Farmer’s day isn’t until October 12th, however today we celebrate the Swiss Farmers and villagers who are as much a part of HOPE 1000 as the riders themselves. At the Baumann's home on the route, they have bouillon, sandwiches and have been helping with broken spokes. Maybe __Ryan Crow__ found them yesterday and got some help which explains his good form today?

Whilst sheltering under a barn roof, __Florian Martens__ got talking to the 70 year old farmer who was up to date with the winners, past time for finishers, and had been checking out the trackleaders website today. Once a dotwatcher, always a dotwatcher.

And speaking of, __Peta McSharry__ is still playing for the dotwatcher team on her ride and sent us a note to tell us of a local man confused by the steady stream of bikers climbing Gueteregg (1,270m). __Rolf Moser__ was able to explain to him the race, and the gentleman was duly satisfied and wished everyone on their way.

![rolf image](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2u3boeZMzUoSO0njdDL261/0d5d43d386c01d8443db556c420b2a3c/Rolf_image_.jpeg)

Racing the Hope 1000 comes with passing through many a farmer’s forecourt, which is great, just watch out for the kids and cow poo, advised Peta.

We also have to give thanks to the local priest who awoke a little early this morning, to rescue __Nicole Scheidegger__'s belongings she had locked in the toilet next to the church. Blessings come in all shapes and sizes.

![nicole Scheidegger](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/7g75vEFtZeo9yg8PdZTIwX/ddbe7c57435a243064d3031ad07a4782/NicoleScheidegger_01.JPG)

### Daily Scratch 

In addition to Markus, __Georges Heller__, __Mark Lauzon__, __Rudi Bracher__  and __Peter Ackermann__ also scratched today. Unfortunately, it looks like the bee sting was too much for __Juergen Mikusch__ who also decide to leave the race today, taking the __#scratchcount__ to 14 as of today at 8pm CET. 

Will the longest day of the year turn into the longest night of the year as the leaders try to summit more mountains in rain and on muddy trails? Or will we wake to a rested field ready to push through tomorrow? Only a good night's sleep will tell. 

Bonne Nuit !


Monday night was used to its fullest by the leading pair. Neither __Marin de Saint Exupéry__ nor __Yoan Dercourt__ seem to have stopped last night for much rest. Both have now passed into the last 20% of the race, having covered over 800km by this morning. They are winding their way up the last summit over 1900m while we enjoy our morning coffee, but there is still more climbing to come before they reach Montreux. 

The duo are so close they can probably see each other grinding their way up. It is going to be a game of chicken to see who stops first. 

The continuous movement has stretched out the gap with 3rd place __Philipp Stoessel__, who is approximately 80km behind the leaders and did choose to stop for a couple of hours during the night.

A new entrant to the top 5 is __Manuel Bruegger__, currently in 4th, followed by __Oliver Gyger__ (5th position) and __Lael Wilcox__ coming in at 6th this morning.

__Lukas Franciszkiewicz__ (currently in 8th position and part of the top 10 since the start) is trying out new tactics to see if it can help over the last 450km.

![lukas insta](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3EbP2BGQAvHEhsiVeKc4zV/cfc8b47b9a24ffd2f1e9b2d1355836f5/Lukas_insta.jpg)

Further down the pack, riders have been enjoying a musical start to the day: __Quinda Verheul__ (still maintaining her 2nd place female position) stopped at a bakery, that was closed but administered her some coffee, and enjoyed some Michael Jackson with a lifesize cutout of a local singer to help wake her up. 

![quinda bakery](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4gW3qxou313Muau1WfPNB1/9f26e22f65c743c364c28a76e038780a/Quinda_music_.jpg)

__Florian Martens__ has transitioned from Britney Spears to comparing his current state to the Foo Fighters 'Walk'. 

After a few damp days, riders have been developing their own aroma, except __Michael Gantner__ who managed to find some dry clothes and felt 'like a princess' this morning. 

While the pointy end is defying human need for sleep, __Franzikus Weissbarth__ a sumptuous 8 hours rest last night, and is feeling as fresh as an alpine daisy. 

![francesco](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/132hyViVjb2g5IkYOIFnpW/a494893ac34819dff64897e656346d71/francesco_.jpg)

We also had our first social media sighting of local cheese. Time delayed, but __Daniel Meyes__ had a veritable smorgasboard of delights on day 1.

![dan meyes](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4TJ4G2zlBuMLVMWUnFuSGn/44ec3664a3b193381e4cace5f912a8cc/Dan_meyes_.jpg)

With only 200km to go for the leaders, we are getting down to the nail bitting end. Buckle-up - it's going to be a roller coaster of a finish! 

Day 4 - final climbs, musical wake ups and some cheese!

A little over 3 and half days ago, 87 riders rolled out from Romanshorn on a beautiful sunny morning. 

In a nail bitting finish tonight, on the banks of Montreux, __Marin de Saint Exupéry__ and __Yoan Dercourt__ were in sprint mode to the the Freddy Mercury statue after finishing a gruelling 1000km and over 30,000m elevation on each other's tails. 

__Marin de Saint Exupery has the honour to claim 1st place with a time of 3d 17h 25m after leaving Romanshorn at 6:43am on Saturday morning.__

*It is possible that the men's record of 03 d 17 h 30m (set by Jochen Böringer last year) has been broken but we are waiting for final timing to be confirmed.*

__Yoan Dercourt__ made a vallaint effort throughout the race, and especially the last 200km, to leap ahead of Marin on occassion, arriving minutes after in 2nd place tonight after __3d 17h 40m__, having departed lake Constance at 6.36am on the 19th.

We are waiting patiently for final confirmation from the organisation, and in the meantime would like to send a huge congratulations to both riders who rode a brilliant race and didn't let up throughout the journey. 

And the race is not over! Behind our 2 first finishers, __Philipp Stoessel__ is 150km(ish) away, while __Lael Wilcox__ is putting on a show, and pedalling hard in current 4th position. Having passed the last large climb and with about 180km still to ride, she stands to take a big chunk off her previous record of 04d 10h 03m.

### Mechanicals and Movements
Mechanicals have been menacing the pack today. __Lukas Franciszkiewicz__ was left spinning his legs on a single speed after Kleine Scheidegg thanks to a broken shifter, but was able to get this fixed a little later en route. 

__Florien Martens__ has been having a rough day of it, having gone over the bars on a descent, and before that bending his rear derailleur hanger. His Fairy Godmother in the shape of __Jeff Schmutz__ turned up soon enough and saved the day with some tools he was carrying.

It's as if the universe thought that the climbs weren't hard enough already, so they decided to give __Peter Olah__ a bad case of Delhi-belly throughout the day. He has kept pushing-on despite the situation. Bravo Peter!

### Daily Scratch
Day 4 has seen a few new scratches, with __Oliver Gyger__ (who had been in the top 5 for most the race) leaving today. Also on the list, we say *au revoir* to __Rudi Bracher__ and __Magnus Mill__ meaning a total __#scratchcount__ of 17 so far in the HOPE 1000.

It is guaranteed to be an eventful night, heavy with the anticipation of what tomorrow’s dots will show. Maybe we will sleep as little as the riders tonight?

Until tomorrow faithful dotwatchers!


*(Finisher photos from Rugile Kaladyte @rugilekaladyte)*

It is confirmed!  __Marin de Saint Exupery__ has set a new race record - __3 days, 16 hours and 56 minutes__, and __Yoan Dercourt__ is confirmed as taking a very close second place. Heartfelt congratulations to Marin and Yoan!

When you have spent the last 200km within breathing distance of each other, what else is there left to do other than grab a couple of pizzas and enjoy!

![winner pizza](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5qXHmTcjWd4J0198YZdZ7J/c0c9e52c2350d280ec6610ee17cf5ac7/2021_Hope_1000_032_small.jpg)

Montreaux is edging closer for __Philipp Stoessel__ who didn’t appear to stop much during the night, preferring to take advantage of the last big downhill in the early morning. At 910km covered already, barring any disaster, he should be welcomed by Mr. Mercury before nightfall to claim 3rd place.

__Lael Wilcox__ has been a formidable female force since the beginning and is still jockeying for 4th place overall having spent the early morning passing, and being passed by Axel Brenner and Manuel Brugger. 

### Shelter is needed, and comes in all varieties

Anna Haslock, of Lost Dot fame, described the endurance bike community as a bunch of ‘sociable loners’ when she first met them. Last night __Tom Pacey__ (UK) and __Quinda Verheul__ (NL) made up the 2 parts of that description. Quinda had found a nice chapel that ‘smelled delicious’ and shuffled inside for some sleep - alone. Some time later Tom turned up seeking shelter from the weather and decided to be sociable sharing his nighttime snores. It was not what Quinda was looking for. Maybe it’s a reflection of Brexit separation anxiety...

Outside was not the preferred option by the riders last night, thanks to downpours during the day and into the night. A Swiss mountain hut was the choice for __Frederic Bürki__, __Maximilian Lünert__ found somewhere warm in Meiringen, and __Florian Mertens__ took shelter in the construction site of the hotel that he had planned on staying at, thinking it was already built.

Many riders are now into the high pass sections between Meiringen and Trütlisbergpass, passing through the snow corridors still present on high ground. With the weather on the cool side and rain scheduled for the afternoon and evening again, visibility might be limited. On the upside, at least they won't be able to see how far they have to climb to get to the top of Kleine Scheidegg.

### Food synchronisation
__Pascal Tay__ and __Christian Reber__ were twinning in culinary desire yesterday. We can see that Christian wasn’t as disciplined as Pascal though in getting a ‘before’ photo for the ‘gram. A hungry cyclist is a hungry cyclist.

Burger and Fries- Pascal
![pascal food](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/LTfYdC8F7SU3VWyqn73aw/20aa80de3ef523f280eaf6524ce99a6d/pascal_food.jpeg)      
Burger and Fries- Christian
![Christian food](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/k8JS9UECufC2fo5KKjpwa/1512374d3cab4f8865fcd0005ab2214e/christian_food.jpeg) 

And in a great gesture of solidarity, __Daniel Bringold__ (8th place) has found some glasses, believed to belong to __Lukas Franciszkiewicz__, (7th place) and is carrying the extra weight with him until he sees Lukas again.

With the first 2 finishers taking a well earned rest, attention moves to the chasing field who still stand to bring home some excitement today!


The 7th edition of the HOPE 1000 will roll out from the Swiss shores of Lake Constance, snaking 87 riders to meet with Freddy at the finish line in Montreux.  The route remains largely unchanged, despite persistent snowfields on the high ground, and Covid has meant a local line up with 54% of riders from Switzerland. HOPE 1000 2021 is going to be full of surprises no doubt!

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