Bosch eMTB Trophy Individual

So far the theory. But would fast chargers actually be available everywhere in practice and also happen to be free? Would the Weißenbachwirt, as agreed beforehand, really be standing in his kitchen from 7 a.m. and let us in well before his official opening time? How would the extremely heavy camera equipment affect battery range and Erwin's back? Would we even get a seat on the terrace of the Restaurant Rudolfsturm? And when does the Gosauschmied actually have a day off?

Just to be safe, we also packed two Powerbar bars plus Mannerschnitten. Paired with the option of an emergency stop at a supermarket or the like, we felt reasonably prepared.

In the Rehkogl district we finally leave the fog behind.
The day is shaping up to be the splendid specimen the weather forecast promised.
Mild sunlight settles on our arms and faces.
Birds are chirping, and the first crickets are already trilling.
Mountain after mountain emerges from the shadows of the night,
until finally, on the Kriemoosalm, the Dachstein greets us in all its glory for the first time.

If we were riding the “normal” Trophy individually, we’d be in a real hurry right now. The race format — devised as an alternative to Austria’s largest MTB marathon because of the coronavirus and active until the end of October — stipulates that certain sections, primarily uphill stages, are ridden against the clock. There are seven such sections on the long distance; the six shorter routes have correspondingly fewer. Between these special stages, riding is essentially neutralized. Nevertheless, you still have to pass all the checkpoints belonging to a given distance.

In the Bosch eMTB Trophy, however, it’s not the cumulative times of the stages that matter, but who has collected the most kilometers in the end. So whoever tackles the long route gets off to a strong start — but still doesn’t stand a chance against the locals who simply head out on tours week after week. Because you’re allowed to enter, which is new and especially attractive for e‑bikers, multiple times and on all routes. The entry fee of €29 is only charged once — by the way, this also applies to the MTB and the newly introduced gravel categories, where, if you ride multiple times, the fastest time counts.

We therefore treat ourselves to the luxury of no timekeeping and soak up the peaceful atmosphere of the Kriemoosalm to the fullest before we shift up another gear — or, better put: mode. At the Schwarzenbachloch it's still soaking wet from the earlier rains; in places water even runs toward us in the middle of the trail. The ever-steepening uphill over round, extremely slippery, and chaotically scattered stones thus becomes a real bike-handling test, which we manage only with difficulty despite the eMTB mode engaging sensitively.

Soon we're back on forest roads up to Raschberg and across to Hütteneck. The battery level is still reassuringly high, so we select the high and highest settings and are beamed up into the overwhelming panorama — there King Dachstein, lit pink by the now fully risen sun, here alpine meadows, grazing livestock and mountain huts, all sensationally staged by the morning light.
As the highlight of the descent, immediately after the again quite slippery old toboggan run, awaits the Ewige Wand. The hiking trail carved into the steeply rising rocks of the Predigtstuhl, with its two tunnels, once again lives up to its reputation as a spectacular viewpoint — even though Bad Goisern and Lake Hallstatt remain buried under a thick layer of fog.

The Weißenbach innkeeper keeps his word and has not only fast chargers, sockets and a coffee for us, but even quark cake and blueberry cake. Thus strengthened, we dash off in high spirits toward “Hütteneck II”.
Our legs are still almost as fresh as the new batteries, and besides, the old ones weren't completely empty when we swapped them. That bodes well for loop 2: maybe topping up at the Blaa Alm isn't even necessary?

Along the Traun riverbank it’s a brisk ride to Gschwandt and, after the bridge, a short return toward Goisern. The route is perfectly signposted and a GPS track is provided as well. Nevertheless, especially for junctions like the Traun bridge, it's advisable to take a prior look at the route map and to carry the elevation profile (the checkpoints are also noted there in the correct order) so you don't turn the wrong way in the tangle of loops and distances.
Once again we pedal uphill through Herndl and Rehkogl. But how different the mood is now! Where dense morning fog had gently stroked roofs, treetops and slopes, the sun is now starting to dry roads, meadows and windscreens. Where at most a lone sleepy light had blinked through steamed-up windows, there is already bustling activity. Construction sites are starting up, tractors roll out, animals are led out to pasture, and roofers and carpenters are at work on what feels like every third house.

Now noticeably bolder when it comes to battery use, we move via the third stage of the day over Halleralm and Waldgraben into Styria. The route for the Trophy Individuell basically follows the course known from the marathon. However, the amount of trail was reduced for safety reasons. The section through the Gamsöfen to Bad Ischl and over the Salzberg there and up again via Perneck to the Tauernkreuzung is omitted entirely (which also reduces the technically demanding D-route to an innocuous half), because the safety nets required to secure it — which would have had to be installed for months — would have posed problems for wildlife.

Past the Loser, whose summit massif towers like a fortress above the Hagan Lodges and the Ausseerland, and past the already well‑visited Blaa Alm, we turn into the Rettenbach Valley. Being able to leave the lavish charging station of that splendid hut unused after all, contrary to our original plan, has its pros and cons: we can avoid the scramble for the few remaining free sockets — but, unfortunately, the legendary Kaiserschmarrn as well.

The Rettenbach, with its hurried flow, falls and bubbling, the spectacularly soaring rock walls and the manifold plays of light and shadow in this valley, however, more than compensate for the missed stop.

The midday snack at the Weißenbachwirt has to be skipped for obvious reasons – a PowerBar energy bar, part of the starter pack, will do the trick. By now we're swapping batteries like pros and racing up to Hochmuth.
Just as we're about to get cocky, the battery dies. More precisely: Martin Huber's battery dies. The head of the organizing team of the Salzkammergut Trophy has been riding with us since the second Hütteneck lap for the fun of it and to add an e-finish to his personal Trophy Individuell account. Because he knows everyone around here and got carried away chatting in Altaussee, he now pays for his catch-up charge completed entirely in Turbo mode. He still has 250 vertical meters to ride down under his own power on an e-bike that has suddenly become pointlessly heavy. We sympathize with him, but leave him behind anyway — sorry, no time for personal assistance or moral support!

They say the Lord punishes small sins immediately. But he sends us support again despite this human faux pas: Christopher Unterberger from the Dachstein Salzkammergut Tourist Board joins us at the Traun riverbank — and with him a reassuringly bright headlamp, in case we completely dawdle, as well as another pack of Mannerschnitten.
On this good news we promptly finish off our own. Fueled by the delicious sugar, we pedal quickly toward Obertraun, where Chris wants to log into the C-route.

Never before at the Salzkammergut Trophy was there time to pause on the east shore path, let alone go for a swim in Lake Hallstatt. Now, however: shoes off, feet in, arms plunged in, face cooled. How good it feels to slip out of the cycling shoes for once, how wonderful the ice-cold water nestles around toes and calves!
It has become hot in and around Bad Goisern, the numerous publicly accessible bathing spots on the lake are well visited. The path itself is unusually empty for that reason, even the classic viewpoints toward the north or onto the picturesque Hallstatt snuggled against the slope are clear. We make good progress, even on the narrow galleries anchored in the bare rock that overhang the deepest spots of the deep-green water and lead spectacularly under the railway bridge.

And then the Salzberg. Executioner in the race and tough review (but not a timed section - too many pedestrians) in the Trophy Individual, the climb feared for its merciless steepness turns out for eMTB Trophy riders to be a fairly toothless beast. At least, as long as the batteries are still well charged.
To avoid expiring exactly in this zigzag altitude battle cut into the slope, we are content with the motor's second assistance level. Still, we dance through the switchbacks more lightly than ever and almost reach the Rudolfsturm completely relaxed.

We had actually planned to dine in princely style on the terrace of this former defensive tower, which houses the mine manager's apartment, at the entrance to the high valley. But the charging station is actually ten minutes' walk higher up, in the small snack bar that's part of the entrance building of the Salzwelten show mine. So it's better after all to have goulash soup and toast from the fast-food kitchen instead of two lengthy hikes for regional delicacies with a view over the region — practicality beats indulgence, especially since 30 to 40 minutes of charging time should be enough for the batteries to get to Gosau ...

May the mountain bikers give everything on the stages, driven by the desire to improve their time from last month, to outdo their clubmates or to be the only racer with results on every course! May the gravel bikers, without suspension and comfort, grind their way over the mountains and shine with hard pedaling between their green and red points! We e‑bikers now enjoy that the climbs of the Salzkammergut Trophy almost entirely lose their terror and quite different things come to the fore.
Our mission has nothing to do with dawdling either, and shoulders, back and knees now make it clear that the leg muscles are not the only body parts demanded on an MTB long distance — yes, buttocks and wrists even take a harder hit from the increased sitting and the weight of an e‑bike. Still: I have never seen, savored and soaked up so much at any Trophy before — and that’s not solely because of the unusually glorious weather for a race ...