lEidENSCHaFt - Storck Bicycle GmbH

then my mind is set on the 60 kilometers. You can’t wait for the 60 kilometers toend because you’re permanently pushing the limits. So, in that respect, it’s justas painful.” By contrast, night-time riding, which may seem pretty extreme tonormal bikers as well, poses no major challenge to Kochendörfer. “In winter, youautomatically ride in the dark if you train for two or three hours after five in theevening,” he says and goes on to explain, ”Besides, you ride a circuit in mountainbiking. And if the event starts at twelve noon, you’ve been on the track for eight orten hours before it gets dark, and by that time you know all the difficult spots.” Wait aminute – winter training in the dark? That’s right – because, like any normal citizen,Michael Kochendörfer holds down a regular job. He runs the workshop of a majorutilities company – full-time, by the way. His sport, which costs him around 18 hoursper week, is strictly that of an amateur which, as he stresses, is only made possible bythe support of his family. “The environment you live in has to go along with this, yourwife, the children…” For others in the scene, he says, the situation is easier. “Thereare countries, such as Austria, where the riders at least aren’t working full-timeanymore. Or the Swiss, who are often in the military – they do get a bit more support.”But competing against rivals who clearly have more freedom to dedicate their timeto the sport doesn’t give Kochendörfer any headaches. “First of all, you competeagainst yourself. Before anything else, you’ve got to be able to finish a 24-hour raceand if better riders are in the field then so be it. 24 hours are long, there’s a lot thathappens, highs and lows – and when you’ve made the best of it for yourself, you’rehappy, too.”Naturally, the 24-hour scene is in a state of flux. Young athletes are joining and thelevel is consistently rising. “Looking back on the beginnings in Munich, the winnersrode 340 kilometers. And now the distance in Munich was 560,” says Kochendörfer.But thoughts like these can’t take away his enjoyment of the action and motivationfor the sport. He keeps on riding and takes the situation in stride. “I always thinkfrom year to year. Let’s face it you’ve also got to think about your job and career.”After all, he doesn’t want his sport to turn into stress, as there are plenty of negativeexamples to warn him. “Let’s not forget that there have been people who’ve ruinedthemselves riding. If you’re bent on running in every single race and winning, it’ll turninto torture.” And, besides, there are numerous other challenges the man from theOdenwald region may want to tackle in the future. “I could definitely imagine doingsomething on a road bike, like the Race Around Austria.” Only the soccer field nolonger holds any attraction for Michael Kochendörfer.