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Varied catering hot and cold by kitchen teams, energy drinks, live experience service, race map, live stream of the event, participant certificate, trophies and prizes
In 2010, an idea in the garden pavilion grew from small beginnings into an event that now has a lighthouse character with international appeal and ensures that Rieste also achieves a high level of awareness nationwide. Uwe Reinkemeier-Lay, who has worked in the bike industry for many years, and Daniel Meier, who works in press and public relations, launched the 24-hour mountain bike race.
The event was inspired by 24-hour races at European level. There are only four races of this kind in Germany, the Riester race is the only one in northern Germany and, thanks to the Alfsee dyke, the one with the most vertical meters.
The race therefore attracts people from all over Europe and has become a priceless national advertising medium for the municipality. The event is picked up in the local media in all the towns from which participants come and the participants are celebrated with repeated publications. Rieste and the Alfsee are always at the center of attention and attract positive attention. If you wanted to pay for such a media response (the NDR also reported several times, even live) as a campaign as part of local marketing, seven-figure sums would have to be invested.
And, as participants confirm time and time again, anyone who has been to Alfsee because of the race is guaranteed to come back here to camp with their family.
Award for best sporting event 2016
The Osnabrücker Sportwelt has awarded the 24h MTB race at Alfsee as the best sporting event of the year. The award was presented to the team as part of the Osnabrück Night of Sport. "An incredible sense of community in a great setting," said award organizer Thorsten Pisker, praising the race. Presenter René Kemna called the MTB event an "amazing idea" and an "absolute success".
This was all made possible by energetic supporters. Especially in the early days, TUS Bramsche helped to set up the event as co-organizer. Later, the initiators of the race founded their own association, Alfseeradsport e.V., and found active help in Rieste and the surrounding area. Since then, many young people from Rieste have continued to help with setting up the route and other organizational work. A well-coordinated team that knows what needs to be done.
There have always been challenges, for example heavy rainfall at night in 2013. The race had to be interrupted at around 3 a.m. to ensure the necessary safety of the riders. The initiators fetched mulch and topsoil from their gardens in the middle of the night to make makeshift repairs to the worst mud holes. A few hours later, the race was able to continue.
The route has changed only minimally over the years. But it has always been very varied, with forest descents, sand, meadows, embankments and long straights, so that every rider can play to their strengths where they are fittest. No other race offers this in this form. Accommodation on a comfortable campsite is also an absolute exception in Germany. Another special feature is that the course runs right next to a nature reserve. This can only be found at the Alfsee in Germany.
An absolute highlight is the round-the-clock catering at the highest level. It is an important criterion for many people to take part. We hear time and again that riders come for the delicious and lovingly prepared food and then enjoy doing a few laps on their mountain bike on the side. "The best thing about the whole race is the delicious food," says one rider. Another: "I've taken part in many races, but the food provided by the kitchen team at the Alfsee race can't be beaten." The team led by Petra Karsten is rightly showered with compliments. Without their many years of dedicated service, the whole race would definitely not be able to take place.
Many race participants come to have fun, and there are always numerous company teams, for example from the Borkum Island Railway. It's all about having fun as a team and team building. But there are also hardened individual cyclists who give their all, never get off their bikes and then complete their 50 laps and ride over 500 kilometers.
At around five o'clock in the morning is the most beautiful time on the course, when the sun rises and nature awakens, but also the most difficult, because you have to fight fatigue. Relaxation, on the other hand, can always be found in the massage tent, where physiotherapists from the Professor Grewe School in Osnabrück and the Quakenbrück Physiotherapy School get the athletes fit. The treatments are not just for the riders, but also for a good cause: the money raised goes to the Christian Children's Hospital in Osnabrück and the nature conservation and education center at Alfsee.
The race at Alfsee also marked the start of a new nationwide e-bike racing series in 2023. In order to offer new incentives to the ever-increasing number of e-bikers, the German Cycling Federation has now created this new nationwide race series that focuses on the e-bike. It celebrated its premiere at Alfsee. The new "E-MTB Marathon Power League" comprises several events where interested e-bikers can compete with others.
<br View website| Price information | Entry fees: Earlybird 90,- € ends on 31.10.23 Early bird 105,- € ends on 31.12.2023 Normal rate 120,- € ends on 28.02.2024 Last Minute 125,- € ends on 01.05.24 Registration deadline: May 03, 2024, 11:59 pm |
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Alfsee - Ferien- und Erlebnispark Am Campingpark 10 49597 Rieste Website: www.24h-alfsee.de |
Please inquire on the homepages or directly in the respective houses about the current opening and event times, prices, cancellations, etc.. This information can change at short notice!
