Kuhn Special Steel at the “Night on Bike 2016”

Riders in various performance classes – some participating as individuals, others as part of a team – raced through the region called “Bergisches Land”. Riders had to lap the 11.5-kilometre circuit consisting of 80% woods or meadows, which had been kept secret up to the last minute, as many times as they could in the allotted time of 16 hours. Some 780 participants, including enthusiastic amateurs as well as determined professionals, rose to the challenge and were cheered on by the many fans present, as they cycled through the night.

Kuhn Special Steel likewise took part, in what was a home-town event for the firm, with its four-man Kuhn-Rennstahl racing team. Ten months after registration for the Night on Bike event, the tent was set up in the riders’ camp on Saturday. All the places at the camp were taken up, and a great team atmosphere reigned among the highly fit riders, who were positively looking forward to the race with tense anticipation. After the final obligatory session for all riders – a meeting to deliver instructions regarding the basic rules of the event – the Kuhn-Rennstahl team suffered a moment of extreme anxiety when a twisted knee injury unfortunately ruled Moritz Hübner out of the race before it had even started. It looked as if the four-man team would now be reduced to a trio. However, after some careful reflection and a number of phone calls, a solution was quickly found in the shape of our willing colleague Markus Kranz, who immediately jumped in to complete the team consisting of Sinisa Simovski, Sören Krystek and Thomas Krull.

The race began at 7 pm on the dot, with a Le-Mans-style sprint to the bikes. The route was indeed scenic, but the hazards in store included roots, tree branches, stones, mud and abrupt inclines; all of which demanded both maximum sporting prowess and a lot of concentration from the riders taking part. The Kuhn-Rennstahl team therefore initially decided to swap one rider at the end of every lap, to allow each participant to get used to the terrain and familiarise himself with the route while there was still enough daylight in which to do so. As night fell, the tactics changed: each team member would now race two laps at a time, to be followed by a brief break and at least the possibility of a short “power nap”. The good mood and sense of camaraderie between riders and fans made the night pass quickly. By the time the sixteen-hour race ended, each of the exhausted but highly satisfied members of the Kuhn-Rennstahl team had completed no fewer than six laps. The team was finally placed 18th in the “AK men” class, and 50th overall with respect to all four-man teams. This was a highly satisfactory result for all concerned, who are already eyeing up new challenges. The organisers have meanwhile fixed a date for the 2017 Night on Bike event (www.night-on-bike.de).