An excursion into the world of experience of the cranks

Christoph Zöpfl reports on how he is doing in his preparations for the Ascendor Handbike Half Marathon:

When I have to classify things but don't have a proper yardstick at hand, I follow a simple instruction manual - if at all possible: just try it out for yourself. This method has often accompanied my work as a sports journalist and taught me not only to celebrate the winners, but above all to respect the achievements of the so-called losers.

With the self-attempt to start in the handbike competition at the Linz Marathon, after my starts over quarter, half and "full marathon", I got involved in a world of experience that was almost foreign to me. Cycling, lying on the road, using only the strength of your hands - for a person without physical impairments, this sweat-inducing cranking actually makes no sense.

That's not true.

Since the beginning of December, I have been training on average five times a week for my handbike premiere. With Christoph Etzlstorfer, I have the best coach you can imagine at my side. I was allowed to screw his winning handbike from the 2004 Paralympics in Athens onto the ergometer. It's not quite young anymore, but certainly less used than I am. Christoph watches over my wattage numbers, gives me important impulses for training. I regularly curse his "ramps" and "miracle intervals" and at the same time I'm proud that I'm putting more and more watts on the crank. And every time I crawl out of the handbike after a workout, grab an electrolyte drink from the fridge, and take the stairs up to the shower, I'm thankful that I'm a person whose feet work. Unlike my fellow handbike riders. My admiration for them increases with each turn of the crank. And I crank a lot, so few weeks before the handbike half marathon.

To be continued...

We wish Christoph the best of luck at the Ascendor Handbike Half Marathon on April 16, 2023.

You can read how he fared in the race here on our homepage after the marathon.

Photo: private