A few weeks ago we were guests at Sigma in Landau in the Palatinate and were allowed to take part in an adventurous night ride together with Marcel Kittel, Karl Platt and some friends. Of course we took the chance and asked the two pros a bit about gravel, training and the world championship.
In 2019 Marcel Kittel said goodbye to professional sport after a successful career - including 14 stage victories in the Tour de France. We met him with marathon legend Karl Platt in Landau on a gravel night ride planned by Sigma. We asked them a few questions and wanted to know what makes Gravel so special. Karl's mountain bike influence and Marcel's road bike background combine two categories of sport and have Gravel as an intersection.
After the interview and a cup of coffee or two, we were equipped with lamps and made our way to the Palatinate vineyards.
Sigma equipped us with four different lamps. The Blaze as a rear light, the Buster 800 for the helmet, the powerful Buster 1100 and the StvZo compliant Aura. So we should be prepared for gravel action and road traffic.
From paved roads, it quickly went to muddy forest paths that meandered up the hills of the foggy Palatinate.
After only going uphill at first, the first descent on a short single trail came in very handy.
Take a short break and count once. It wasn't that easy to keep the troupe together in the shadows and in the dark.
Everyone was still there. But after the next descent on a very slippery single trail, the first had disappeared.
Nevertheless, everyone was in a good mood.
At dinner everyone was together again.
