SCHWALBE EMPLOYEES SEBASTIAN BREUER WINS BADLANDS ON THE G-ONE RS
784 kilometers in 43.5 hours without any sleep.
Badlands is one of the most famous and at the same time toughest gravel races in the world:
- 784 kilometers, almost 15,000 meters in altitude and temperatures up to 42° Celsius - A total of 43 hours and 40 minutes on the bike, broken only by breaks for eating and refueling
THE COURSE OF THE RACE
Sebastian Breuer, who is responsible for teams and athletes as the Liaison Manager Race at Schwalbe, drove his rhythm on the G-One RS (45mm) right from the start. After initially lagging behind, he caught up with the leading group after around 60 kilometers. Then he "accidentally" reduced the lead group to three riders. The reason: His circuit had misaligned and he could not drive in the lowest gear. So he had to pick up more speed before climbs in order not to stop. After around 180 kilometers, Breuer was alone in the lead and remained so until the end. Second was Ben Koch on the G-One Overland (40mm), who finished in 45 hours and 19 minutes.
SELF TALKS
Over 600 kilometers without seeing another driver: "I talked to myself and kept motivating myself." Breuer once got loud when he was angry with himself. He had missed a turn and had to turn around after 2.5 kilometers to get back on track: "You idiot, what are you doing here? Get your focus right. That was also a good wake-up call in the last quarter of the race.”
THE HARDEST PHASE
The last 100 kilometers. It was almost all uphill, the descents were steep and dangerous. The sleep deprivation also made itself felt: "That was the hardest thing, mentally and physically, that I've ever done." In the end, the key to success was his unconditional will, which he summarizes simply: "You know that you already have your finger on the win it's your turn, you just have to go at your own pace.” And Breuer went one better – on a 13-kilometre climb with an incline of up to 20%, he really accelerated again. "I still had good legs and wanted to signal to the rear: You don't have a chance anymore, you can't get close." With more than 300 watts he drove up the climb and increased his lead to the finish line by more than half an hour.
110 EUROS FOR COLA AND SNICKERS
The supplies had to be sufficient not only for a trip through the desert, but for a complete night without the possibility of a stopover. Breuer therefore had several kilograms of extra luggage on his bike to get through. Except for a wind vest, he used the entire space for eating and drinking. Salvation did not come until 8 a.m.: breakfast, coffee, cola. In total, Breuer spent 110 euros on Coke and Snickers on his trip to replenish his energy reserves.
THE NIGHTS
“The first night was very beautiful, totally calm, an unbelievable starry sky, plus the moon. On the second night I saw a lot of animals: wild boars, huge deer, partridges, badgers, a fox. Unfortunately, I didn't notice anything about the landscape, so I could have driven through Bensheim at night. It wasn't until I woke up in the mountain village the next morning that I realized what a crazy landscape that is.” The sleep deprivation gradually made itself felt. "On the second day I noticed that I saw things that didn't even exist. For example, I thought there was a photographer over there, but when I got closer, it was just a rock.”
THE CULMINATION
Crossing the finish line was nothing special for Breuer - he was too tired and too exhausted to do anything else. "That didn't affect me emotionally at all, I went straight to bed." Only after a little distance did he realize over the course of the next day: "Wow awesome, I've won Badlands." His real highlight was around 120 kilometers from the finish, when Photographers and film crew were waiting at one point. "That's when I realized they're here because you're about to win the race. That was a real kick and I automatically got into a flow, had a total high.”
THE SET UP
Breuer rode Schwalbe's
G-One RS, 45mm, Tubeless,
with more than 100ml of milk per tire to be on the safe side. And that paid off, he came through the race without a defect, as did the other Schwalbe athletes Chris Hall and Cynthia Frazier. His conclusion: "The G-One RS has been my favorite and best tire for the whole year, I trust it blindly." This made the story complete, because a year ago Breuer drove the very first prototype of the tire at Badlands. “Now to come back and win on the production tire is an amazing experience. In the overall package, that I also worked on it as part of the project, it's awesome. The personal connection to the tire makes it special.”
