The new Global Bike Festival could be described as the “Glastonbury festival” for cyclists. It was a 4-day cycling extravaganza that was action packed with rides, challenges, and interviews, all nestled in the beautiful Austrian Alps in Saalbach.
About the Event
It was facilitated by Play Sports Network, who are the world’s largest cycling media company and consist of active lifestyles channels such as Global Cycling Network (GCN), Global Mountain Bike Network (GMBN), and Electric Mountain Bike Network (EMBN).
This event has been 5 years in the making. First conceived in 2017, it was initially scheduled for summer 2020, but was subsequently delayed due to the global pandemic. However it was worth the wait!
Event Director James Pope explained, “For our first year, we wanted to keep the event to a manageable size and scale the event organically over the next few years. We have 450 people registered to attend from around the world, with 30% of attendees from the UK, 30% from Germany and Austria, 10% from the US, and the remainder from the rest of the world.”
Partners
Play Sports Network had partnered with the industry’s leading brands to deliver a top lineup of interactive events for people to enjoy.
Zwift presented the event and along with Wahoo ensured that the cycling fun continued into the night, providing an interactive cycling experience for all levels to participate.
World-renowned bike tool manufacturer Park Tool was present, along with their well-known and respected mechanic Calvin Jones who was on hand to support any riders with bike issues throughout the day.
Isadore, the premium cycling brand created by former professional cycling brothers Peter and Martin Velits, were present too. This allowed riders to purchase any kit they might have forgotten to bring or replace, should they have a slight accident during an event.
The Global Bike Festival had chosen to support the World Bicycle Relief, who were present and raising awareness of their charity. The World Bicycle Relief is a non-profit organization that empowers “individuals to access education, healthcare, and economic opportunities through life-changing bicycles.” The bicycle referenced is the specifically designed “Buffalo bike,” which is a sturdy bicycle designed for use in rural communities and distributed across Africa.
Festival Feel
Play Sports Network had commandeered the largest open space in Saalbach, strategically located in the center of the town. This area was transformed into a paddock, decked in their branding, and it’s where all rides started and finished.
Their main presenting stage took central position with a covered seating area to shelter from the scorching sun and enough tables and benches for people to sit and enjoy the local delicacies. These were washed down with the event’s official beer, Brewdog, whilst simultaneously watching live interviews with special guests such as Olympic legend Ed Clancy.
Within the paddock, partners set their stalls. This certainly was not an expo where you were being sold the latest products. Wahoo were explicit in stating that they were there to let people try their products for the day, so if you wanted to test their latest cycling computer, you were free to do so.
All cycle events started and finished here. Rides departed at 9am and finished by 3pm, in time for a packed agenda of interviews, presentations, and more fun events. These events included the “Car Park Criterium,” which saw people racing their bikes around an underground car park, with the fastest riders competing for overall victory.
On stage, mechanical guru Calvin Jones from Park Tool gave daily presentations about bike mechanics. He answered people’s questions, which often related to the latest issue that they experienced during the day’s ride. This was followed by interviews with cycling superstars such as 11-times Tour de France stage winner Andre Greipel, 3-times Olympic Team Pursuit Gold medalist Ed Clancy, and former National Road Race Champion turned business owner Peter Velits.
The Stars
As well as your chance to meet and interact with the presenters from GCN, EMBN, and GMBN, legends from the field of cycling were present for people to mingle and even ride with.
As noted, more formal interviews were conducted on stage with Ed Clancy talking about his career on the track and Peter Velits talking about life in the professional peloton and his company, Isadore.
Andre Greipel recounted his favourite victories, which was not easy considering he has over 150 to choose from!
Cycling in Saalbach
Saalbach provided the perfect backdrop for the event, enabling cyclists to ride their preferred discipline and try something different, with plentiful gravel trails and countless kilometers of very technical mountain bike trails to tackle.
The GCN presenters escorted people on their adventures, the highlight being the road ride with Andre Greipel. This consisted of a 119km round trip up the epic Grossglockner. 21.4km long and peaking at over 2400 meters, this was a mighty climb, but the effort was worthwhile as it offered spectacular views.
Cycling with Andre and the GCN presenters was a personal highlight and a unique experience for me, but it also highlighted the huge gulf in ability between being an enthusiastic amateur cyclist and a professional.
My strength as a cyclist is climbing, and having recently posted some respectable times on the big climbs on Zwift I was feeling prepared. Well, as prepared as I could be given that I don’t have access to 2000-meter high mountains to train on within Zwift.
I was wanting to be able to “hold my own” when we got onto the Grossglockner climb and to be fair I did, right up until 1700 meters. At 1700m, with the air thinning, we turned one of the many switchbacks and I noticed my heart rate had increased into the anaerobic zone. This was not good and with still several hundred meters to go, I decided to slow a little, to recover. The consequence was that I slipped off the back of the select group that contained Andre, several GCN presenters who were also former professionals, and the remaining two amateur riders.
Related post: “An Interview with Andre Greipel”
As the one-meter gap widened to three or four, I gave a sprint to catch back, but that was the worst thing I could have done. Upon catching, I was short of breath and couldn’t keep the pace. I watched as the group eased away and I was left climbing at my own pace, gasping for air.
It was amazing to witness the strength of the pros and the ease in which Andre was able to climb. It’s important to remember that he is a sprinter, which shows the level of world tour pro riders!
This gulf in ability was further emphasized on the descent. As I was barreling down the mountain at speeds approaching 70kph and right at the top end of my comfort zone I was overtaken, on the outside, by Andre, followed closely by two of the GCN presenters. They must have been doing close to 90kph! At that point I felt the gulf in talent was as wide as the ocean.
A less hilly route was chosen for the following day, with only 1100 meters of elevation to tackle, but I decided against it given my previous day’s exertions.
For mountain bikers, there were plenty of options to try. The most challenging was scheduled for Sunday and involved six cable cars and the five mountains around Saalbach Hinterglemm and Leogang!
If you are into downhill mountain biking, there are many kilometers of trails to race. And with two gondolas taking you back up the mountain, you can literally spend your days flying downhill! Many did just this, but with mixed results. As the weekend progressed, I saw an increasing number of people walking around with their arms in plaster casts…
Highlights
One of the highlights of the weekend was the event hosted by Zwift called “GCN vs the World.”
The premise was that 6 GCN presenters would race against riders from across the world. The challenge was: could the GCN presenters, who had a 2-minute advantage, hold off a chasing peloton of 200 riders? To make it “fairer,” the GCN presenters raced in a relay, with the riders changing at the halfway point of the 13.1 virtual course.
Read GCN vs The World – Race Report for more details
Riding on Wahoo KICKR smart bikes, positioned center stage and illuminated by the beautiful evening sun, a crowd soon gathered as the event got underway. Former professional cyclist Chris Pritchard provided live commentary for what proved to be a unique spectacle that saw the GCN presenters hold off the chasing back with meters to spare.
This event successfully engaged with those who were at the festival but also ensured those who could not make the event could still participate.
Evening Entertainment
As the main paddock closed, the evening entertainment moved into a nearby club and continued well into the night, with a host of interactive events spread over the weekend.
Thursday saw Zwift and Wahoo link up to host their “Crank it Up!” challenge with riders competing for the fastest time up Watopia’s Hilly KOM. The top three then raced it out for a prize. This was particularly well received as everyone came together to test their climbing skills, making this a really interactive and special experience.
The following nights, both GCN and GMBN recorded their shows in front of a live audience, giving festival-goers the opportunity to not only see what goes on behind the scenes of the show but also to actively participate.
To round out the evening, well-known DJs such as A-Skillz, Norman Jay MBE, and DJ Yoda were on hand to ensure no one went to bed early.
Summing Up and the Future of the Event
The Global Bike Festival was, without doubt, a special event. It provided me the opportunity to not only meet stars of cycling, and presenters from the well watched shows, but also to ride with them.
The packed and well-prepared agenda ensured that there was always something to watch and/or get involved with. Furthermore, it provided us with the opportunity to try different cycling disciplines. In fact, bike brand Kona was on hand to lend out their mountain bikes.
A 3-year partnership with the local tourist board means the Play Sports Network and their team will be in attendance next year, with plans to expand the event.
I am left wondering two things: when is it on next year and how do I get invited back?
Credit: James Cheadle
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