The starting shot for the BASF Triathlon Cup Rhein-Neckar 2020 should be given in Musbach on June 7th. The RomerMan in Ladenburg was planned for July 18, and the HeidelbergMan was to follow on July 26. The Viernheim organization team wanted to conclude with their V-Card triathlon on August 23. But as you know, there will be none of the traditional races this year.
INNOVATIVE FORMAT LAUNCHED
After the events had to be canceled due to the corona pandemic, the Cup organizing teams did not hesitate long and rescheduled. They quickly received the green light for their idea from the main sponsor, BASF in Ludwigshafen, and entered into a cooperation with ROUVY, from Vimperk / Czech Republic, the provider of a virtual cycling platform. Now it is clear that the TCRN 2020 will be held as a virtual race. The pedals of the smart bikes can be stepped on until the sweat flows freely.
“We are very happy that the Cup does not have to be canceled this year, but can take place as an innovative format with four virtual bike races offered by Rouvy. With Anne Haug, we also won the current world champion for our idea,” says Jürgen Hilberath, managing director of the BASF Triathlon Cup Rhein-Neckar, about the unconventional solution. And he adds: "Thanks to BASF, but also because a number of local sponsors support the clubs, we were able to launch the virtual competitions for our fans at short notice and without red tape."
HAUG, ANGERT AND ERHARDT WILL BE THE BENCHMARK
Anne Haug, Florian Angert and Julian Erhardt want to ensure a good competitive feeling and as an incentive to give everything on a smart bike. The most prominent face of the scene is surely Anne Haug. The graduate sports scientist has numerous titles and podium finishes. Her career was crowned last year by her victory at the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii. Florian Angert, on the other hand, is an “old acquaintance” at the TCRN. The 28-year-old professional triathlete, who won first places in the Challenge in Prague and the Ironman Barcelona in 2019, won the BASF Cup three times from 2015 to 2017. 28-year-old Julian Erhardt, who is currently starting for Triathlon Grassau in the 1.Bundesliga and has had his greatest successes over the sprint and the Olympic distance, was at the top of the podium at the TCRN in 2018 and 2019. Erhardt would have liked to have completed the triple in 2020 and would like to do so in the coming year.
When the first virtual race in Musbach is released, Julian Erhardt will be at the start and set the pace accordingly over the sprint distance. In Ladenburg, Florian Angert takes on the role of the favorite when it comes to driving over White Stone to Odenwald. The Hawaii winner 2019, Anne Haug, will do everything she can to keep the competition at a distance on the challenging Heidelberg route up to the Konigstuhl.
The top starters not only want to pedal, but they will also say a few personal words to their colleagues. It is also planned that the tops should comment on the respective route from their point of view. After all, not every participant knows the pitfalls and highlights of the different competition routes.
NO PARTICIPATION LIMIT - OPEN TO EVERYONE
Anyone who owns a smart bike or a bike trainer can participate. Participants can register for the TCRN races at ROUVY and “cycle” the unique and all challenging routes on the originally planned competition day. The corresponding registration link will be published on the TCRN homepage shortly. ROUVY unlocks the races at 9.45 a.m. The respective race starts at 10 a.m.
- June 7th, the Musbacher route starts - “driving in” over the sprint distance through the Palatinate Forest.
- July 18, the Ladenburg route follows up to the Weisen Stein and on to the Ursenbacher Hohe.
- July 26, the Konigstuhl in Heidelberg can be conquered twice.
- August 23, the path from Hemsbacher Wiesensee forms over Juhohe in Oden
100 RACE SLOTS ARE FREE
For the first 100 applicants to take part in the virtual TCRN cycle races, ROUVY and the Cup organizers are offering voucher codes available on www.de-timing.de, which are valid for 3 (three) months. The links for the registration portal are:
- for the event: https://runtix.com/sts/10021/1910
- for the online registration: https://runtix.com/sts/10400/1910
If you join and don't get any of the first 100 free registrations, you can buy a subscription from ROUVY in June and then pay 10 euros each for the following two months if you want to finish at the TCRN competitions.
WINNINGS FOR RIDERS
As every year, participants who compete in at least three of the four TCRN races will be included in the final TCRN evaluation. Being part of the virtual races the “real” winners can hardly be determined and the final number of participants is not predictable. To avoid injustices, all athletes who finish three of the four TCRN races will be eligible to take part in a raffle. You can win eight online shopping vouchers of 250 Euros each.
“We have no overview at all, let alone the possibility of checking who will start with us in their private rooms and under what conditions. Nevertheless, we want to give an incentive to participate in the races, and of course, we want to reward the successful participants,” explains Hilberath.
VIRTUAL FANS EXPRESSLY WANTED
Unfortunately, there will not be tens of thousands of spectators and frantic applause when crossing the finish line like in “normal” years at the TCRN 2020. It is still possible to watch the race remotely and cheer either on the ROUVY platform or on the TCRN Facebook page. So everyone can follow their favorites or - animated by the attractive competition routes - cycle comfortably on their home trainers through the Palatinate Forest and Odenwald.
The race routes will stay on the ROUVY platform after the four TCRN competitions and can be found and started again at any time. It is a great test to check the current fitness level in the course of the season or to prepare for the 2021 competitions.
Additional Information:
Homepage www.basf-tcrn.de
Facebook BASF Triathlon-Cup Rhein-Neckar
Contact person for the media:
Jürgen Hilberath
Managing Director of the BASF Triathlon Cup Rhein-Neckar
juergen.hilberath@jci.com
Telefon: +49 173 3456408
About the BASF Triathlon Cup Rhein-Neckar
The BASF Triathlon Cup Rhein-Neckar (TCRN) is one of the most important national triathlon events. The events of the voluntary club members can regularly be found in the list of the most popular German races over the Olympic distance or middle distance. The 3-Lander-Cup, which was launched in 2005, traditionally comprises five demanding competitions in Rhineland-Palatinate, Baden-Wurttemberg and Hesse:
Musbach Triathlon
To kick off the BASF Triathlon Cup Rhein-Neckar, TV 1860 Musbach is organizing its sprint distance competition. The athletes complete the 750-meter swimming route in the heated Neustadt stadium pool. The cycle route over 20 kilometers leads uphill past Lindenberg and through the Gimmeldinger valley and the vineyards to Musbach. Finally, a 5-kilometer run awaits the athletes before they reach their goal in the TV Musbach stadium:
www.tv-mussbach.de/tria
Maxdorf Triathlon
The middle distance race organized by TSG Maxdorf every two years (2 km swimming, 85 km cycling, 20 km running) starts with swimming in the night pasture pond in Lambsheim. You cycle twice over the Lindemannsruh; the run ends after a circuit through Maxdorf Forest on the lawn sports ground in Maxdorf. Maxdorf will be there again in 2021.
www.tsg-maxdorf.de
RomerMan Ladenburg
The RomerMan begins for the triathletes with a boat tour on the Neckar. At river kilometer 16 the starting signal for the swim course is fired. The athletes can climb up to 16 percent by bike. The final run leads twice through “Germany's most beautiful park 2006” and ends in the Roman Stadium, where athletes and spectators traditionally celebrate the legendary finisher party together with the Grönemeyer band “Starboyzz”.
www.roemerman.de
HeidelbergMan
The HeidelbergMan offers one of the most scenic and challenging routes. The athletes start the 1,700-meter swim course in the Neckar at the Old Bridge. The subsequent cycle route leads through the old town up to Heidelberg Castle and then runs twice over the Konigstuhl. After the second change on the Neckarwiese, the participants follow the mountainous Philosophenweg almost five kilometers before descending to their destination.
www.heidelbergman.de
Viernheimer V-Card Triathlon
The Viernheim triathlon is one of the oldest sporting events in Germany. The land start at Hemsbacher Wiesensee is particularly impressive when around 250 athletes jump into the lake at the same time. When going ashore between the two swimming laps, the spectators can follow the state of the race. The bike route leads through the Saukop tunnel, which is specially closed to the race for car traffic. The start and finish of the final 10-kilometer run through the Viernheim forest is Waldstadion, in front of which the finishers can be celebrated in front of the fully-occupied grandstand.
www.viernheimer-triathlon.de