The starting village of Fussen Germany Chipotle-Titus is about ready to launch into an epic adventure in Europe - the 2008 TransAlp. This 8 day stage race is run in teams of 2. The teammates must never separate or face a 1 hour time penalty. We have entered 2 teams; the duo of Mike Hogan & Thomas Dooley are looking at a win in the masters category. They are racing under the Chipotle-Titus team name. Our second team - the old but steady guys; Mark Gouge & Drew Geer are racing as Chipolte-Velonews. You can follow us on the Velonews site, the transalp site & here at our blog.
Mike Hogan is the current USA national marathon champion & has 2 prior championships. He has won the 24 Hours of Adrenalin, 24 Hours of Steamboat & 3rd in the USA National 24 Hour race. He has a 4th place Leadville 100 finish as well as 2 top 10 & 2 sub 8 hour Leadvilles.
Thomas Dooley also has a top 10 Leadville finish & a sub 8 hour ride in his 2nd Leadville 100. He rode to a win in the 2007 24 Hours of Steamboat & has 2nd & 3rd in the US Marathon nationals in 2004 & 2005
Mark Gouge has ridden the Leadville 100 nine times (6 under 9 hours) , & is entered in his 10th soon after TransAlp. He was also on the winning 24 Hour of Steamboat team. He has ridden to 2nd place at the 24 Hours of Moab twice. He rode the 2006 Kona 24 Hours solo. He has 10 Ironman finishes including 3 Ironman Hawaii as well as running a 2:46 pr in the marathon.
Drew Geer teamed up with Hogan , Dooley &Gouge to win the 24 Hours of Steamboat in 2007. He has won the 24 Hours of Adrenalin & rode with Hogan to a 3rd place in the US Nationals 24 hour race. He has 6 Leadville 100 finishes including a personal best of 8th place with a sub 8 hour effort. He has finished the US National Marathon Championships in 7th (2006) & 10th (2008).
TransAlp is the original muti-day mountain bike stage race. It has become immensely popular & now fills all entry slots within minutes of registration opening. A whole series has spawned follow TransAlp – TransRockies, Cape Epic, TransGermany, La Ruta, BC Bike Race & others. This event is on the top 10 “must do before I am to old to ride” list for any serious mountain bike rider. The race course changes every year, using different towns & trails, but the general route is similar – Germany through Austria, Switzerland & finishing in Italy.
This is a climber’s race with every day tackling big hills. While less technical single track than most pure mountain bike races, or the sister stage races such as Transrockies or BC Bike race, the shear amount of climbing makes this event far from easy. Traversing the spine of the Alps & the Italian Dolomites while racing in four countries & staying in small alpine villages adds to the appeal.
We have not ridden any of the courses & do not know the area well, having only ridden road bikes in the region. The courses will all be new to us, while most of our competitors are very familiar with the terrain. While adding to the challenge. Riding the courses blind will also add to the fun & excitement. There will be lots of surprise in store.
Stage 1: July 19th: Fussen Germany to Imst Austria
80km: Elevation gain: 1962 meters (6, 400 ft)
Fussen, a beautiful town in the heart of Barvaria, is the home of the most famous castles in Germany. Day one looks like a nice intro stage. Emotions will be high & everyone’s legs will rested. There is likely to be a very fast start. The start rolls over bikepath & gravel roads gradually uphill for 50 km. There is a single big climb of 750 meters (2500 feet), from km 50 – 57. This climb is 7 km at at average of 11% gradient. It is then all down hill on gravel roads to the finish in Imst Austria.
(images & profiles from the transalp crew) 
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