It might not be so bad, if Guido Kunze didn't really love summer. Even blazing heat. When he sets off from Colfosco on the Sella Ronda - with nothing in his jersey pockets but a pump, tube, bar, windbreaker and phone - the sun is still shining. But not for long. Right at the end of lap one, it's pouring with rain. Guido's wife Gaby and son Melvin are standing by the course, handing out energy bars and a new water bottle. Guido is not discouraged, tackling the climb to the Grödner Joch for the second time-- and pleased to see that the rain is already easing again. "We're lucky, it could have been much worse," he says when he reaches the Sella Pass after almost exactly five hours. He quickly wolfs down a bar, pulls on his windbreaker and sets off on the descent in front of the spectacular panorama of the Dolomites.
With his single-speed bike, he has to rely purely on gravity on the downhill sections. Pedaling along makes no sense even on moderate downhills, and pedaling out of the curves is impossible. But the descents naturally offer good opportunities to collect oneself, to give body and mind a little rest for the energy-sapping climbs, where the gradient determines the cadence and mercilessly sets the rhythm. In lap two, Guido slowly starts to get used to the strain. He has his typical relaxed grin on his face as he climbs the Passo Pordoi. But then suddenly, the world comes to an end.