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Training in Frankfurt: The Langener Waldsee, Taunus Hills, and the Main River Towpath
Frankfurt is the most functional triathlon training city in central Europe — a forest lake for open-water swimming, Taunus hills for climbing, a flat river towpath for tempo work, and a major airport hub under an hour from all of it.
By ZealZag TeamStornes, Iden, Blummenfelt in the Frankfurt Heat: IRONMAN's European Championship Is Live
The IRONMAN European Championship in Frankfurt opened this morning with a modified course — 125km bike, 21.1km run — after 35°C heat forced organisers to shorten distances. Three Norwegian world champions are on the start list. Results pending.
By ZealZag TeamThe First 9a: Wolfgang Güllich, Action Directe, and the Move That Changed Climbing
In 1991, Wolfgang Güllich made the first ascent of Action Directe in Bavaria's Frankenjura — completing a route now recognised as the world's first 9a. The route is nine metres long, and it required Güllich to invent a new training tool specifically to build the finger and pulling power that a single explosive movement demanded. He died in a car accident less than a year later. The campus board is in every climbing gym in the world.
By ZealZag TeamFrankenjura: Europe's Hardest Limestone Belt, Three Hours from Prague
The Frankenjura in northern Bavaria holds the highest concentration of hard sport routes in Europe — Action Directe is here, 3.5 hours southwest of Prague, and the sectors between Pottenstein, Gößweinstein, and Betzenstein cover every grade from beginner slab to cutting-edge 9a. The practical guide for athletes heading from WCS Prague toward WCS Innsbruck.
By ZealZag TeamChallenge Roth: What to Know Before You Enter the World's Fastest Long-Course Triathlon
Challenge Roth runs through a small Bavarian town with roughly 250,000 spectators lining a course that has produced some of the fastest long-course times in the sport's history. The lottery fills in hours. Here is what the race actually delivers and whether the trip is worth building your season around.
By ZealZag Team