Contraire: A seemingly ordinary bike trip by Jakob Breitwieser and Daniel Eiermann
The two VAUDE athletes Jakob Breitwieser and Daniel Eiermann were on the road with mountain bike and trailer in the Swiss Alps. In collaboration with the two filmmakers Holger Wimmer and David Schultheiß, the inspiring and very entertaining film "Contraire - Just an ordinary Biking Journey" was created. We asked the two mountain bikers about their project.
What is is the film "Contraire" about?
Jakob: In a nutshell: two buddies go on a biking vacation. Maybe we should mention that our understanding of vacation and recreation might not be everyone's cup of tea...
Daniel: ...and for us this also includes a certain amount of challenge or, if you like, adventure. Especially biking above 3000m is something special and usually a bit adventurous.
How was the idea for this kind of trip born?
Jakob: Well, the idea to go to the mountains by bike and (then without bike) to climb mountains is ancient and certainly not our own. I started doing it because as a student it was simply the cheapest way to get to the mountains. A train ticket and/or your own legs, that's all it took.
Daniel: In the specific case of Contraire, we really didn't want to waste the valuable vacation time with long transfers in some vehicle, but to be outside in the fresh air. Because we were able to take all the material with us in the trailer, our short adventure vacation started right at the front door.
How long did it take you to plan the trip?
Jakob: Good question. Since Daniel in particular, as a Swiss by choice, already knows the Valais pretty well, the peaks we were aiming for were clear relatively quickly and could then somehow be tied together to form a sensible route. Of course, the detailed planning, the arrangement and scheduling with the two cameramen and the organization of the necessary equipment took longer.
Daniel: The planning certainly took a few good hours. I had already done most of the peaks as a day tour, so the challenge was rather to find a logical route that also allowed the transfers with the trailers accordingly. Severin Schindler, a good friend of mine, was also instrumental in the planning, but unfortunately he was unable to join us in the end due to injury.
Did everything go as planned? Or were there any problems?
Jakob: Of course, everything didn't go according to plan... For example, one of the two cameramen had to deal with an inflamed knee due to overuse right after the first day. In addition, we actually wanted to climb the Bishorn with the bikes as a highlight - unfortunately, the weather threw a spanner in the works and we had to change our plans. Broken down to the experience, however, I would say that everything went according to plan.
Daniel: Plans are just plans. Because of the company of David and Holger, we were not quite as flexible as usual. Camera e-bikes and equipment also had to be carried up a step. of course, this always takes a little longer than you think. In retrospect, to be honest, I'm relieved that nothing really went wrong. It can quickly become no longer funny, even if we were always below 4000m. For example, we also met a group who were on the way for the same tour to the Baarhorn with a mountain guide... and they had no bikes with them.
In the Film you put in the individual stages partly many KM and AM back and most of the time you seem quite relaxed - how do you manage something like that?
Jakob: Let's put it this way: The stages wouldn't be any shorter if we were not relaxed... a certain self-irony often helps, especially if your buddy shares the same kind of humor. As far as fitness is concerned, although we are both fully committed to our jobs, we have both been involved in competitive sports for years and have probably built up a good basic level of fitness that we can always draw on. In addition, we kind of enjoy toughening ourselves up a bit, and most of the time there's always more to it than you thought before.
Daniel: That was not really much. As I said: Vacation. No, all joking aside. Just the 1st day had already 100 km as transfer. The fact that we then still made it to the Arpelistock amazed me myself. But the descent over the Bilderbuchrat into the sunset was an absolute highlight that I will not forget so quickly.
How much (and what) did you eat per day to cover the calorie consumption?
Jakob: About everything we found along the way. The best are actually supermarkets in the valley, where you can just fill up everything. But otherwise also bakeries or sometimes a stop at the hut, if we had the opportunity. Always with us we have actually a bit of bread, a lot of cheese and a bar of chocolate and a few energy bars for emergencies. So probably not exactly what nutrition experts would recommend...
Daniel: ...the trailer is also great for taking everything you need with you. The food supply was really more than secured. Sure, it was not always enough for a 3-course meal, but honestly: Often something simple tastes better in front of the tent anyway. At least that's how I feel.
You cycled on roads as well as on trails and have changed the tires for each of them. How long did it take you to change the tires?
Jakob: Well, the tire change itself is very fast, maybe a few minutes with wheel removal and reinstallation. Inflating the tubeless tires with the mini pump was a bit more complicated. Fortunately, but has worked every time!
Daniel: Much more stupid was that we actually did not have enough latex milk. The plan was to transfer the milk from the mounted tires in. Therefore we had no spare bottle with us. But what we had not considered: The Gravel tires are much narrower and when mounting at home we had not actually considered to fill enough milk for the much wider MTB tires. That was then at the first change already a small WTF moment. It is still baffling to me now that Jakob was with an estimated 5 milliliters of latex milk in the tires on the Platthorn... without a flat tire.
How does such a trailer drive? Partly you were quite a bit of shooting!
Jakob: Surprisingly well! Uphill, of course, it feels a bit like someone is holding you by the seat post, but on the flat and downhill it's really super good. Even on trails, which has also amazed us! Only narrow turns can bring one something in predicament.
Daniel: If you ever think a trail is too boring or too easy: Mount a hanger. It's a whole new riding experience. I'm serious about that.
What were your personal highlights of the trip?
Jakob: Phew, being able to look at the Matterhorn in the evening like that was really cool! And then, of course, being able to take a movie of our vacation trip with us as a souvenir.
Daniel: The overnight stay in the posh resort of Zermatt. That was very special and "contraire". But my real highlight was actually the climb to the Moint de l`Etoile. The landscape at dawn; that was already sensationally beautiful.
What's next? Do you already have plans for further Adventures?
Jakob: For us, concrete plans are always made only 1 minute before departure. Basically, however, we want to go to the mountains as much as possible - preferably under our own steam, whether it's biking, climbing or mountaineering:
Daniel: Good question. Plans are only plans and there are just some of them. I'll let myself be surprised....
