Until a few years ago, the White Ring ski race was a "family race" on the ski circuit of the same name through the Arlberg ski resorts of Lech, Zürs and Zug. And just like back then, the race starts at the Rüfikopf. Staggered into groups of starters, the 2014 edition of the White Ring also featured a challenging route with a few directional gates through the Arlberg ski area.
Thanks to the extremely successful Arlberg PR machinery, which has reached top form in marketing the race, the relatively relaxed race has turned into a fierce battle of equipment. Normal winter sports enthusiasts become ski racers overnight: armed with 190 to 220 cm long World Cup skis and skin-tight racing suits, they take to the start line. Wealthy Arlberg guests "buy" former top ski racers or even active FIS racers as personal gladiators in order to have a chance of winning the team ranking and throwing a huge party afterwards. Unfortunately, the normal guests of Lech and Zürs are increasingly falling by the wayside.
The White Ring | Race report from a participant's perspective
A strong, unfriendly wind blows across the start area at 9am on race day, making a fair start impossible. The start is therefore postponed by 15 minutes - and the first runners take to the course at 9:15 am. Luckily, the wind is getting weaker and weaker and after the first five to six starter groups it almost dies down. The racers start in groups of 20: every 1:45 minutes a group of 20 racers starts - until all 1250 participants are on the course. There is a lot of chaos at the entrance to the first block in the start area because we starters don't know when our group is supposed to start.
After "my" starting shot has been fired, I climb the 5 meters up the starting hill behind the starting line for the first time. My pulse is already beating beyond 180 and then I immediately crouch down for the next few minutes. Nevertheless, I enjoy the ride to the Schüttboden lift and on via the Tripalplift to the Seekopf in Zürs. I make my way through the turnstile, then elegantly past the entrance barrier and onto the chair. Reiner Schönfelder is sitting next to me and we start talking shop about the course. This is the fifth race for me and I am happy to answer all my fellow racer's questions about the rest of the course. The Madloch lift is followed by the descent of the same name, which is not being raced this year (i.e. without timing) due to a lack of snow. After the Zugerberg lift, which takes us back to the Lech ski area, the last few minutes of the race begin, which are always the hardest and most dangerous. All of the racers already have a few kilometers and meters of altitude in their legs by now and are riding this very fast section of the route at the end.
The direction gates were put up for inspection on Friday, but today individual gates are in completely different places, which leads to unexpected braking and change of direction manoeuvres by some participants and a precarious situation for all riders. When I arrive safely at the finish line, my thighs are burning from the last icy bumps on the finishing slope and the exertion of the 60-minute race. My feeling of satisfaction gives way to a certain annoyance when I hear the race commentator complaining that she hasn't seen any blood today. She would like to see a few injuries and blood from fallen participants again! In the absence of blood, the two course announcers interview one celebrity or VIP participant after another and everyone sings the praises of this challenging race. Local hero Patrick Ortlieb even thinks that the Madloch could well have been in the rankings today. Of course, because when he raced down the Madloch - starting in the first group - the course was in perfect condition. I also think it's a shame that the Madloch wasn't part of the race, but I'm still happy about it.
On the whole, the organizers and the many volunteers who do their best every year have once again succeeded in putting on a very good event. Nevertheless, I am left with a certain aftertaste, as some problems are addressed year after year, but still recur every year: For example, I think it's great to sit in the lift with "real" racers and talk shop. However, I find it a bit unfortunate that professionals and normal winter athletes appear in the same ranking list. Wouldn't it be possible to give starters with FIS numbers their own ranking? This would make it possible for the remaining guests and participants, for whom the race was originally organized, to achieve truly comparable results? It is incomprehensible to me that the finish area is too small every year: if more than three or four exhausted racers enter, it becomes cramped and uncomfortable with quite a lot of physical contact. Another shortcoming is the timekeeping when the Madloch is not raced. This year, ash was scattered at critical points before the race to improve visibility on the course. However, this only helped the first runners because the swirling snow covered everything. Ultimately, the White Ring is a race that is sold as a public race. Participants are expected to have the judgment of an experienced racer on a track that will never withstand 1250 racers. Personally, however, I also take my hat off to all the runners who had to race over a rough track this year, in flat light that made only a few contours recognizable. It's a challenge for every single participant every year, and most of them are happy when they reach the finish line in good health and can report back to their loved ones unharmed.
The winners
Ricardo Rädler won ahead of Lukas Herburger and Mathias Gorbach. Pepi Strobl, the dominator of the last three years, came fourth. Angelika Kaufmann from Lech won the women's race for the fifth time. Current racer Antonia Walch came second ahead of former racer Katja Wirth.
