20 things I learned riding 660k of gravel at Hackenpedder 2026

I wrote about 63 versions of this email in my head while fighting my way through ankle-deep mud, barely visible trails across bumpy meadows and against the wind at the coast of the North Sea. Those were the ones full of whys, rage and defeat.

I also wrote about 56 versions of this email while riding behind people who indicated slugs on the ground so we wouldn't squish them, happily eating yesterday's pasta and pesto out of a plastic bag with my spork or lying in a tipi in the forest with four riders I had gotten to know on the trail and one Berlin party boy who was awake when we slept and asleep when we left. The words in these versions of the email I wrote in my head were full of kindness, gratitude and love for people I had only just met, but felt like I had known them for a long time.

Then I got home and forgot all of the words because my brain and body were fried for three days. After that, my watch only showed slight signs of recovery and huge training fatigue.

But. A few phrases have engraved themselves in my brain, became mantras for hours, then disappeared for a while. So instead of a complete recap showcasing the full range of emotions I felt during those 660k (all of them), I'll share these words that stuck.

1. Naming a 660k event "Shortcut" because there also is a 1000k route is exactly my kind of humor. (But it worked, I signed up. It seemed like the easier thing to do.)
2. Getting your period just before an event is actually great – one less surprise along the way.
3. Pickles are great pre ride snacks. Thanks to the two participants who brought pickles in a ziploc bag to the start and gifted one to me when I pointed out what geniuses they were.

4. If half of your route is off-road, that means you'll spend much more time on trails than you do on asphalt. And if those sections are planned by someone who is dedicated to finding the most adventurous routes possible (might have called him a sadist in my head), it feels more like 80% off-road. Slippery, muddy, off-road. Hi Nils 😄

5. Rain is fine. Until it doesn't stop. And until your rain jacket gets caught and destroyed in your back wheel on the first day because you had strapped it to your saddle bag too loosely.

6. It is completely logical to stop to put on your rain jacket when it starts pouring down, and once everyone is ready to continue, take off your rain jacket again before you mount your bike, because just like that the sun is out again.
7. A dirty bike can look like an almost clean bike when you look back a couple of hours later.

8. It would make sense to bring a warm sleeping bag when you know it'll be below 10 degrees Celsius at night.
9. Sleeping in a tipi in a forest seems romantic at first thought, but less so when you plug a tick off your stomach the next morning.

10. When you think you didn't get a minute of sleep because your mattress is too narrow and you're cold and your brain is still at full speed – you can feel surprisingly okay and ready to ride the next morning.

11. Using a bib short that's been worn all day(s) as a pillow is possible (not going to disclaim any names). That's a dedication to ultra light packing I have nothing but respect for.
12. Riding a loaded gravel bike on rough, muddy, slippery terrain while clipped into your pedals isn't my kind of fun. (I knew that before, just somehow…forgot?)

13. Pre-cooked pasta and pesto straight out of a plastic bag might be my new favorite ride snack.
14. Gummy bears will get your hands and bib shorts very sticky, if you put them in your pocket just like that.

15. Finishing a route close to home that presents you a local train station every hour is mentally harder than pedaling the Westfjords Way in Iceland.
16. Of course it'll be perfectly warm and sunny the day you are done riding your cold and wet summer event.
17. I'm not convinced doing something that makes you walk down stairs funny for days, makes your face swell, rubs off the skin under your sitbones (RIP), and inflames your achilles heel for weeks is something one should do to their healthy body for "fun".
18. But I know exactly what I'll do differently next time, haha.
19. It's heartwarming to see a community come together like this, ride together, share snacks and jokes and experience so much trail magic along the way.

20. When you sign up as a team of two, you can take turns pulling each other out of the worst thought spirals. Thanks M. 🫰🏻

Thanks for dotwatching and your supportive messages along the way. And none of this would have been possible without my partner who held down the fort at home. ❤️

While the skin on my sitbones is regrowing, I'll write down a gear review for you all, because I know you're dying to hear whether I'd bring my tent again.

Until then, stay cool.
Stephanie

PS. It did take us 3d 07h 47m to reach the finish and I ended up being the second FLINTA person on this route – in case that's interesting to anyone.