Volker Voit - Race Across Germany - FELT NEXAR FRD.

555km - 15h45 - A New Course Record, Aboard a NEXAR FRD converted into a TT bike

When Volker Voit lined up for the 555 km edition of Race Across Germany, he had one goal: beat a course record that had stood at 17 hours. He crossed the line in 15 hours 45 minutes, more than an hour faster, for the overall win, riding a FELT NEXAR FRD converted into a time-trial machine. Here he tells the story in his own words: the feat, the nutrition crisis he rode through, and why an aero bike that climbs like a lightweight one made the difference.

1. The feat ant the experience.

What exactly is Race Across Germany, and what did you set out to do? 

Race Across Germany is a German ultra-distance event founded in 1999. It normally covers the whole length of the country from north to south, 1,150 km starting at the Danish border. This year was the fourth edition of the shorter 555 km distance, which starts in Eschwege, roughly halfway, and that's the one I chose.

I would have loved to do the long route, but it didn't work out time-wise: I wanted to spend a few days with my girlfriend in Barcelona before the start of her big three-week charity ride following the route of the Tour de France. I've done some ultra rides before, like crossing Portugal north to south in one go, 740 km and 9,000 m of climbing in 25 hours, so my main target here was to see if I could beat the current course record of 17 hours, which includes breaks.

How many km and hours did you ride, and what was the result?

The route was 555 km with around 4,500 m of elevation, most of it in the first half over smaller hills, with a slight uphill drag toward the end, as the race finishes close to the Alps in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. My total riding time was 15 hours 26 minutes, an average of 36 km/h, at 220 watts average (240 watts normalized) over the full distance. With 19 minutes of breaks, I finished in 15 hours 45 minutes, beating the old record by over an hour and taking the overall win.

What was the hardest moment, and how did you get throuhg it? 

The trickiest situation actually came before the race even started. When I packed the bike, I forgot my seatpost, with the saddle attached, at home in Dubai. Luckily, I discovered it in Barcelona while getting ready for a ride, and thanks to the FELT HQ team, who were based only 40 minutes away, I had a new seatpost delivered by Uber the same day, two days before my flight to Germany. That saved the whole trip.

The biggest challenge in the race itself was nutrition. In previous long events I'd used Maurten drink mix and gels, which, even though I'm not the biggest fan of the taste, always worked well for me. This time my stomach didn't tolerate it. After about six hours taking in roughly 110 g of carbs per hour, I felt increasingly unwell.

I was worried about not being able to keep my carb intake high, so I dropped my power by 20–30 watts to ride more in my fat-max zone and burn fewer carbs, and I switched fuel sources, Coke, Red Bull, ice cream, rice pudding with cinnamon, and yes, even a Big Mac with 100 km to go. I was racing supported, with two friends following in a van, so I could send them off to get food and never had to stop myself. 

Was there a moment when you felt the NEXAR made the difference in your favor?

Especially on the uphills. I felt great about the decision to run the NEXAR converted into a TT bike: on the climbs it felt like a normal road bike, and on the flats, in the TT position, I never felt I was compromising on speed or aerodynamics.

2. The Feel of the NEXAR FRD 

In one sentence, how would you describe the NEXAR to another cyclist?

Imagine riding an aero bike that climbs like a lightweight bike.

The NEXAR's claim is "Aero as You've Never FELT", aero-fast, yet comfortable for hours, light and easy to fit. Do you confirm it? Where did you notice it most? 

Yes. It felt like a TT bike on the flats and like a light road bike on the climbs, the perfect balance.

What surprised you that you didn't expect?

The comfort. Setting it up with wide tires, 29mm front and 30mm rear, added great compliance, so I never got tired from my position or sufferend from vibrations. 

How does it behave when you're many hours in and your body is tired?

The bike could easily have kept going. Comfort was key in my setup, I raised the TT extensions a few centimeters compared to my FELT IA 2.0, and I never had any back or neck problems during the ride.

Would you take on a feat like this again on the NEXAR? Why?
If I do the full distance in 2027, I'd definitely consider using my custom NEXAR TT again.

What did you choose for the contact points?

For the saddle I stuck with my trusted Specialized Sitero in 155 mm, which I've used for years. Up front I ran a Profile Design Wing Ultimate base bar with Delta Speed extensions. To increase comfort, I cut up a piece of yoga mat and glued it under the arm pads for extra padding, a huge improvement over long distance.

Any key setup detail for comfort over the challenge?

Overall the setup was very comfortable. For next year the only change I'd look into is running the extensions a bit wider apart, to reduce the strain on my neck muscles, I felt them in the days after the race, though I had no problem during it.

What advice would you give someone wanting to do very long rides on a NEXAR TT bike converted? 

Beyond the setup: make sure you have good core strength and a well-trained lower back. That helps a lot in maintaining an aero position over a long time.

3. NEXAR Bike check, how it's built 

I rode a NEXAR FRD in size 58, built it us as follows: