Once again, our BACKFIRE LRS brilliantly mastered an extraordinary and extreme challenge: On this CENTURION model, German student Markus Widmann absolved the legendary Tour d’Afrique from Cairo to Capetown – 11.900 km in 120 days!

Heat, drought and bad roads virtually make this route a real cross-country run. Rough stages are followed by breaks permitting encounters with local culture and – last but not least – Africa’s fascinating wildlife.

Markus Widmann dedicated his journey also to a very personal purpose. As a long-time supporter of CFF Children’s Fund, he visited his eight-year-old godchild Rachel in Nairobi where he was heartily welcomed by the complete community. Together with CFF representatives, Widmann also took a look at the newly built local school – a deeply touching moment after all those efforts.

Not all Tour d’Afrique riders were able to absolve every single mile in the saddle. Many of them suffered injuries or needed support because of technical problems. But Markus Widmann was lucky belonging to the so-called E.F.I group, well and truly pedalling “every fabulous inch” of the route.

He praised his versatile BACKFIRE LRS which demonstrated its excellent performance in equal measure on steep ascents and rapid downhill runs. In fact, Widmann only once had to handle a minor technical problem – “… something with the chain”, probably a result of the partly disastrous road conditions. So there was no real reason to worry about the bike en route. Widmann’s BACKFIRE LRS always acted as trusty companion while its rider “imbibed adventure” to the fullest.

So there was even some time left for a second competition: All male participants got a complete month for growing as much moustache as possible. This funny contest was awarded with a lot of equally funny prices. And the winner was… Markus Widmann who shaved himself immediately amidst the loud applause of the whole crew.

The near future looks extreme again – primarily extreme for the tour companions of Hubert Schwarz. Together with the extreme athlete from Roth (Bavaria, Germany), they will circle the complete globe on CENTURION bikes – actually 25.000 km in only 50 days! This means unbelievable 500 km of pedalling per day.

Of course, it is nearly impossible for a single person to absolve such an enormous route within 24 hours. That’s why this daily task is committed to teams of four while only one rider will be in the CENTURION saddle at a time. So the 50 stages around the world will create a new team every day. Only 54-year-old Hubert Schwarz will constantly act as daily team leader. His destined companions: “International CEOs wanting to realize their dreams.”

Schwarz hopes that “…the other three will absolve the lion’s share of the leg” – then “…I do not have to exhaust myself that much”, as he adds with a smile. But the latter would certainly be no problem for Schwarz, even if he personally had to cover some 300 km per day.

In the last years, he impressed the sports scene by multiple proof of his unbelievable endurance. Since he started his career as an extreme athlete in 1989, Schwarz has been setting up several world records – among them the crossing of Australia from Sydney to Perth. His CENTURION bikes also allowed him to master the 14.183 km of All Around Australia within 42 days, eight hours and twelve minutes.

Of course, this family man also has absolved several “conventional” competitions like Ultraman on Hawaii (10 km swimming, 84 km running and 421 km cycling within three days) or the Race Across America (5000 km cycling with climbs totalling 30.000 m). In addition, Schwarz entered all five international Ironman contests (each with 3.8 km swimming, 180.2 km cycling and 42.195 km running).

As a matter of course, such extreme marathon challenges do not only require a lot of personal toughness, but also excellent equipment. That’s why Hubert Schwarz is completely satisfied with CENTURION:

“My CENTURION bikes never let me down on all my tours with their extreme demands. CENTURION also outfits me with all necessary equipment. I know that I can always trust in their material and staff.”

An absolute essential for the “Marathon Man” – in conclusion, he is already looking forward to tackle further projects on his trusty CENTURION bikes.

2009 shall be just another stage of an ambitious goal: Up-and-coming Formula One pilot Timo Glock seriously states, “In 2010, I want to win the Formula One World Championship with Toyota.”

27-year-old Glock was born in Lindenfels (Forest of Odes, Germany). He started his career as a cart racer in the age of 15. Afterwards, Glock’s rapid development reached its first peak with an employment as test and Formula One racing pilot for Jordan. In 2008, his great performance eventually convinced the Panasonic Toyota Racing Team.

Before tackling an international racing circuit in the cockpit of his red-and-white carbon rocket, Glock intensely familiarizes himself with the respective track. For this purpose, the striving Formula One talent from Germany uses another carbon racer: He checks the complete circuit on his CENTURION BACKFIRE LRS. “By this means, I am perfectly able to memorize the complete track while keeping myself fit.”

Personal fitness is absolutely essential for all Formula One pilots. That’s why his CENTURION bike accompanies Timo Glock all around the world – because a future World Champion always has to be a little bit faster and fitter than his competitors.

What drives you to travel thousands of kilometres through Asia by bike? Andreas "Menny" Menrad has found an answer for himself. To see countries and their people, to discover wonderful landscapes and buildings are just some of the things the 29 year-old brings to mind.
Travelling those huge distances by bike has mainly practical reasons for him: "The bike is a smart means of transport. You're totally independant, you can go great distances and it's easy on the environment on top of everything."
He composed his CENTURION Backfire Hardtail bike according to his special wishes and demands using the CENTURION iDesign system.

"Menny" started his trip from the Russian Irkutsk in July 2007. He'll end it in India one year after. He'll then have travelled through Mongolia, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Nepal, Tibet and even more countries having seen not just beautiful landscapes but having made many new friends as well.

continue to his latest travelogue (in German)

Nordic Combined athletes from Germany demonstrate their top skills at important competitions all over the world. A prime example for their successful career were the XX Olympic Winter Games 2006 in Turin (Italy) with one Gold Medal, two Silver Medals and one Bronze Medal.

Of course, summertime also means exercise time for competitions in winter. Not many people know that bicycle training (road and off-road) plays a key role in the fitness of a Nordic Combined athlete. For years, CENTURION has been sponsoring the successful team of the German Ski Federation (DSV) with high performance bikes and accessories. Last year, the members were rewarded for their 2006 Olympic Medals with seven brand-new Hyperdrive 4000 bikes.

CENTURION bikes seem to last forever. That’s why the DSV team did not get some new ones yet. But serious athletes are always keen on new equipment – so this could change because of an upcoming challenge: The Black Forest Cup 2007 in Schonach (Germany). In cooperation with Jörg Frey, Mayor of Schonach, CENTURION will sponsor new bikes for the DSV team if one member wins the competition. The town and its mayor are looking forward to this event. The additional incentive already promises a thrilling race.