Drama on His Home Course
Tragedy: Mourning Ultra-Cyclist Max Riese
Max Riese (36) from Elsbethen near Salzburg competed in the toughest cycling races around the world—in deserts, over high mountains, and in sub-zero temperatures. A collision with wildlife on his home route claimed his life on Tuesday evening. The sense of loss is profound.
Kronen Zeitung als bevorzugte Google-Quelle hinzufügen “With an infinitely heavy heart...”—that’s how a long, touching post begins in which the ultra-cycling community bids farewell to Max Riese on social media. The extreme cyclist from Elsbethen was fatally injured on Tuesday evening on the Rossfeld Panorama Road— as reported by the “Krone.”
While descending his favorite route around 8 p.m., a deer crossed the road in the dark. Riese was unable to swerve in time to avoid the animal and collided with it at full speed. A motorist found the athlete lying motionless on the toll road. She alerted emergency services. To no avail.
In recent years, Riese had achieved remarkable success in long-distance races around the globe, through deserts and over high mountains. It was precisely the panoramic road on the Bavarian-Salzburg border—which he had ridden up and down hundreds of times—that became his final ride.
Extreme races in Asia and records on the Gaisberg
The native of Saxony was used to different, rugged terrain. In 2021, he had spoken about his cycling adventures in an interview with *Krone*. One of the biggest was the “Silk Road Mountain Race” in Kyrgyzstan: 2,000 kilometers and 30,000 meters of elevation gain, completely alone through terrain that was sometimes impassable. Sub-zero temperatures followed heat well over 40 degrees Celsius.
Riese had only just returned from Kyrgyzstan at the end of August. This time, he had finished second in the extreme cycling race in just under nine days. Prior to that, he had won the “Hellenic Mountain Race” back in May. For days on end, the 36-year-old was on his own, racing against the clock and the competition as he made his way cross-country through Greece.
Big Names in the Scene Pay Tribute
A year ago, he—who had devoted himself entirely to ultra-cycling—made international headlines with an incredible feat. In a so-called “triple Everesting” attempt, he pedaled to the summit of Salzburg’s Gaisberg 95 times—in a single stretch.
His goal was to cover three times the height of Mount Everest (8,848 meters) by bicycle. In exactly 37 hours, 37 minutes, and 43 seconds, he covered 26,553 meters of elevation gain and 479.2 kilometers—much of it in the rain and darkness.
Big names in the endurance cycling scene, such as Christoph Strasser from Styria and Soufiane Sehil, paid tribute to him for his achievements. Riese is survived by his partner—who is also active in ultra-sports—as well as friends and family. And a grieving cycling community.
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