Tanke2Tanke: Chasing Seconds on the Havelchaussee

Some events you sign up for months in advance. Tanke2Tanke? You have to be ready within minutes.

This fast and furious team time trial in the Grunewald always sells out almost instantly. Around 40 to 50 teams race the ~18 km out-and-back course on the Havelchaussee – a stretch of road that looks innocent enough on paper but bites hard if you go too deep too early.

The event is organized by the Eisenschweinkader (ESK) out of Berlin (eisenschweinkader.org) – and it’s not just any time trial.
Tanke2Tanke is the oldest and most respected team time trial in all of Germany. If you get a start slot, you show up.

This year, Ludwig and I were lucky enough to snag a spot. And on Monday, we headed out for a little recon – same route, same bikes, just a little less race-day adrenaline.
Let’s just say: we were about 2 minutes slower than last year’s time.

Not a huge surprise on my end. I haven’t put in the kilometers I did last season, and it showed. So honestly, I didn’t think we had much of a shot at beating our 2023 performance. But… I wasn’t ready to give up without a fight.

A Little Extra Help (In the Form of Tires)

My tires were due for a change anyway, so I decided to experiment.
Out went the trusty 28mm Gatorskins.
In came the 23mm Continental Super Sports.

Would it make a difference? Who knows. But when you’re chasing seconds, every bit counts.

Race Night – and the Weather Shows Its Teeth

As we got ready to roll out to the start, things were looking grim.
Heavy rain. Big wind. Not exactly ideal conditions for a fast time trial.
We held off a bit, hoping the sky would calm down. Eventually, we headed out toward Wannsee.

I was worried we’d be late, but when we arrived, the scene was almost… empty.
Turns out, most teams bailed because of the weather.
Only eight teams lined up to start.

And then – as if by magic – the weather turned.

Go Time

The roads were wet and littered with debris, but still rideable.
Ludwig and I worked together better than ever this year. Strong pulls, smooth transitions, no drama.

Well – almost no drama.

We got held up by a car not once but a couple of times in exactly the wrong places – just as we were trying to carry speed off the downhills into the climbs. Same thing happened on the return leg after the Grunewaldturm descent. That rhythm matters in a race this short.

Even so, we managed to go a full minute faster than our test run – and finally land a top ten finish.
On a night that looked like a washout, we came away with our best result yet.

Already looking forward to next year – and hoping the cars stay out of the way.