Stefan Schlumpf

808 km and more then 10'000mt of elevation - the "Race across Italy" is an Ultracycling nonstop round triprace. It's a qualifying race for the famous Race Across America. There are professional athletes who only train for these races. And there's Norman. A cheerful two-meter man with a woman and a profession, who has fun to meet new and challenging sporting challenges. "You can not prepare enough for such madness. In addition to the physical constitution, this includes discipline, team spirit, and, above all, mental strength. In April 2016 I accompany Norman and his team to this race. Norman has stung me with his fascination. His completely unbidden, yet completely convinced, belief in this project inspires me. The best weather conditions prevail. But then the turnaround. 40 hours Norman sits on his road bike, 80% of the time it rains, on the pass then snow, thunderstorm, storm and hail. It will be night. Wetness and cold leave more than half of the participants. Not Norman. He fights. He's going through Hoch's and Tief's. His team motivates him, gives him powerful brine and change clothes, repairs several broken tires and offers him back-up and protection. Also you are traveling with it for 40 hours. At times, Norman loses faith in feasibility. But he's concentrating, holding on. It is not enough for the qualification, but for his big goal: to finish the race. Adrenaline shoots through every nerve fiber, happiness tears. Only hours later did he feel the debilitating fatigue.