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Celebrating cars and bikes sharing the road with one Racing Dream
Some things are too good to be true, but this is the real deal: bikes and cars on the mountain sharing views and making friends, discovering something new about themselves and each other, dancing to the summit. At the Giro di Mankei, SRAM, Zipp, Porsche, Specialized, FAT, and BBUC shared the Racing Dream, something more than the speed you go, perhaps more about the way you flow.
Celebrating the Third Edition of the What Now?
Giro di Mankei started as a late-night idea at Hotel am Brillantegrund, where a friend on a group ride thought of another friend who was doing something great. Maybe we could all join forces for an 80 km point-to-point ride up the Grossglockner followed by an “après” finish?
A key reason behind great things is usually culture coming together, but we didn't expect friends on four wheels to join the mix. It turns out car enthusiasts love the views just like the rest of us, so why not enjoy together? Thus, the ascent to the Mankei Hütte came to be, three years in the running.
Same People, Different Vehicles, One Racing Dream
SRAM, Zipp, Porsche, Specialized, FAT, and BBUC all share one love: performance that gets you places. Effortless and powerful brakes, wireless shifting, light weight builds, and real time tire pressure sensors... car fanatics do too! It's all Very Nice Well Made Things™ made for purpose, for life on and off the bike or wherever the adventure may lead.
Climbing to FAT Mankei at 2262m Above Sea Level
Ascending Austria's tallest mountain is a beautiful ordeal. From the event base at Elisabethpark in Zell am See it takes about two hours from the valley out to the mountain and up to Mankei.
The Grossglockner is famous for its views and the challenging alpine road, which once upon a time was the testing ground for Porsche. It’s an Hors Categorie challenge with an average gradient of 6.3% across the 26.41km to the Hütte, and that's about 1660 meters of gain if you include the ride-in.
Accessible Performance Through Adversity
Riders of all skill levels came together to climb up the Grossglockner and see what they're made of. There were former pros, the Racing Dream Team and your average weekend warrior with so many watts you're wondering where they could be hiding it.
Chief amongst was a very nice collection of bike set ups and cars. From the FAT International GT3RS in Racing Green with tie ins to the matching Moongem and Midnight Specialized framesets; to AXS groupsets and Quarq Power meters with matching Zipp 353 and 454 NSW wheel sets.
The Friendship Manifesto on Two Wheels and Sometimes Four
Whether you're on RED AXS giving you 100% of what you put in, or 911 Dakar hugging the turns, the thrill is all the same: we're all dancing our way to the summit.
Laurens Vanthoor from Porsche Factory Racing joined the ride, and like so many drivers, is a total bike nut. On top of the mountain, he said, "endurance fitness comes from riding" and that he reaches top form when he embodies the convergence of bike and car culture.
All Roads are Better Together
So next time you're in Vienna, or Zell am See; on top of one alpine mountain or descending into another country; remember to share the road and the views. We're happy to ignite the Racing Dream, with events like the Giro di Mankei, where all roads are better shared together.
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