Together with Orbit360 we want to take you on an adventure trough Germany and present you the most beautiful gravel routes.

Special times call for special actions: Starting March 5th, our VOTEC Teamrider and Orbit360 founder Raphael Albrecht launches the #rideFAR-challenge, for which the entry fee is a donation for a good cause. In a world where we are facing a global pandemic and now also a war in Europe, we want to show that cycling is social: Let’s ride for a reason!

“A day in Hell” is a reminiscence of the great spring cobblestone classics. Unfortunately, also this year the races could not take place as usual. In reminiscence of the classics and for the love of the sport, iTeam VOTEC tackled the hardest cobblestones of the Berlin hinterland. Perfect playground for our VRC. Dive into the great photo story of a wonderful day. Pictures @Dan Zoubek.

It may have been the middle of the off-season, but that wasn’t going to stop Raphael trying to pull off a pretty crazy stunt. While the rest of us were busy polishing off the last of the festive treats and snoozing on the sofa, the long-distance specialist used the otherwise-dull period between Christmas and New Year’s to attempt the world’s first Everesting of a car park. His partner-in-crime was Magnus Heller, better known to most as the brains behind the Roadbike Party YouTube channel. Unfortunately, their first attempt met an abrupt end. So, they organised an advance permit for their second attempt – to avoid being thwarted again in the middle of their historic endeavour.

A race with more than just two mountains: Raphael’s race report from the Two Volcano Sprint 2020

What happens if we never turn around to head home, but just continue riding? If our legs keep on going – instead of resting on the couch, we keep rolling towards the horizon? Could we ride non-stop from VOTEC headquarters to one of the most iconic peaks in cycling history? Instead of endlessly thinking about it, we decided to just do it. In early September, a colourful group of us set off from Stuttgart and headed towards the Alps. The destination was the Stelvio, which just three weeks ago had turned the Giro upside down. Tackling this climb probably ranks highly on the to-do list of all bike racing fans.