The fourth edition of the BSG cycling classic Odenwald 100 took place on September 17th, 2021. Even before the start, there was a nice reunion among the regular crew of the tour, i.e. the loyal participants of the last few years. At the same time, the new passengers were welcomed and subjected to an initial motivation test: an intensive start via Ritschweier and directly afterwards the apple blossom trail. When everyone was in Rippenweier and no one regretted their decision to ride, it was time to go deeper into the forest. A highlight of the tour was the long descent to Hirschhorn, during which some rested in the slipstream of the group at ~40 km/h. After 97 km, 1200 meters of altitude and 4 1/2 hours of fun, the 16 participants were back in Ladenburg, where cold beer and pretzels were waiting for them. After last year's cold rain shower, there was great relief that this time the drinks were the only cool thing at the event. Before the brave set off on their racing bikes and the less brave set off in their cars, we were already planning to meet again in 2022, for the 5th edition of the Odenwald 100. We're looking forward to it!

On Wednesday, July 14th, the Hallesche Firmenlauf took place again in Halle an der Saale. Due to the ongoing situation, there was no mass start this year either. Instead, launch time slots were introduced as a smart alternative. Within the start time windows there were small "start waves" with a few seconds in between, so that all runners of the respective start slot could run without getting in the way of too many other runners. As a prerequisite for participation in this year's run, the athletes had to be either tested, recovered or vaccinated. The timing was also different this year, so each participant had their own baton.