The first Hammer Series event of the season is only a couple of weeks away. Soon, the riders will be lining up for Hammer Stavanger (May 24-26) and not long after, Hammer Limburg (June 7-9). As always, fans and riders are in for three fast-paced days of racing at each event.
We asked some of our Hammer Captains what makes Hammer races so hard and special compared to others on the calendar.
“You need a completely different mindset going in to a Hammer race. If you just think it’s going to be a good training session, you’ll end up at the back. You need to be ready to go from the start. You can’t relax at any point. It’s a showdown from kilometer zero.”
“You have to be ready and motivated from the beginning. There is no time to settle in.”
“The racing is so intense and the format exciting for us riders and for the fans watching at home.”
“It’s just hard! And I really love this concept of fast and explosive racing!”
“These races are so tough. It’s suffering right from the start.”
“You need a diverse team that can cover three different types of races.”
“It’s a unique style of racing where as riders we can go all in every day. There really are no easy days. It’s the most intense race you do all year!”
“Hammer is a completely different experience for us riders compared to the rest of the races on the calendar. It’s short and super intense. The internal communication between the riders on the team is key in order to be able to distribute your efforts properly.”
“I think these races are a great addition to the calendar. I really enjoy this kind of racing. Every discipline is difficult because you have to fight for every point and every second. It’s so intense!”
