RIDER INTERVIEW – CHRISTOPH STRASSER
Christoph Strasser is one of the most successful ultra-cyclists in the world. He has competed in the Race Across America nine times – and won it six. But for him, it’s no longer just about power output and split times. In this interview, Christoph talks about his early days, the balance between adventure and competition, his pragmatic approach to gear, mental strategies during low points, and why the Transcontinental Race is what excites him most today.
If a stranger asked you to describe yourself in one sentence, what would you say?
My name is Christoph, and for the past 20 years I’ve turned my hobby – riding my bike as far and as fast as possible – into a profession.
Where does your nickname “Straps” come from?
Good question. It somehow comes from my last name, Strasser – kind of a shortened version of it. It doesn’t actually have anything to do with lingerie, even though it’s funny because that classic cyclist’s tan – dark thighs fading into pale – does sort of resemble it. But really, it’s just been my nickname since school, and it stuck. I think it’s kind of funny, and I’m fine with people using it officially.
How did you get into ultra-cycling?
My first encounter with it wasn’t exactly a coincidence, but definitely unintentional. We had planned to form a four-person relay team for a 24-hour race, but two of us dropped out at the last minute. So we said, okay, it would be a shame to lose the 35 euros we paid for registration, so let’s just both give it a shot solo. Back then I wasn’t training at all – I rode my bike twice a week for two hours, just for fun. Naturally, my performance was terrible, but I saw people riding for 24 hours non-stop, and I found that incredibly fascinating. Just witnessing what humans are capable of really stuck with me.
At the same time, the Race Across America was always popular in Austria and got a lot of media attention – TV reports, books, newspaper articles. That planted the seed for the dream of racing RAAM one day.
That was in 2002. I’d say from 2006 on, I started training seriously – about 25 to 30 hours a week. Each year I took on longer and longer races. It’s funny how things have come full circle. At the very beginning, I thought about doing a cycling world tour or maybe riding the Camino de Santiago – something adventurous like that. But then racing completely captivated me, especially the psychological side of it. And now, years later, the adventure aspect is coming back into focus. During RAAM, I often didn’t even notice I was riding through the U.S. I just wanted to go fast, avoid losing time, and improve my performance. That’s real bike racing. But now, with these unsupported races, the adventure factor is much more present again.
What fascinates you about ultra-cycling?
I’m fascinated by the combination of competition and adventure. Pure adventure – like relaxed bike tours through beautiful countries – doesn’t really appeal to me at the moment. Maybe one day. But right now, I still have that competitive drive and strong motivation. Ultra-cycling races are the perfect mix for me.
You’ve raced events like RAAM multiple times. What motivates you to keep coming back?
I think I genuinely enjoy pushing things to the limit. With my first RAAM attempt, the big question was: Can I even do this? Is it possible? I didn’t succeed the first time. So it was immediately clear to me: I have to go back and make it work. I ended up winning on my second attempt. That’s when I realized: there's still a lot more potential here. There were many things I could improve.
I take great joy in digging deep – not necessarily exploring new countries or new races – but really studying something and fully immersing myself in it. That’s what I find exciting. And then comparing: okay, last year went like this, this year it was different, how can I improve next year? I find that challenge fascinating in races like the Transcontinental too. It’s always different because the route changes every year. RAAM was always the same course.
And I don’t think of it as ticking off races. I’ve kind of fallen in love with Race Across America – you could say that.
And I’ve also fallen in love with the Transcontinental Race. It’s a bit of a love-hate relationship. The off-road sections aren’t really my thing, but they’re just part of it. Somehow the overall experience excites me enough that I want to do it again. I don’t feel a big urge to try something new every year. I prefer to stick with what I know and develop a deeper connection with it.
How do you recover after such long races?
Sleep, food, fun, joy. Just celebrating a little. I still train a lot and train hard, and that includes paying attention to nutrition and leading a healthy lifestyle throughout the year. But after a race like that, I think it's important to let go a bit – indulge, eat, drink, party.
Recovery is mostly mental, I think. It’s about shifting your focus after months of preparation and full concentration on one goal.
How do you manage nutrition during such long races?
Back in my RAAM days, I had a very specific nutrition strategy. We had a protocol, and I knew exactly: one bottle of liquid nutrition and one bottle of electrolytes every hour. That only works when you have unlimited supplies – in other words, with a support vehicle.
In unsupported races, my biggest fear was always getting diarrhea or feeling sick. That my digestive system wouldn’t cope, and that poor nutrition would kill my performance. But surprisingly, the body can perform quite well on gas station food for a long time.
For me, the basic rules are: nothing perishable. I wouldn’t grab anything from the fridge – no fresh veggies or egg spreads – because it could theoretically be spoiled.
It should also be easy to digest and ideally something familiar. Not some Turkish specialty I’ve never had before – more like plain white bread and some sugary syrup I can mix with water. Chocolate bars, packaged baguettes – just things you know are shelf-stable, sealed, and bacteria-free.
When you hear stories from the Silk Road Mountain Race, where about 50% of participants end up with food poisoning – it’s wild. There just aren’t many food options there. But when there is a choice, I always go for non-perishables. Stuff that could sit in the sun for three weeks and still be fine. I carry small amounts of drink powder with electrolytes and mix that on the go – but of course, you can only bring so much.
In general, I’m a very cautious person. I don’t want to take any risks – whether it’s gear or food. That’s why I always carry a bit more. I want to be at the start line knowing: no matter what happens, nothing will throw me completely off track. I’m prepared for every scenario.
That means carrying a little extra weight. But it lets you ride with a freer mind. Of course, it also means going a bit slower uphill – you’re dragging extra kilos. But I’m happy to make that trade-off.
Do you listen to podcasts or music while riding?
I listen to a lot of podcasts during training. But during races, not at all – I find them too boring in that context. They actually make me sleepy. In races, I stick to a playlist and keep going back to my favorite songs. Especially in ultra races, you spend a lot of time riding through the night.
Do you train specifically to deal with sleep deprivation?
No, not really. I once did the math. If you add up all the race days, I’ve spent about half a year racing. Take eight days of RAAM, done nine times – that’s already 72 days and nights. Then add lots of other races, 24-hour events, and three TCRs. So yes, I’ve ridden through the night for the equivalent of six months. I don’t think I need to train for that anymore. Once you’ve experienced it a few times, you learn how to deal with it. And honestly, you can’t really train your body to handle sleep deprivation physically – that doesn’t work.
Do you still get nervous before races?
Yes, definitely. But much more so before the Transcontinental. Hardly at all before RAAM. At RAAM, you can eliminate almost all risk factors. You’ve got your support crew, all your gear, spare parts – everything is covered. It’s just about whether you can perform. And I was always confident in that.
But with the Transcontinental, it’s all so uncertain. What if you get unlucky? What if something breaks? What if you forget something? You can never feel completely secure, and that creates a lot of tension. I’m usually very calm and not easily rattled, but I do get nervous. I never know what’s going to happen during the race.
You mainly ride road races, but the Transcontinental includes off-road sections. Could you imagine doing a purely off-road race, like the Atlas Mountain Race?
Honestly, no. I’m a huge fan of road racing because, for me, racing means going fast. In ultra mountain bike races, it’s more about conquering terrain, carrying your bike over rocks, pushing it – and you're just slow. You're fully exposed to the elements.
To me, cycling means going fast. As fast as possible. And that’s just not the case in mountain bike races. I’ve never really caught the off-road bug. I actually started out on a mountain bike in my early years. But after getting my first road bike, I completely fell in love with it – and never looked at my mountain bike again.
When you hit a mental low during a long race, do you have strategies to get out of it?
It depends on what triggered it – whether it’s a bad physical patch, a navigation mistake, pure fatigue, or technical issues with the bike.
One thing that always helps – and the foundation for me – is not expecting everything to go perfectly. It never will. I go into every race knowing there will be tough moments, times when I feel desperate. So when it actually happens, I’m not surprised or thrown off.
If you hope everything will go smoothly, you’ll be disappointed when it doesn’t. But I know for sure: problems will come. And because I expect them, I can handle them more calmly. Getting angry doesn’t help, getting frustrated doesn’t help, and quitting helps least of all.
If you're stuck out in the middle of nowhere, feeling miserable, and decide to quit – you’re still in the middle of nowhere, and you still feel miserable. The only way to start feeling better is to keep riding and hopefully reach a bed at the finish line. That will be more comfortable. But quitting on the road doesn’t make anything better.
Every low point is followed by a better one. It always comes. Sometimes you just have to be patient and wait for it.
Do you have a way to balance cycling in your daily life? Another sport?
Not really. I don’t do much cross-training – I’m usually too tired from all the riding. In summer, I like kayaking a bit. But very relaxed – just cruising along for a few hours. No ambitious expeditions or anything like that. I don’t follow any structured alternative training program. It’s mostly riding – and relaxing.
Do you have a go-to pre-race meal?
I always try to cook for myself and avoid eating out. I don’t want to risk eating something bad before a race. I just buy some pasta and tomato sauce – nothing fancy, but I know it’s easy to digest. And especially the quantity matters. Eating out is always a disaster – you order something good, but you leave hungry. That’s always frustrating. When you cook yourself, you can eat as much as you need – and that’s just more satisfying.
Is there something you always take with you in ultras – a must-have item, maybe something unexpected?
I know one athlete who’s won the TCR three times and was known for always carrying a razor. He’d shave before getting back on the bike, even after just an hour of sleep. Others take things like a comb. I don’t do anything like that – I’m pretty pragmatic.
One small quirk I do have is that I always bring backups. I carry duplicates of everything: passport, insurance card, even a second phone. I’m always afraid I might lose something. I don’t even carry just 20 euros – I carry 20 euros twice. One on my body, one in my bag.
If you could travel back in time, what would you tell your younger self before your first ultra race?
Funny enough, I wouldn’t say that I did anything wrong back then, or that I was totally off track. I’d simply tell myself: do it exactly the way that feels right for you. Trust your own path.
What would a perfect day in your life look like?
Sleeping in, then heading out for a beautiful ride. In the evening, grilling something simple, lying on a blanket by a lake, and watching the sunset. And staying up late.
I really enjoy being active at night. If I can, I like waking up around nine and going to bed at two. That’s my favorite rhythm. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work often – life tends to come with appointments and responsibilities. But I’m definitely not a morning person, let’s put it that way.
Is there a race or a region you haven’t ridden yet, but would love to?
Yes, definitely. The NorthCape 4000 looks absolutely beautiful – though technically, it’s not a race. But I’d love to ride in that far northern region. The Scandinavian countries would be a dream to cycle through. There’s also the NorthCape–Gibraltar ride, which happens every two years. I’ve thought about joining that one. But it’s relatively small, with very few participants. That’s part of the appeal of the Transcontinental – riding with 350 others. When a race has only 20 riders, it’s less exciting.
Riding through Canada would also be incredibly tempting. I think there’s almost nothing there but rugged terrain. I’m drawn more to the northern countries, because I find cold much more pleasant than heat.
Images: © Lex Karelly Photography
