Races and restaurants, a match made in heaven?

Pia and Ralph on combining competitive cycling with a love of travel

Pia and Ralph are 2 members of the Sigr family living a life full of cycling.

Sigr: Who are you guys and how did you meet? Where in the world to you normally live?

Pia: I'm 36 years old and from Frankfurt. I've worked in international advertising agencies in Frankfurt such as Leo Burnett and OgilvyOne for the last 15 years. For almost 2 years I've been in the digital department of the ING DiBa based in Frankfurt where I'm responsible for the website.

Ralph: I'm 37 years old and from Braunschweig. I have worked in the music industry, served for 8 years in the German Army and since 2016 I've been a human resources manager for the engineering department at Opel in Rüsselsheim. We found each other on a social dating app. That doesn't sound not very romantic but it actually is.

Sigr: You've done a few different races this year already, and now you are going for Vätternrundan. (Vätternrundan is THE largest exercise race in the world with 23000 participants this year!). Can you please tell us a little bit about your experience?

Ralph: We have done together Ronde de Flanders in Belgium, our home race Eschborn-Frankfurt and now the 300 km of the Vätternrundan in Sweden.

Pia: We love the challenge but first of all it's fun and quality time for us as a couple. We combine city trips with our races as we both love to travel.

Sigr: What are the best cycling events to go to in Germany for someone who wants the total experience - to race, to be a tourist and to eat and drink well?

Ralph: There are a lot of interesting cycling events in Germany like "Eschborn-Frankfurt" on the 1st of May, "Rund um Köln" in Cologne, "EuroEyes Cyclassics" in Hamburg and this year there will be the DeutschlandTour from 23rd -26th of August from Koblenz to Stuttgart.

Pia: As Frankfurt is our homebase I can highly recommend a trip to Apfelwein (dry cider) Restaurant. They all have Apfelwein and Schnitzel with grüner Soße. (green sauce) which is made out of 7 herbs. It is very delicious. In general there are a few prejudices about Frankfurt as the finance sector is very big. But Frankfurt is much more than banks. It has a beautiful skyline and very pretty areas e.g. Bergerstraße is one very pretty street with nice shops and good food.

Sigr: What is good about Vätternrundan and going to Sweden?

Pia: We heard about Vätternrundan from a good friend who's already done it twice and when he told us about it, we wanted to join him for 2018.

Ralph: Vätternrundan is the world largest bike event with approx 20.000 cyclists. 300km full of pain, tears, sweat, joy and fun. But at the end it's a challenge of a lifetime we'll never forget. And this is what's cycling about.

Pia: And to visit sweden is everytime a highlight because both of us like the scandinavian culture and lifestyle.

Sigr: We hear you are getting married! Tell us more!

Pia: Yes, that's true. Only three months left until we get married. We are both pretty excited about it. We are soooo sure that we want to spend our lives together. Everything is already organised and planned. We will have a nice party in an old boathouse in Frankfurt. No church but with a free speaker and the best is we are going to celebrate our love with all of our friends and family.

Ralph: Yeah we're getting married! Our big day is in September and it will be awesome. And Pia is a great wedding planner. Everything and everybody are ready - now I'm very excited.

Sigr: What destination do you have in mind for honeymoon and will you do it by bike?

Pia: We're going to Buenos Aires, Argentina and Montevideo in Uruguay. We're going for a photoshoot in our wedding outfits, exploring the cities and countries and of course we're going to relax and chill.

Ralph: In Buenos Aires we'll do a little cycling and increase our heat map. But the focus is to relax and enjoy the time together.

Sigr: Thanks guys, and many many congratulations!