Team KEEGO: Frederik Böna
Next in the Team KEEGO series - our most loyal KEEGO pioneer and owner of probably the craziest world record in cycling - Frederik Böna! Read what drives the Double Everesting record holder.
Spoiler alert. It's noodles.
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
My name is Frederik Böna, I come from a town on the edge of the Neckar-Odenwald district. I studied in Würzburg and now live in Bammental in Kraichgau, between Heidelberg and Sinsheim.
In 2017, I started riding a road bike more ambitiously. Cycling very quickly became my great passion. The more metres in altitude, the more fun I have. From 2018, I therefore focused more on cycling marathons in the Alpine region. In 2020, I started to realise my own projects with the road bike more and more often, partly in connection with fundraising campaigns. The highlight so far was certainly my world record for the fastest double everesting in connection with a fundraising campaign for a women's centre in Afghanistan.
Professionally, I work as an integration officer for the city administration of Sinsheim.
Why are you passionate about your sport?
Cycling means freedom for me.
I can ride as long as I want and wherever I want, I'm in nature and can always push my physical limits and try to push them. Besides, cycling is a great way for me to switch off and just have carefree fun.
What does your training look like?
My training is very time-consuming. I usually train between 20 and 30 hours a week. This is only possible because I cycle to work and combine it with my training. My training usually involves a lot of metres in altitude, especially on the Königsstuhl, Heidelberg's local mountain, which I actually cycle up and down several times every week. On Fridays and weekends, I usually have long and calmer training sessions, and during the week I train shorter and more intensively.
You have a very special achievement under your belt - the Double Everesting world record. Can you tell us more about your preparation for this extreme challenge?
Since I had chosen 10 April for my world record attempt, I had to train a lot already in autumn and winter. While many other cyclists were still mainly training indoors on the roller at that time, I was almost exclusively riding outdoors. That was not always easy in the relatively hard and snowy winter of 2020/2021. Riding outside for five hours in sleet and strong winds is not necessarily pleasant. But if I'm honest, I sometimes need exactly these training sessions. It does take some effort to get on the bike in such conditions, but in retrospect I've never regretted it and sometimes feel a certain satisfaction at having braved the weather. Besides, I'm a bit like Friedrich Nietzsche: What doesn't kill us makes us stronger.
It was difficult to gain as many metres in altitude as possible already in winter. Uphill was never a problem, but downhill was sometimes a big challenge on slippery roads. Nevertheless, I was able to complete my training as planned. In extreme conditions, such as slippery roads, I sometimes switched to the roller and rode on Zwift. At the beginning of February, I even did a virtual Everesting there. That was incredibly hard for me mentally - I'm simply an outdoor athlete.
Hydration and nutrition plan: For example, are there guidelines for the amount of water you want to drink each day? Are there foods that you particularly like to eat but never on race days?
I don't really think much about hydration and nutrition. In general, I always drink quite a lot, exclusively water or tea in everyday life. However, I don't know how much I drink, I just go by feel. During sports, I usually drink isotonic drinks.
Foods I like to eat are many, especially fruit.
I particularly like bananas, kiwis, blueberries and raspberries.
Apart from that, I also like to eat asparagus and, as a cyclist, pasta, of course.
In everyday life, I often eat bread or rolls with whole grains, porridge and muesli. On competition days, however, I don't eat any of these, because the fibre would get to me.
What do you think is a crucial difference/advantage you have compared to other athletes?
I rarely have bad days. In fact, I can almost always perform when I want to. I also never have any motivation problems when it comes to my training. Even in winter, in the evening after work, when it's dark and snowing, I get on my bike, ride off and do my training.
What are your goals? - What keeps you going?
My biggest goal is to continue to have a lot of fun on the bike and to stay healthy.
In terms of sport, I dream of a world record for the fastest triple everesting and the most metres in altitude within 12 hours.
I would also like to be on the podium at one or two cycling races, such as the Maratona dles Dolomites, in the next few years.
Why does KEEGO inspire you?
I spend a lot of my free time on my racing bike. Logically, I have to drink a lot.
With conventional bicycle bottles, I have always had the problem of never getting rid of the plastic taste. Not to mention the health risks posed by the plastic particles. I pay attention to a healthy lifestyle, have never smoked or drunk alcohol. Actually, it's almost absurd how long I've been drinking from plastic bottles on the bike.
After drinking from the same two plastic bottles the whole time during Paris-Brest-Paris 2019 over 1,200km and at some point it was just disgusting, I reacted and looked around for alternatives. I came across KEEGO relatively quickly. At the time, it was still very new on the market, but I liked the revolutionary approach. I was thrilled right from the first test. Natural taste, easy to clean - that's exactly how I always wanted it!
In the course of time, I became aware of other advantages. Because the bottles are so easy to clean, they can be used "forever". In winter, drinking in the bottles also keeps you warm longer and in summer it stays cool longer.
Please tell us something about the most difficult moment in your career or life and what you learned from it or how you overcame it.
When I was physically almost immobile and almost bedridden for weeks at the end of 2018/beginning of 2019 with severe back pain, I was also probably going through the most difficult phase of my life mentally. During this time, I realised which of my friends I can always rely on. That gave me a lot of strength. When I was able to at least start going for walks again, things slowly started to look up. During the first longer walks with the dog, I learned to appreciate movement in nature in a completely different way.
Overall, however, I have to say that I have fortunately been spared very difficult phases in my life so far.
Is there a person in your life who has had a decisive influence on your career as an athlete or your life in general?
Actually, there are several people who have significantly influenced and partly inspired me as a cyclist.
A good friend of mine - Michael Leiblein - showed me that it is at all possible to ride over 100km on a road bike on several days in a row. He gave me a lot of tips and accompanied me during my first long training sessions.
Rainer Hess, with whom I rode Paris-Brest-Paris in 2019, has repeatedly and impressively shown me that it is usually not the body but the head that is the limiting factor on the bike.
Joachim Heitel prepared me for the Ötztal Cycling Marathon in 2017 and thus opened the door to the cycling marathon scene for me in the first place. He also rode the first two tours over 300km with me and was with me on Mont Ventoux when I conquered it six times in a row.
Peter Morstadt 's reports on his experiences of various cycling marathons in the Alps in 2017 also gave me a taste for the sport.
For some time now, my girlfriend Kathi has also been supporting me in all my activities on the road bike. Without her, my successes in 2021 and especially my world record would not have been possible.
But my life in general was very much influenced by my parents and grandparents. Without them, I certainly wouldn't be who I am today.
KEEP GOING Frederik!
Team KEEGO
