Ultra as an unsolved problem
Hey, I’m Jonas, a self-supported ultra cyclist from Lausanne. I care about prep, truth, and the moving line we call “the limit.”
RAF 2025 — 2,615 km · 37,000 m · 5d13h — Read the story →
My Story • Why Ultra? • Results • Where to find me • Start a conversation
My Story
I grew up in Lausanne after moving from the Netherlands and picked up a hockey stick at four. Hockey became the axis of my life: Swiss youth national teams, then Germany at 18 with Mannheimer HC. I trained with Olympians, learned patience as a substitute, chased minutes in Belgium and Hamburg, and helped win promotion to the 1. Bundesliga. Just before the season, the club signed a more experienced keeper. The starting spot I’d worked towards disappeared overnight.
I went home to Lausanne to study—and, slowly, to accept that hockey had shifted from a profession to a hobby. That gap was hard to live with. Eventually I stepped away. It felt like closing a door without knowing if there was another one down the hall.
In 2020 a last‑minute bikepacking trip across Norway—2,400 kilometres to the North Cape—opened that door. Soon after, I entered the Swiss Ultra Cycling Challenge: 1,000 km across all 26 Swiss cantons, self‑supported. We finished in 64 hours and I was hooked. In 2022 I returned solo and finished 8th. Two years into ultra cycling, I realised I could be competitive.
2023 was my first real season: 4th at Pedalma Madrid–Barcelona (700km), 12th at Race Across France (2500km), and then my first ultra victory—winning SUCH in under 40 hours. In 2024 I levelled up with coach Loïc Lepoutre and sports psychologist Mattia Piffaretti. I fought for wins in every race, scratched late at Race Across France after a strong start, and finished 2nd at SUCH. The improvement was clear, even when the results weren’t.
2025: breaking through (and learning). I won the Race Across France—2,615 km with 37,000 m of climbing in 5 days and 13 hours—one of Europe’s biggest road ultras, four years after taking up cycling. It didn’t feel like a finish line as much as a confirmation: the work works. Later that year, I lined up for the Swiss Ultra Cycling Challenge for the fifth time. I’d neglected preparation and my head wasn’t there. The road made it obvious: DNF after 400 km. Brutal, honest, and useful. Nothing is granted—everything is earned. That reminder is part of why I love this sport.
Why ultra?
For a while I wasn’t exactly sure why I was doing this. I think I know now: I find real fulfilment in preparing deeply and searching for a solution to a problem no one has truly solved yet. In self-supported ultra there’s no fixed reference point—no tidy checklist that says you’re ready—and no room for complacency. Every decision shows up on the road: pacing, sleep, fuelling, route, weather, headspace. You can’t bluff your way through 2,500 kilometres; it strips everything away until only you and the truth remain.
Self-supported ultra is still an unsolved problem. We don’t yet know the ceiling, or the “ideal” approach to nutrition, sleep, bike set-up, equipment, or physical preparation—at least not in a way that consistently translates to performance in week-long racing. We borrow ideas from traditional cycling and other sports, but ultra is its own ecosystem and much of it remains unknown. We have fragments, not a formula—and that’s exciting. I want to be at the forefront of that discovery. I’ve raced my way to the pointy end; now I’m part of the group exploring the boundaries and pushing the limits further. I like the process. I like solving problems. Ultra is a brutally honest audit where every detail matters. Limits exist—and they move. That chase, the continual redrawing of what’s possible, gives me purpose. I’m on that journey, and I’m not ready to stop.
Results Snapshot
- 2025 — Race Across France — Winner (2,615 km, 37,000 m, 5d13h)
- 2024 — Swiss Ultra Cycling Challenge — 2nd; Race Across France 2500 — scratched late
- 2023 — Swiss Ultra Cycling Challenge — Winner (40h); Pedalma Madrid–Barcelona — 4th; RAF 2500 — 12th
- 2022 — Swiss Ultra Cycling Challenge — 8th (solo)
Get in touch
Curious about working together—or just want to say hi? Reach out →
Pourquoi Pas? Podcast 🎧
I had the pleasure of joining the Pourquoi Pas? Podcast from Romain Ries for an episode all about my journey from field hockey to ultra endurance cycling. In this conversation, I share my story—from my early days as a field hockey goalkeeper to discovering (almost by accident) the incredible world of ultra cycling.
