2023 Dead Ends & Cake: Event Recap

Words and photos by Dead Ends & Cake

Ninety lucky riders gathered in St.Gallen, Switzerland, for the third edition of Dead Ends & Cake last month. They were selected from 700 applicants from 36 nations, and spots were drawn in a ballot, with a 50/50 gender split.

The concept of the ride is sweet and simple. Create your own route to visit all five checkpoints in any order. At every checkpoint, you get a stamp, a piece of fresh cake, and a lot of cheers by the volunteers. All checkpoints are at the end of a dead-end road somewhere in the mountains of Switzerland. This sums up to 500 kilometres and 9,000 metres of climbing. Road, Gravel, MTB, hike-a-bike? It’s up to you.

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Dead Ends

Many cyclists try to avoid dead-end roads… because a proper ride has to be a circle. It has always been. But once you start looking in these abandoned valleys, these steep roads up a hill or the tiny path to the end of the lake, you will see that dead ends can be very rewarding.

Cake

How do you convince people to join a bike ride? Easy, you tell them there will be cake! At every checkpoint, riders are rewarded with a fresh piece of cake. At each checkpoint, we serve a local specialty, made as close as possible to the checkpoint. In this way, we are able to support the bakeries and restaurants in these remote areas up in the mountains.

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Distance and Route

Around 450 to 500 kilometres and 9,000 metres of climbing has proven to be perfect for a three-day event. Some riders will collect the cakes in less than 20 hours, others will enjoy a full three days of cycling the tiny roads of this spectacular region. For those racing, it’s a challenging and very hard ride. But even if you don’t have the legs or the mind to race, you’ll find enough time to take it easy and be back in time for the finisher’s party on Sunday. This brings a great mix of some of the world’s best ultra-cyclists and folks who have never ridden this far before.

Checkpoints

Of course, there are new checkpoints every year to create new routes and show more of beautiful Eastern Switzerland and its hidden gems. There are many criteria for how checkpoints get chosen. Most important and obvious: there have to be spectacular views and very low traffic. To keep excitement high, all five checkpoints have to be different and offer different types of views and riding. Some are deep into a valley, some on top of a mountain, and some in the middle of nowhere.

They should not be too easy to climb, as a well-deserved cake tastes better! And there should always be an option to connect some of the checkpoints on paths less traveled. These adventurous routes and hike-a-bikes have become a big part of Dead Ends & Cake.

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The Region

Eastern Switzerland isn’t the first thing that comes to your mind if you think of riding your bike in the Alps. Most people know the big alpine passes like Furka, Gotthard, Albula. But these are also known to our motorized friends and can make them less fun, especially on the weekends.

This is where Eastern Switzerland, St.Gallen, Appenzell, and Graubünden, have a huge advantage. There are countless small roads that lead to a tiny village or farms somewhere at the top of a hill. These are the real gems for us cyclists. And when you decide to leave the paved roads and ride your gravel or mountain bike, there are even more options. A dream destination for cyclists.

Start & Finish

Start and finish are in my hometown of St.Gallen. To be more precise, in our home. We invite participants to our house and garden. The “Kutscherhaus,” an old horse stable built in 1840, is home to 90 riders during the weekend. Fresh food, cold drinks, hammocks, a campfire and many old and new friends.

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The vibe

Dead Ends & Cake has a very special vibe, and many reasons add to this. Having 50% women at the start line brings a calm and relaxing spirit to the group. On traditional routes from Point A to B, the riders at the front and the back of the group rarely see other riders. Because you’re riding dead-end roads up and down, you’ll meet many fellow riders. Because you are free to choose the order of the checkpoints, the fastest and the more relaxed riders will meet at a checkpoint at the same time. Yes, it is a race… for some. But all in all it is one big adventure and a very social event.

The Volunteers

The most special thing about Dead Ends & Cake is that there are over 30 volunteers involved. All checkpoints are manned around the clock by the most friendly, handsome, and cheerful volunteers you could ever imagine. This is only possible because all of these are friends of mine and/or former participants. They can spend a nice weekend up in the mountains with nice food, cake, and some beers. Their only job is to hand out a stamp and a piece of cake to every rider. But they do so much more. They cheer them on, paint the roads with all the names, sing them songs upon arrival. This boosts everyone’s morale, and you can’t wait to reach the next checkpoint.

The love for the small details

At this year’s finisher party, we had fresh homemade ramen. But instead of handing out finished bowls of delicious noodle-soup, riders got a piece of dough and were guided through how to create noodles. They had to make their own noodles before having them cooked and served in a very tasty bowl of ramen. These little things don’t make much sense at first sight, but add to the charm and the experience of our little cake hunt.

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The future

Dead Ends & Cake is a small event and a lot of love, passion, and time is put in to create a very special weekend for everyone involved. And this is how it will stay. Yes, it is heartbreaking that only 12% of all applicants are riding for cake. But it’s the only way to keep the charm and the spirit of this event. Maybe next year luck is on your side?!

Save the date: 21 – 23 June, 2024!

Further Reading

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