1App
App coming
The BOB app will be your proof tool: checkpoints, progress, assistance and track upload. For now, the website shows the preview.
Brandenburg Gate
Baltic Sea
Brandenburg Gate
600 km.
Out to the sea.
Back home.
BOB 600 is a self-supported ultracycling challenge from Berlin through Brandenburg and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania to the Baltic Sea and back. You ride at your own risk, whenever you choose, with your own plan and far enough that nobody can call it a "quick spin" afterwards.
Nothing about this is difficult*. The route is not complicated. Just long. The sea is only halfway.
600 kmNot a marketing number. More of a statement.
~2,100 mEnough elevation for stories afterwards.
40 hGenerous, if you keep moving.
about 75 kmBetween QR checkpoints.
How it will work.
Once the app is available: open it, create an account, load the route and scan the QR code at Brandenburg Gate. That starts the clock. The rest is cycling, just longer than planned.
2Account
Create an account
No real-name requirement. An alias is enough for the leaderboard.
3Route
Select BOB 600
Select the Berlin - Baltic Sea - Berlin route in the app. Then the app knows what you signed up for.
4Route
Track in the app
The track will be unlocked in the final app. There is currently no public GPX download.
5Start time
Scan the start QR
Start whenever you want. The first QR code is at Brandenburg Gate. Your time starts with the scan.
6Ride
From here, it counts
The first scan starts the clock. 40 hours, 600 km, and the sea is only the halfway announcement.
7Finish
Scan the finish QR
Back at Brandenburg Gate, scanning the QR code again officially ends your attempt.
XDNF
Report a DNF
If it is over, set DNF in the app. Not pretty, but properly documented.
Upcoming.
BOB 600 is being prepared. Registration is not open yet, but you can be notified when it begins. No newsletter storm, only relevant registration and launch updates.
Registration is not open yet. But we will remind you when it gets serious.
The route says: north, sea, south.
Start and finish are at Brandenburg Gate. Between them lie the Baltic Sea, a turnaround point and the sober truth that you also have to ride back.
Brandenburg Gate
A photo, a quick look at the bike, then out of Berlin. No conventional race event. No start-arch theatre. Just leave when you are ready.
QR checkpoints about 75 km apart
Scan, save the GPS moment, keep riding. This is proof, not a checkpoint buffet.
"The route is not complicated. Just long."
Baltic Sea
The sea is only halfway. Lovely place, but unfortunately the finish is back in Berlin.
Track proof after the finish
After the finish, upload your track. Not because we do not trust you, but because unsupported should stay fair and verifiable.
Unsupported stays unsupported.
BOB 600 is bikepacking, ultracycling and a DIY brevet. No full support, no crew, no conventional race. Fairness rides along, even if it offers no slipstream.
U
Unsupported
Self-supported means self-supported
You organise food, water, sleep, tools and power yourself. Fair means available to everyone: supermarkets, petrol stations and hotels. No private crew.
QR
Proof
QR + track
QR checkpoints sit about 75 km apart. At the finish, your uploaded track is added. Together, they make the attempt verifiable.
The track is the track
If you leave the route for food, sleep or service, return to the exact point where you left it. Shortcuts are not creative navigation.
Fair
Fair play
Fairness decides
Unverifiable rides or clear rule violations are classified as DNF. Fairness rides along.
BOB App Preview
An app that does not motivate. It documents.
QR scans, GPS at the moment of scanning, progress, an assistance button and track upload after the finish. Privacy-conscious by design: location only for scans, SOS or uploads.
No real-name requirement
An alias is enough. Nobody needs to ride under their legal name.
Assistance button
For actual roadblocks. Not for the usual headwinds.
Prepare the route
Select BOB 600 and prepare navigation. The track will be unlocked in the final app.
Scan start and finish
The first scan starts the clock. The finish scan at Brandenburg Gate ends the attempt.
Report a DNF properly
If the ride is over or 40 hours have elapsed, the attempt is documented as DNF.
Location only when needed
GPS only for scans, SOS, position updates or track uploads. No permanent live tracking.
Leaderboard. The clock judges, the track brings receipts.
BOB 600 gets a seasonal leaderboard, an all-time leaderboard and achievements. Being fast helps. Clean documentation does too. The weather may not cooperate.
Season leaderboard
Each season gets its own leaderboard. The confirmed time between start scan and finish scan, plus track proof, is what counts. No starting gun, no mass sprint, just you, your clock and the question of why the Baltic Sea is so far north.
1tom_auf_tour27:48 h
2mila.kurbelt31:12 h
3paultritt34:55 h
Hall of Very Long Legs
The seasonal list is followed by the all-time leaderboard. Properly finished attempts remain visible there, even when somebody later goes faster and becomes briefly annoying.
Besides times, badges matter too: night, rain, wind, heat, perfect checkpoints and other small awards for big decisions.
Small badges for big decisions
Achievements are not an additional ranking. They are markers for special rides: fast, wet, windy, at night, properly documented or simply completed with stubborn consistency. They stay attached to the account you ride with. Delete or replace that account and the badges are gone too. A digital sticker book without a replacement copy.
Not everything on the route announces itself loudly. Ride with your eyes open and you might find more than checkpoints.
BOB 600
Your BOB 600 finish badge. It marks this route specifically, so future routes do not get mixed into the same category.
Officially Home
Finish within 40 hours. Sounds factual, probably feels less factual.
Overtime
Finish reached and track complete, but after 40 hours. Visible, documented and outside classification.
Honest Exit
Attempt actively ended and DNF set. Not glamorous, but properly documented.
Suffered at Pace
Under 35 hours. Not quite a rocket launch, but definitely no coffee ride.
Uncomfortably Fast
Under 30 hours. A 20 km/h average including stops. Not much time for philosophy.
Please Breathe
Under 25 hours. Realistic for very strong riders, a conversation topic for everyone else.
Aero-Helmet Myth
Under 20 hours means a 30 km/h average including stops. Not impossible, but firmly top-tier.
Double Night Shift
At least 9 hours between 22:00 and 05:00 across two nights. Lights on, humour dimmed.
Premium Shower
At least 2 hours of relevant rainfall. Unsupported unfortunately also means getting wet by yourself.
Crosswind Deluxe
Strong wind phases or gusts on the route. Tailwind counts less morally, but still counts technically.
Dressed Warm, Planned Wrong
Above 30 degrees on relevant route sections. Bonus levels at 35 and 40 degrees, if the asphalt cooperates.
Checkpoint Fox
Every checkpoint scanned correctly, no debate. Rarely spectacular, very pleasant for verification.
Gas Station
Romantic
At least 5 brief petrol-station stops. Sometimes love comes through the fuel pump.
How are weather achievements kept fair?
After finishing, the app can analyse the track over time: positions from the track, timing from scan and upload data, and weather from historical weather records. Only the calculated achievement facts are stored for each attempt, such as rain hours, maximum temperature, wind phases and night share. Not every cloud gets its own monument.
FAQ, because somebody will ask.
Short answers. The route is long enough already.
Is BOB 600 a race?
Not in the conventional sense. It is an unsupported brevet with a time window, track proof and fair rules. Results matter less than finishing properly.
How much does it cost?
For season 1, entry is 10 euros. We are deliberately keeping the first season accessible while covering part of the app, servers, route maintenance and further development. From season 2, the fee will be adjusted once we can reliably estimate the ongoing effort. It stays BOB 600: no starting-arch circus, just a properly run unsupported format.
When does it take place?
You decide. There is no fixed time and no mass start. Your clock begins as soon as you scan the first QR code at Brandenburg Gate.
Is food provided?
No full support. Supermarkets, petrol stations and bakeries are part of your strategy. Opening hours are too.
May I leave the track?
Yes, but not as a shortcut. If you leave the track for a supermarket, petrol station, hotel, sleeping spot, workshop or any other personal reason, return to the point where you left it. Genuine route disruptions such as closures, police or fire-service operations, wildfires or comparable situations will be reviewed fairly. Basic rule: the track is the route, not a rough suggestion.
Why QR checkpoints?
To document passage simply and clearly. Scan the QR code, save GPS at the moment of scanning, continue riding.
Do I have to use my real name?
For the app preview: no. A username is enough. No real-name requirement in the mock-up.
What happens after 40 hours?
The attempt is then outside the time limit and classified as DNF. If you still return to Brandenburg Gate, your attempt may remain visible as "finished outside classification" if you choose. No main ranking and no trophy, but documented. The 600 km do not disappear just because the clock was in a bad mood.
What if I have to stop?
Set DNF in the app. That documents the end of the attempt properly. No drama, just an honest status.
What if my phone battery dies?
Contact the team through support after the ride and submit your track. We will review individually whether the attempt can be classified. Power supply is part of proper planning: power bank, cables and battery management. Ultracycling is rarely kind to percentage indicators.