Liechtenstein's Markus Büchel and Austria's David Weichenberger are no strangers to the unicycle scene. Büchel already tried his hand at the Bahnentour on a unicycle a year ago and "destroyed" over 8,000 meters of altitude in the process. Even then, experts were amazed at the 39-year-old's performance. But even then, Büchel seemed to know that he could do even more: He could do even more.

October 4, 2012 was to prove it. At 5.20 am, Büchel and Weichenberger ascended from the night camp on the Jakobshorn to the Jatzhorn. They set off shortly before six o'clock in the first light of dawn and will ultimately be on the road for twelve hours. They will complete eight descents, riding exactly 9679 meters of altitude on single trails downhill and finally reach the limit of what is possible.

Büchel and Weichenberger will master the entire route riding their unicycles - without suspension, of course. The bikes do not have a freewheel either; every single meter has to be pedalled - even downhill. While many mountain bikers can recover in between, this is not the case for the two unicyclists. However, the special unicycles are equipped with disc brakes so that not all the braking power is provided by muscle power.

Ride published a detailed portrait of Markus Büchel and the Swiss unicycle scene in 2011:
www.sports-publishing.ch/shop/de/Ride/Artikel/Ride-2011-02:-Reportage-Municycle