Mountain bike races throughout the slow winter months are becoming more and more popular. Rohloff team rider Ralf Kropp whole heartedly agrees with this. On the 23rd of January 2011 he competed in the Ice Rider race in Schömberg, Germany. The Ice Rider race is a welcome opportunity to gain a little competition experience following the long training modules. A chilly minus 5 degrees Celsius awaited all participants at the start however along the course, the snow had dispersed thanks to the milder weather over the past few days. 33 hard kilometres after the start of Ice Rider, Ralf Kropp came home in first place winning the masters category and finishing a more-than-respectable 29th place in the overall standings.