Photo: Press/Wenn
When extreme cyclist Jacob Zurl needed to tackle one of the world's most dangerous routes, he needed to make sure nothing was left to chance - including a very specific soundtrack.
The problems facing Zurl on the 329 mile Leh Manali Highway in the Himalayas are legion. "The route from Manali to Leh is one of the most dangerous highways of the world," the 26 year old German professional cyclist tells Gigwise. "Poor road conditions, extreme weather (in the day up to 35°C and in the night down to -15°C), dangerous traffic and the high altitude made this project so special and dangerous. Especially because I cycled it nonstop, without sleep and no breaks."
One particular moment stood out for Zurl during his ride last year. "The scariest moment was at the first mountain pass, when we saw a truck falling down the talus. The driver had luck and came uninjured out of the destroyed truck." Even when other road users were absent the ride was a huge struggle. "The hardest moment was at the middle of the project where I cycled for very long time above 4500m (15,000ft). I felt bad, had a headache, vomited and my oxygen saturation was only at 70%."
To give you an idea of the severity of this, an oxygen saturation rate of 75 tends to result in a visit to intensive care.
Naturally when taking such a huge risk, Zurl wanted something he could listen to - something that could block out the pain and help him focus during the long, difficult climbs. He chose, perhaps surprisingly, Natalia Kills' 'Free' featuring will.i.am in which she rhymes "Wanna be like Midas" with "But my bank account is minus".
As he explained to Men's Journal's Jayme Moye, there is method in his madness: "It's an old song but it has such a good rhythm." What's good news is that even now he's still fan. "I've listened to Natalia for a long time," Zurl explains to Gigwise. "I recognized her when her first song was in the Austrian-charts." (It made number four). Zurl also praises the uplifting message: "It's also the word 'free' in the song which gave it that good feeling."
Listen to Natalia Kills' 'Free' ft. Will.i.am.
Perhaps surprisingly given his near 39 hours listening to it, Zurl still listens to Natalia's work."Do I still listen to 'Free'? Yes! Natalia was the whole Himalaya in ears." He says it's not uncommon for him to obsessively listen to one particular song during his training. "Most of the time between such a project I listen to music and there is always one special song, which motivates me. I use music as an instrument of medition and it helps me in the hard moments to deal with it and to motivate me to go on." He's not even restricting himself to one track - he also enjoys 'Mirrors' and 'Wonderland', both from her LP Perfectionist.
Even Natalia's recent encounter regarding being spectacularly rude to an X Factor contestant have done little to diminish Zurl's admiration of the singer. "No absolutely not. It's the rhythm and sometimes also the message of a song which let's me hear that song all the time. A scandal about a singer normally does not affect my music choice."
Below: Jacob Zurl midway through his ride
Zurl is currently preparing for his next challenge, as well as working on the release of his documentary. "There is now another song on my Sony player. At the moment I'm listening 'I Bet My Life' from Imagine Dragons all the time." However he won't be drawn on whether this is going to be the soundtrack till his next 30 hours in the saddle. "Maybe in two or three weeks there will be another song," Zurl explains. "Maybe Natalia again..."
Jacob Zurl's documentary The High Road - Nonstop Across the Himalaya is out later this year. Read more at jacobzurl.at
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