The Werkself mounted their bikes at 09.30 CET in Bad Bertrich with Koblenz as the target destination. 90 kilometres a day are on the agenda and the first 25 kilometres saw the group travel a delightful route through the vineyards along the Moselle – there was definitely a touch of quality relaxation in this environment. "Wonderful," was the assessment of head coach Heiko Herrlich, "I can well imagine going for a ride here with my children."
The nature of the route suddenly changed after the first short break in Senheim. The Bayer 04 pros then faced a more exerting mountain section with a rise of 200 metres over 1.6 kilometres. The Werkself split into three teams for this challenge with the time at the target destination measured against the last rider of each group. The search was on for kings of the mountain in the squad: Victory went to captain Lars Bender with his team including new signing Mitchell Weiser and 'mountain flea' Leon Bailey.
The reward for the winning sextet included an appropriate external recognition with a white ribbon with a red dot – reminiscent of the shirt worn by the best mountain rider in the Tour de France. "It was logical that we made the running as our team was brilliant and we pushed ourselves," said Lars Bender with a grin. At the end of the day it wasn't down to the ability to push as the other groups led by Sven Bender and Kevin Volland certainly put a shift in on the saddle. The assessment of the Werkself skipper: "It's a good change and it's great fun even if a few of us have got aching legs tonight."
At the halfway stage after 45 kilometres it was time for a refuelling stop in Cochem. After lunch the group travelled as a closed formation towards the destination of Koblenz. Recovery and regeneration are on the agenda at the hotel – and the Bayer 04 physios will certainly have their hands full massaging tired calf muscles.
On Monday the cycling fraternity will travel 85 kilometres from Koblenz to Bonn with the final 55 kilometres on Tuesday as the Werkself head home to the BayArena. After two days off on Wednesday and Thursday, the next open training session will be on Friday at 16.00 CET.
Werkself-TV shows the highlights of the Bayer 04 women's 1-0 win against FC Carl Zeiss Jena on the 21th matchday of the Google Pixel Frauen-Bundesliga 2025/26.
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Bayer 04 will have to make do without forward Martin Terrier in the next few weeks. The Frenchman sustained a muscle injury in his right hamstring in Saturday's 3-3 draw at Heidenheim in the Bundesliga.
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Three goals weren’t enough for the Werkself to beat FC Heidenheim on Saturday. The 3-3 stalemate was Bayer 04’s third Bundesliga draw in a row. After a commanding first half and a two-goal lead, “we didn’t get back into our game,” summarised Mark Flekken, who featured between the sticks for the first time in two months. Patrik Schick once again proved his nose for goal, bagging a brace. He is now the third-most prolific Bundesliga scorer in the club’s history. Despite the squandered points, head coach Kasper Hjulmand remains confident ahead of the final spurt of the season: “We’re ready to overcome this situation.” The Werkself review.
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Werkself TV shows the highlights of Bayer 04's 3-3 draw at FC Heidenheim on Matchday 27 of the 2025/26 Bundesliga season...
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Bayer 04 were held to a 3-3 draw away at Heidenheim despite twice taking the lead on Bundesliga Matchday 27. Malik Tillman and Patrik Schick had given the Werkself a 2-0 advantage in the first half, but Hennes Behrens and a Marvin Pieringer penalty brought the hosts level after the restart. Schick restored the lead not long after. However, Pieringer also struck again in the closing minutes to restrict Leverkusen to just a point away at the Bundesliga’s bottom side.
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