My expectations were modest, but my hopes were high. As I took part in the Ötztaler Cycle Marathon for the seventh time, the signs were good that I would beat my personal best from the previous year (9:00 hours) and break the 9-hour barrier with a time of 8:59 hours or less. But everything turned out differently than expected.
At this point, it should be noted that there is (officially) an hour’s difference between the finishing times for men and women, which is also taken into account when assigning the starting blocks.The target time of 9:00hours for women corresponds to 8:00 hours for men.
Special features of the Ötztaler
The weather gods were kind this year and created perfect conditions for the race. The sun shone from morning till night and, for once, rain jackets could be left at home. There are big temperature differences in the mountains. The mountains and valleys are two different worlds. The Ötztaler Cycle Marathon takes this one step further. On the one hand, the four passes naturally cause temperature fluctuations at different altitudes, but the length of the route is also responsible for the large temperature differences. The Ötztaler is a comparatively long cycle marathon, with many riders on the road all day. Early in the morning, shortly before sunrise, temperatures are at their lowest, while during the day they rise sharply, only to fall significantly again in the evening for the last finishers. As most riders arrive in St. Leonhard in Italy, South Tyrol, the place with the highest temperatures, around or shortly after noon, the temperature contrasts are even more pronounced. This year, the biggest challenge at the start of the race was not to freeze to death. The descent to Ötz took place in refrigerator temperatures. Here, an icy wind blew in the riders’ faces. However, the freezing was over after a good half hour with the climb to Kühtai. And the shivering was worth it, because in South Tyrol it was not hot, even though the climb to the Timmelsjoch still presented the riders with numerous challenges.
My race
In previous years, I had already peaked in June and was back to a lower level in August. Not so this year. My form was spot on this year. A week before, I was able to complete my intervals as planned and still had reserves. Nevertheless, I was unable to perform at my best in the race. Compared to other years, the descent to Ötz was generally a slower one. I was able to make up a few minutes at Kühtai. However, that wasn’t down to my performance. Even at Kühtai, I noticed that my body wasn’t really up to it. This year, however, I was riding with just one bottle for the first time and also had a kilo less food with me. The reduced weight allowed me to set a personal best, even though my wattage was a few less than in other years. At the top, I picked up two full bottles and gels. At this point, a BIG THANK YOU to Larissa&Cloodie and the entire Alpecin team for their support! On the descent to Kematen, I had a guardian angel. In the last third of the descent, a rider in front of me crashed without any outside influence as he entered a village. The bike shot across the road and I was lucky that it just missed me. As there were spectators present, I assume that medical assistance was quick to arrive. Hopefully, the rider is doing well under the circumstances. Up to the Brenner Pass, we rode against a strong east wind, and even at the Brenner Pass itself, the wind slowed the riders down. At times, I had to take turns with other riders to close gaps that had opened up in the peloton. I was riding in a large group. Unfortunately, I always notice at the Brenner Pass that riders tend to ride in a single file instead of forming a stable double file, which would allow everyone to conserve energy. At the top of the Brenner Pass, I was still well on schedule with a time of 3:58 hours. Since I had already completed the second part of the race in 5 hours, it would have been mathematically possible to finish in under 9 hours. However, I was already feeling extremely tired at this point. Hell began for me at the Jaufen Pass. Normally, my Ötztaler races are characterized by the fact that I pedal harder than most other riders on the last two passes and overtake the majority of them. Not so this year. I couldn’t go on. I first tried to get more energy into my system with isotonic drinks and gels, but it had no effect. I felt so incredibly tired. I glanced at the side of the road, at the meadows and green verges, and imagined lying down there. I swear I would have fallen asleep there. This leaden tiredness should not occur in a bike race. Adrenaline normally keeps you awake. As I struggled up the Jaufen Pass, I tried to find the cause. It wasn’t a lack of energy, fluids, or minerals, that much was certain, and my legs didn’t feel tired or heavy either. I was concerned that I might have caught a virus and toyed with the idea of ending the race as a DNF so as not to damage my health. However, the thought of waiting for the broom wagon to take me back put me off, and I didn’t want to miss out on the descent from the Jaufen Pass. After refueling at the pass, I set off on one of the most beautiful descents. In St. Leonhard, I decided to take the Timmelsjoch at a leisurely pace and enjoy the weather and the landscape. After feeling like I was falling asleep on my bike in the middle of the Timmelsjoch, my tiredness gradually disappeared at the top. I didn’t need any sticky gels at all, as the lower speed meant that the isotonic drink provided enough energy. For the first time, I enjoyed the beautiful view at the Timmelsjoch and the descent to Sölden without any pressure.
Root cause analysis and takeaway
I find my finishing time of 9:25 hours extremely impressive. My performance on the Jaufen Pass was by far the lowest I had ever achieved during an Ötztaler race. So it’s all the more astonishing that I still managed to achieve a good time. Of course, I benefited from my fastest first half of the race to date. This was a combination of less weight and the fact that I had a group with me on the Brenner Pass this year, whereas in previous years I had been riding alone in the wind for a long time. The weight in particular should not be underestimated for the Ötztaler. I had 19 watts (!) less than last year on the Jaufen Pass, but only lost 9 minutes. At the Timmelsjoch, I lost 20 minutes on my 2024 time. At the Jaufen Pass and Timmelsjoch, I was 29 minutes behind 2024 and sometimes even more behind my potential ride time when I compare my FTP this year and my times in other Ötztaler years in general. Under “normal” conditions, it would have been possible to finish in under 9 hours. For me, this means the following for the future: 1. Everyone knows that weight is an important factor, but its influence on the overall time is significantly greater than that of performance. 2. It is definitely worthwhile closing gaps in order to catch up with a group.
The fatigue at the Jaufen Pass was enormous and, of course, it has something to do with my chronic lack of sleep. Personally, I also experience extreme fatigue when an infection is coming on. My body signals that it needs rest and my immune system needs energy to work. If I get enough sleep, I can often fight off infections or at least mitigate them. In fact, I am feeling a little under the weather now in the days after the race, but I don’t know if I already noticed the infection during the race. I can also identify another important factor: hormones. It was noticeable that I was too warm during the days around the race, especially at night. This is due to my cycle phase with increased progesterone. In the second half of the cycle, the luteal phase after ovulation, the hormones estrogen and testosterone drop and in the first few days the hormone progesterone rises. This causes an increase in body temperature. Furthermore, progesterone causes increased fatigue and poor utilization of fats and carbohydrates, which is accompanied by increased depletion of glycogen stores. Progesterone’s purpose is to provide as much energy as possible in the bloodstream for potential offspring, leaving less for the female muscles. Of course, this varies from person to person. In fact, I already take the luteal phase into account in my training and am aware of the impact it has on my performance and poor recovery (especially replenishing carbohydrate stores). Unfortunately, this cannot be influenced from the outside, and I have to live with it and compete in races. Perhaps one or two women (or their partners) can relate to this. I will discuss the topic of hormones in a separate blog post soon.
Looking back, I am annoyed that I missed the sub-9 hours mark—because who knows what will happen at the next Ötztaler.—but it is also incredibly reassuring to see that I was able to achieve a very good time with less effort. So I still have a score to settle with the Ötztaler Cycle Marathon, and I will be back!
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