This year, over 4,000 starters will once again be at the starting line in Sölden for what is probably the most famous cycle marathon: the Ötztal Cycle Marathon. Most of the starters are ambitious amateurs and lead a completely ‘normal’ private life alongside their training. But how do you combine a job, family and time for friends with the necessary training for the 227 kilometres and 5500 metres of altitude difference of an Ötztaler? Here are some insights into my everyday (training) life and my 9-day training camp in the Dolomites.
Coaching yes or no? Influence of hormones
Many athletes hire a coach to prepare for the Ötztaler Cycle Marathon. This is not the worst idea as it allows you to outsource the mental load of training planning. The disadvantage is that the vast majority of coaches cannot afford (or do not want or cannot afford to pay a coach accordingly) to liaise closely with the athletes in order to adapt the training to the stress of everyday life. This means that training is almost exclusively based on previous training and upcoming sessions. Individual stresses such as work-related stress, travelling, poor or little sleep, nutrition, etc. are hardly taken into account. For women in particular, there is another factor: hormones.
Many women in the Master1 and Master2 age groups (up to the age of 50 and 60 respectively) take part in the cycling marathon. Many of them are in the menopause. The effects of the menopause begin before the immediate menopause, which in turn can last up to a decade. There is still a lot of medical research to be done in this area and there are sometimes major differences from woman to woman. This cannot be properly covered by coaching. For women before the menopause, there are recommendations regarding cycle-based training, but here too there are huge individual differences. Personally, I have noticed striking differences to the usual recommendations. My hardest training is best done around cycle day 1. Both my energy metabolism and my regeneration are maximised by the low level of female hormones. Conversely, I achieve poor relative performance due to an increase in progesterone and a decrease in testosterone in the second half of the cycle. Yes, you read that correctly: testosterone is not constant during the cycle and generally the female testosterone level in the blood is much higher than the concentrations of the female hormones. This is simply not mentioned in 99 per cent of articles and advice on the female cycle (perhaps because all the ‘experts’ copy from each other instead of doing their own research. But that’s material for another blog article).
In short, there’s nothing wrong with getting a coach, but you shouldn’t expect above-average results. The exception to this is when you work closely with your coach, as is the case for two-time winner Janine Meyer with her husband and coach Michael.
As my training takes place almost exclusively on the flat and I was constantly struggling with teething problems this year, I didn’t have the right intensity for my volumes. In order to be able to estimate your own VO2max, you can do a 5-minute all-out test in which your performance is then standardised with your body weight. Although the VO2max cannot be determined in terms of value, a comparison with the table from Allen&Coggan (see below) can show how high the VO2max performance (estimated at 5 minutes) is approximately. To estimate my VO2max, I use a longer Strava mountain segment. On the day of the test, my legs were rather tired from the previous days’ training, but as I rarely train alone, I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to do a test. Although I had NOT done a single interval above the threshold all year and had mainly trained in the lower basic range, my resulting wattage (5.2w/kg) was ‘excellent’. This shows that the theory of ‘chasing’ a lot of oxygen through the system to increase oxygen uptake works. Even if the high amount of oxygen is not achieved through intensity but through volume. What I lacked in training, however, was the intensity to raise my lactate threshold accordingly.
Training with the crowbar
All or nothing. That’s what you could call my cycling vacation aka training camp in the Dolomites. In the 9 days I doubled my annual elevation gain. Almost 30,000 vertical meters in 9 days.
I had planned to do around 3000 meters of altitude every day, mainly at a basic pace. Experience has shown that I can cope well with that. I regenerate and increase my FTP without having to do intensive intervals. How is this possible? The high gears that you push on the mountain put more strain on the muscle and train the lactate turnover. There is still no metric for this in cycling. Everything revolves around watts and ranges. Physiology is only insufficiently recorded. But you don’t train metrics, you don’t train watts in zones, you train a body. Even the lactate values measured in the blood are and remain what they are: Values in the blood. What happens in the muscle, how much lactate is produced and consumed there, cannot be measured by lactate concentrations in the blood. Training at altitude also has a performance-enhancing effect. This is still not fully understood. But there is a principle according to which our body and everything in nature works: This is still not fully understood today. But there is a principle according to which our body and everything in nature works: Life adapts to the challenges it is given. This means that training must be specific, especially before a competition. Unfortunately, this is hardly possible for me due to family and professional circumstances. Nevertheless, I was able to significantly improve my FTP during my short stay in the mountains and hope to maintain my form to some extent until the end of August.
Cycling in the Dolomites
Anyone on a cycling vacation in the Dolomites in summer should take the altitude into account. Even in summer, the air temperature there tends to be moderate. In the mornings and on the mountain passes, temperatures can be in single figures. Without sunshine in the shade and on descents, it quickly gets cold. This year, my visit to the Dolomites coincided with the heatwave in Central Europe. While at home in Germany the highs were often over 35 degrees, the air temperature in the Dolomites was only around 25 degrees at its peak. However, there is no headwind when climbing the pass and the air heats up above the asphalt. Cycling here can be more stressful for the body than in the airstream on the plain. Added to this is the sunlight. After-work laps at home take place when the sun is rather flat, whereas on a cycling vacation you are exposed to full sunlight during the day when the sun is at its highest. The radiation is also more intense in the mountains with lower air density and appropriate UV protection is particularly important.
During the first few days, I clearly noticed the difference in altitude and the lower oxygen partial pressure – simply called “thin” air. Due to the high temperatures and sweating in the heat, the strain was even greater. For me personally, clothing makes a huge difference and not all short-sleeved jerseys are the same. Thick fabrics that store the heat rather than letting it out lead to a real heat build-up for me, even if the jersey is generally breathable. I actually had a very special encounter on the descent of the Passo Giau, when a couple from the Far East were struggling up the pass. Both had aero helmets with visors and were wearing lined long-sleeved jerseys. They were both visibly suffering from the oppressive heat. It was too hot for me even on the descent, and that only in a jersey without a wind vest! Of course, it can make sense to wear a long-sleeved jersey as UV protection and there are correspondingly thin jerseys for this (test report to follow). In my opinion, however, lined long-sleeved jerseys are more likely to be the result of a lack of experience and incorrect classification of the conditions.
However, even in summer it can get very cold in the Dolomites and on the day of departure it had actually snowed overnight on the pass summits. It is therefore advisable to plan for a change in the weather and pack warmer clothing for safety. During my stay, the temperatures were mostly summery with a greatly increased risk of thunderstorms from midday onwards. Sometimes thunderstorms only occur locally and after a short, heavy shower, you can continue your journey unperturbed. However, it is also not uncommon for it to really “rain in”. Then one thunderstorm follows the next and temperatures drop sharply due to evaporative cooling. You should therefore have at least one long-sleeved rain jacket with you on the tours. I always started my tours early, shortly after sunrise. This meant that even in cool temperatures in the morning, it was already so warm in the sunshine on the ascent to the pass that I was on the road in short-shorts. On some days I had to perform a veritable thunderstorm slalom, which I did successfully. However, this also resulted in more or less altitude meters than I had originally planned. The last two days, the weather wasn’t as consistent and I increased the intensity of my tours a little in order to achieve the planned altitude meters in less time. I clearly noticed that I had improved my form. I had only catered for myself.
I use Powerbar products for this (20% discount on powerbar.eu with code PBLB-20*). I use gels for harder sections with higher intensity or if I need a short energy boost at the end of the tour. For training, I mainly use a carbohydrate ratio of glucose to fructose of 2:1, as this is particularly well tolerated. For more intensive sessions and to prepare for competitions, I also like 5:4. Otherwise, I mainly eat energy bars and PowerbarShots gummy bears. These give me a sustained energy boost without a drop in performance. When my bottles of isopowder are empty, I fill them up at public fountains or cafés. For breakfast, I have a big bowl of oatmeal porridge with protein powder. I make sure I get 30 grams of protein in the morning. Firstly, this interrupts the catabolic state that sets in overnight and secondly, the amino acids circulate in the blood for the next few hours, even during training. On longer tours, I sometimes take a protein bar with me or energy bars with a higher protein content (Energize Original Cookies). I didn’t take any longer breaks. On the one hand because I wanted to be back as early as possible and on the other because the descents themselves represent a certain break. I tried to limit my downtime to less than 30 minutes, which was usually successful due to the warm temperatures. After the tour, I immediately provide myself with short-chain carbohydrates and fast-digesting protein such as recovery drinks and protein bars. Dinner is then a mixed meal containing protein and carbohydrates with vegetables or salad.
Best café on the Sella Ronda
An insider tip and a must on the Sella Ronda is a detour to Café Erica (Garni Pâtisserie) in Arabba with Italian ice cream and the best cakes and strudels. The hotel/café is located at the end of the village on the left-hand side downhill towards Marmolada (GoogleMaps).
Strange noises from the rear freewheel
A big thank you goes to the BreakOut team in Corvara and the owner and snowboard world champion Ivo Rudiferia. On the 5th day, my freewheel was suddenly extremely loud – ok, the Rose freewheel is also very loud, so I don’t need a bell because every pedestrian jumps to the side as soon as they hear me coming with the freewheel anyway. However, the noise was also noticeable in a vibration and I went to Ivo’s store at 5pm to have the cause checked. I got my bike back at 7 pm (!). Diagnosis: Bearing of the rear wheel broken. It was replaced immediately and I was able to continue my training the next day. THANK YOU Ivo!
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