Trainingstips von Marcel Wyss

Tips from the expert - Marcel Wyss, RiderMan Hattrick overall winner 2021 to 2023

Because you have registered for RiderMan it shows that you pursue cycling with a certain ambition. Maybe you set a goal in the form of a time or a rank. Surely you try to prepare yourself as best as possible to achieve this goal that day. If it's your first event like this, you're probably asking yourself a lot of questions. If you have participated several times before, you will strive not to repeat the mistakes you have made. I have competed in over 600 professional races in my career - including the Tour de France twice - and have made pretty much every mistake once - and learned from them. Since, like most people, you invest a significant amount of your valuable free time in training and this sport costs a lot of money, you certainly want to get the most out of both. My tips on training and preparation should help you. I try to be detailed but not too complicated.

training

You've probably already thought about which training is the right one for you. Short and highly intense, or leisurely and as long as possible? Even though the opposite is often said on the Internet, there is no general answer to this question. If two people train in exactly the same way, they are unlikely to make exactly the same amount of progress. I assume that the desired “progress” here is the best possible endurance performance. At least it is the most important criterion for achieving the best possible time/rank on Riderman. Before answering who which training is suitable for, I would like to make a short but simple excursion into training science.

When we talk about “good endurance”, it is ultimately about the highest possible threshold performance, known in technical language as FTP. The FTP is the performance that can be maintained for around 60 minutes. FTP is mainly influenced by three factors. How much oxygen gets to the muscles (Vo2max), how well does it burn fat (FatMax) and how quickly does the body produce lactate (VLamax). All three factors must be trained individually, focusing primarily on the “weak point”. Most of you probably don't know this weak point. So you have the tendency, whether consciously or unconsciously, to train all three factors more or less according to your feelings. To put it bluntly, it is a matter of chance how good or bad your training works. If you rely on this “random” principle, I recommend that you do 5 training sessions, one high-intensity (HIT), 2 medium-intensity and 2 low-intensity training (LIT). The important thing is that you don't try to fit everything into one training session! This is a mistake that many amateur athletes make. Be sure to pay attention to these important principles:

HIT training should include intervals that are precisely timed. The goal is not to do a time trial to achieve the highest possible average speed. As an example, ride 3x 8 minute intervals - with 4 minutes of easy riding between the intervals - and an intensity that is maximum, but that you can do regularly over the total 24 minutes of intervals. For medium-intensity training, I recommend simply riding a route with as many and long climbs as possible. Don't ride these climbs as fast as you can. It should feel strict but good. The cadence should be low here. When it comes to LIT training, the motto is: the longer the better. You should choose the pace so that you could speak uninterrupted. You can increase the effect even more if you avoid food and drinks that contain a lot of sugar and don't eat anything in the last 3 hours before training. As I said, those were just the basics. Every type of training can be many times more efficient if you take other important points into account. To explain all of these here would go beyond the scope. This important additional information is part of the individual training advice I offer. As mentioned above, the division of training is just a rule of thumb. A proper performance test that captures Vo2max, VLamax and FatMax can answer what the distribution really should be. For example, let's look at the performance tests of Person A and B. Above I explained that FTP is the most important measure to quantify a person's performance. The two examples show that the same FTP can be created differently. In person B, the Vo2max is very good, in contrast to the VLamax. For person B it is exactly the opposite. If both of them used the above rule of thumb as a training requirement, the increase in performance would be different!

If you would be interested in such a performance test, please feel free to contact me. The advantage of this test is that you can do it at home. No matter when, no matter where. The only thing you need is a power meter, either on your bike or via a smart roller trainer. Because it is actually possible to calculate all of these parameters using only performance data. Many professional teams now rely on this testing method. Of course, you have to send me the corresponding training file that your cycling computer records.

But further questions immediately arise. Should you train exactly the same way every week? Do you need rest days or even weeks of rest? How many days in a row should you train and do you even need entire training camps? In order not to go beyond the scope, I can only answer this question in short form. I'll take the preparation for Riderman as an example.

3 months before the event

It is now mid-June and the days are longer than ever before in the year. Hopefully the often moody spring weather will now give way to the warm summer weather. Use this to train for as many hours as possible. Pay attention to thiss you often ride in the low and medium-intensity range on the long units. Ideally, you complete a training camp in which you completely forego HIT training and instead cover a lot of kilometers. Following such a “volume week”, you should plan a week of rest. It doesn't necessarily have to be 7 days of rest. But you have to be able to recover completely. Because now you should do a “HIT block”. Only train every other day, but always at high intensity. Try to do a volume week (LIT) and a HIT week once a month. Also complete a competition simulation once every month. In terms of time and intensity, this should be the same length as the route you then ride on the Riderman. It is important to test your diet. I recommend eating 60-80g of carbohydrates per hour. The energy from the drink is also included. You shouldn't eat anything at the event that you're not used to!

The topic of “field driving” is also an important point. If you're not used to riding shoulder-to-shoulder and wheel-to-wheel in a group, you'll need a lot more strength on the Riderman than someone who can. So look for a training group in your training region to practice driving in a group. Ideally, you even complete a preparation event!

10 days before the event

During this time you should reduce the training volume slightly, but not the intensity. Continue doing the HIT training sessions mentioned above in exactly the same way, but only for half as long. This way you maintain your fitness and the “normal” training fatigue disappears.

1 day before the event

It is also important to complete training on the last day before the event. The “engine” must be kept running. I recommend riding for about 1-2 hours and riding a little more intensely for 5-10 minutes, but below your threshold power. Because getting a little tired is important in order to sleep better in the evening. That brings us to the next topic. Try not to eat too much the night before, and especially not too heavy, otherwise the quality of your sleep may suffer. It's better to fill your energy storage a day earlier. The day before, think about when and how much you want to eat during the event in order to get the necessary 60-80g of carbohydrates per hour.

The last hours before the start

Now the day is here. I recommend that you eat at least 2 hours before the start. Try to eat exactly what you are used to. Just because the hotel has a wonderful buffet doesn't mean I wouldn't try everything. A good warm-up is also important. 20 minutes is ideal.

The event

The start has taken place! All participants resolve not to shoot all the powder right at the beginning. Nevertheless, most people set off with a higher heart rate than they intended. But that's completely ok! Because the heart rate will be much higher than normal, regardless of performance, due to the high adrenaline levels. In contrast to a cycling marathon in the high mountains, I recommend starting quickly. Because nothing is more annoying than missing out on a fast group where you can benefit from the slipstream. But it's very important to slow down a bit if you've lost touch. Orient yourself backwards! Only rarely do you manage to catch up with the front group again, although the effort required is usually too great. It is also worthwhile to join a group on the flat sections of the route. Simply driving towards the next incline with a lot of energy is a waste of energy.

Questions

I hope I was able to give you some valuable tips. If I have aroused your interest in one of my offers, please feel free to contact me. As an example, a performance test in combination with a consultation costs €200 / CHF 210. You can find training advice offers on my website.

I wish you good training and lots of fun.

Marcel Wyss

Wyss Training GmbH

info [at] wyss-training.ch

www.wyss-training.ch