Martin Schmidt can no longer decide which is worse: his neck, the stabbing pain in his back or the sun beating down from above. The man from Cologne has been struggling up the Stelvio Pass for three hours, but now his body is on strike. Schmidt clicks off the pedals and hangs over the handlebars like a limp air mattress. He can't go on - from pain, from exhaustion.
Neck, shoulder and back pain, heat, cold, stomach ache - all these problems are as much a part of cycling as the wind. Especially on long tours, these annoying problems can become so noticeable that there is only one thing to do: Cancelling the tour. To prevent this from happening in the first place, we have put together a guide for you at home and on tour so that you can master the long distance in a relaxed manner. Endurance is often only one aspect of a successful tour. Much more important is the right tactic to have fun on the tour instead of frustration. We've filtered out three aspects that are crucial.
1. pain on the mountain bike:
The bent position on the bike is anything but ideal for climbing the mountains in a relaxed manner. But what actually happens when the upper body is bent forwards in the support position? Firstly, the torso muscles are in a position in which they can hardly work. These muscles literally atrophy. However, as the centre of the body has to absorb the force of your pedalling as an abutment, the lumbar vertebrae twist - at least if the back muscles are weak. You know what happens then: pain in the lower back. Another problem: to keep their eyes on the road, athletes overextend their cervical spine. This causes permanent tension in the shoulder girdle and neck muscles. These muscles are not designed for this work. The permanent contraction leads to reduced blood flow and ultimately to pain. Figuratively speaking, your muscle is constricted.
2. nutrition, training and tactics for long stages:
Only with the right fitness, the right fuel and good tactics can you easily go on long tours. The right timing plays a role in all of these aspects: we tell you when you should eat what, how you should train and which tactics are best for the tour.
3. weather in the mountains:
The weather can change quickly, especially in the mountains, which requires special measures. The following applies: no matter how fit you are, in extreme cold or heat everyone must follow rules to ensure that the tour does not become an ordeal. We tell you what you need to bear in mind in the heat, cold and rain.
CAUTION FALL: Pain, poor fitness and bad weather make the MTB tour an ordeal
- Back, knee, neck or buttock pain spoil every tour. We tell you what you can do to combat pain before and during the tour.
- Proper fitness, nutrition and strength training guarantee a successful long distance: With these tips you know what you should be able to do and how best to approach the round.
- 20 degrees, constant humidity and no breeze: Dhese are the maximum conditions you will find in the laboratory. The weather will determine how you should tackle the route.
THE PROBLEM ZONES ON LONG MTB TOURS
These four classic aches and pains often occur on long tours. We show you how they arise and what you can do about them.
THE BACK
At home: Back pain is multifaceted and usually has its origins in severe shortening, imbalances and muscular deficits. In addition, the saddle height as well as the cant and extension to the handlebars often play a role. Please have pain checked by a professional.
On tour: A saddle that is too high often causes pain in the lumbar vertebrae. In addition, the rear thigh muscles can put too much strain on the muscles. Stretching can therefore help briefly during the tour.
THE KNEE
At home: If you have knee pain even on short tours, you should have it checked by an orthopaedist: Is there a difference in leg length, muscular imbalances, problems with the feet? These findings should be used to develop a training programme that eliminates the problems.
On tour: Too thick gears are often to blame, so it is better to pedal faster (90 revolutions per minute). A saddle that is too low, too high (usually pain on the outside) or too far back is one of the causes of pain.
THE NECK
At home: The cause of the pain is often found in excessive posture. This causes you to overstretch your head and the neck muscles work continuously - but they are not designed for this. A moderate sitting position helps quickly.
On tour: The continuous contraction causes you to constrict the neck muscle. Pulling your shoulders up and down can help. You can do this while driving: drive a few metres hands-free and pull your shoulders towards your ears and let them drop as you exhale.
THE SITTING
At home: Wrong saddle, trousers or position? There are many causes, but a good position is usually the key to comfortable sitting. Check the saddle height if you have problems sitting on one side. You can often see that older saddles are pushed down to one side - an indication that the saddle is too high and there is a difference in leg length.
On tour: Black tea helps with seat pimples - simply dab it on after the tour. In case of acute pain (on one side), lower the saddle slightly.
Fitness: training and eating right on long Alpine Cross stages
THE FUEL BEFORE AND AFTER
You can already do something for your shape at lunchtime - and we don't just mean losing weight. You can have a massive influence on lactate formation and fuel utilisation through your diet. If you don't train much, you should therefore focus on a low-carb diet (low carbohydrates). This is the perfect way to train your metabolism. Ideal for this: meat, fish, vegetables, lentils, beans and fruit. However, you should not do without carbohydrates during your training sessions. Workouts lasting over 90 minutes need to be fuelled with carbohydrates. 60 grams per hour is the benchmark. You can find out more about this in the section below. The meal after training or a long-distance session should be more or less loaded with carbohydrates depending on the length and duration. The rule is: the longer the tour, the more afterwards. You should favour short-chain carbohydrates (rice, corn, semolina). These strengthen the immune defence and accelerate regeneration.
EATING ON THE BIKE
The industry offers a wide range of bars, gels and powders. Generally speaking, the products all fulfil their purpose: they provide quick energy and replenish lost electrolytes. But, as always, the devil is in the detail. Not every product is equally well tolerated by everyone. That's why it's important to test them out before you end up at the pass with a stomach ache. However, you can rule out possible problem ingredients before you buy the products.
1. high fructose content quickly cause digestive problems and flatulence. Fructose-glucose mixtures do provide a lot of energy. But: test your tolerance carefully beforehand.
2. dextrose enters the bloodstream quickly, but binds water in the intestine. This effect starts with just 30 grams. The result is a bloated stomach.
3. dietary fibre help intestinal health, but have no place in the digestive tract under stress, as they are not processed. So be careful with classic muesli bars.
BIKE TRAINING FOR LONG ALPINE TOURS
The most important building block for mastering long tours in a relaxed manner: core strength. Three times a week, 15 to 20 minutes of circuit training is enough. The reason: by stabilising your core muscles, you prevent back pain, and by stabilising your hips, you don't lose any strength when pedalling. The bike training itself is organised according to your personal goals. If you have a large time budget, longer tours are of course ideal. If you are very limited in time, you should do hard, short intervals (1 to 5 minutes of 4 to 10 series). If you spice up your training with these, you can turn a 90-minute tour into a training session that has an effect of four hours. High pedalling frequencies, which tend to use slow muscle fibres, are particularly ideal. This type of muscle fibre recovers far more quickly than the fast fibres. This is particularly important on multi-day tours. If you only push hard for a day, the next day you get the bill: you have hardly any pressure left.
CORRECT ORGANISATION OF THE MTB TOUR
Do it like the pros: use your energy sparingly. Always take it easy for the first two thirds of a tour. The sheer length will do the rest - you will definitely tire. A heart rate monitor, for example, helps to ensure the right pacing. Stay between 75 and 80 per cent of your maximum heart rate (you can go a little higher on tough sections). Your heart also tells you how well you are fuelled: not eating or drinking enough often results in an increased heart rate. Ride in small gears (especially on multi-day tours) to protect the muscle fibres. This may be unfamiliar at first, but will have a positive effect over time. Practise this in advance (three or four weeks at around 95 to 100 revolutions per minute)!
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WEATHER: How to defy rain, cold and heat
HEAT limits performance, even at temperatures as low as 20 degrees. There are therefore three ways to cope with the heat:
1. cooling They do - all the time. If you look at Tour de France professionals, you quickly realise that only half of the water bottles are actually drunk. The others, at least in the heat, are tipped over their heads. So take an extra bottle with you in your rucksack that you can refill again and again. The best places to cool down are the head, chest, wrists and neck. Cooling every 15 minutes is ideal.
2. adapt yourself the heat. Adaptation to heat only takes place if you exercise for at least five days in the heat. Important: exert yourself, don't rest. Ride for about two hours in the basic range. What happens? Heat training over several days (outside temperature over 30 degrees) leads to an increase in the rate of perspiration and a lower salt content in the sweat.
3. an early start is considered the best way to escape the piercing sun. Don't be afraid to ride the first metres in altitude at six o'clock in the morning. You should have completed the majority of the tour by eleven o'clock. If you want, you can also escape the midday heat at a mountain hut (12 to 3 pm).
COLD has a performance-reducing effect, just like heat. Of course, you rarely run the risk of freezing to death, but snowfall is more common in the Alps than you might think. The sudden drops in temperature mean that the body has to work extremely hard. During the most intense exertion, extreme changes in weather can quickly lead to life-threatening situations (frostbite, circulatory collapse). Therefore, no matter what the weather forecast is, the rucksack should be packed with a rain jacket and rain trousers, long gloves (as a dry change pair) and a change of vest. Thin rescue foils take up hardly any space and can also help prevent chilling in an emergency. To ensure that your body can cope well with the temperature, you need to stock up on fuel. In plain language, this means: eat, eat, eat. This is the only way to keep up the additional heating work.
RAINespecially at the height of summer, usually provides welcome refreshment. But the shower from above has its pitfalls. You cool down extremely quickly due to the evaporation effect and the airstream. In addition, dirt creeps through the thin Lycra clothing, which quickly leads to chafing. You can avoid both problems by taking rainwear with you. Ideal: short rain trousers, long rain jacket.
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"NEVER TOUR LIKE RACING" - Interview with Sascha Müller, tour guide
You work as a tour guide and see hundreds of bikers venturing out on long tours. What is the recipe for success to get over the mountains well?
I see healthy self-awareness as the key to a successful tour. Of course, training, nutrition and the weather also play a role, but the decisive factor is how I manage my strength.
Does this mean that a less fit biker can outride a much fitter one?
Basically yes, because there is no timekeeping on a tour. It's all about enjoying the ride. It's about arriving relaxed. Of course, the length saps your energy, but you have enough time. And this is exactly where over-ambitious, but also fit, bikers sometimes end up: they ride the tour like a race and then stop after three hours. If you ride above your limit, you'll pay the price, whether you're a beginner or a pro.
How do you organise a long day trip properly?
There are different indicators. I would first listen to how your body feels: If you're already sprinting up the first mountain, you always have to ask yourself whether you can still do it in five hours. If not, you're definitely going too fast. A heart rate monitor can provide good feedback, especially for beginners. You should aim for the upper end of the range or above.
Fitness, assessment - these are only partial aspects. What about fuel, especially in huts?
It depends: If you eat a knuckle of pork halfway through a tour, you won't be able to put much pressure on the pedals afterwards. Alcohol is a no-go, as it reduces coordination and makes falls more likely. It's better to reach for a juice spritzer and eat something rich in carbohydrates. A yeast dumpling or a Kaiserschmarrn is a good choice. On the tour itself, bars, gels, bananas, dried fruit and powdered drinks have proven to be very effective.
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