The bare figures don't sound completely abstruse or unattainable at first - 100 kilometres mainly along the Isar and Inn rivers, with the support of a pedelec and an experienced tour guide. A little adventure, tension and adrenalin were already in the air at the start in Bad Tölz. Conny's first trip in the three-digit kilometre range was due to start quite early in the morning. In addition to the expected problems with her bum, back and neck, as well as a decline in fitness, concentration and perhaps also motivation over the course of the tour, the burning midday heat was not to be added to the mix. The weather is a factor that you can't influence on a trip like this.
Since the reader was selected for the MYBIKE Challenge 100, everything that could be planned in advance and en route had been taken care of. Many dampeners for desire, mood and strength can be avoided through good preparation. What only Conny knew when unloading in Bad Tölz - and kept to herself until the debriefing - was that she herself only believed 20 per cent at the start that her body and mind would hold out until the 100-kilometre mark. She was also inwardly prepared for a cancellation. Especially if she had experienced pain.
MYBIKE editor-in-chief Barbara Merz-Weigandt and I, MYBIKE editor Timo Dillenberger, a sports instructor himself, Conny's companions on the way from Bad Tölz in Bavaria to Innsbruck in Austria, are anything but long-distance novices and knew of her doubts, but not of their severity. Nevertheless, the 50-year-old approached the start in a positive frame of mind, a basic requirement for such a challenge.
What should not happen during the MYBIKE Challenge 100
The MYBIKE team took care of everything that could have stood in the way of the successful completion of the mission in advance. Keyword "route": few things are worse for the motivation of a tired biker than unnecessary detours, especially if you could have avoided them by knowing the route. To rule this out, Barbara had downloaded the GPX track onto her smartphone and thankfully took on the role of tour guide. The route selected for the 100-kilometre challenge was signposted as part of the Munich-Venezia long-distance cycle route, but a single missed sign can break morale depending on the rider's fatigue and character. So better safe than sorry.
None of the team knew Conny well enough to predict how she would react to the inevitable lows during such a tour. A second battery in her luggage showed how seriously she took the challenge. She had simply stolen it from her husband. Of course, both batteries were fully charged. However, according to our calculations beforehand, one should be enough if Conny's Cube bike doesn't have to support her in turbo mode the whole time. Important and therefore also the subject of our first conversations on the road: as a pedelec rider, you not only have to manage your own power, but also that of the bike.
How did Conny do in the MYBIKE Challenge 100?
The best way to utilise the drive and your own energy is to always stay just under 25 km/h on the flat in one of the easier modes, cranking easily at a cadence of 80 revolutions per minute. Only when going uphill do you turn up the motor power and downshift. Conny is one of the majority of hobby cyclists who ride one gear too "fat" rather than too big. Every now and then she had to be reminded to pedal a little more smoothly. This also suits her new riding position better.
Ergonomics expert Dr Kim Tofaute from Ergon had them in the previous bike fitting set a lot lower. Conny first had to get used to both the new seat height and the higher cadence. For the tour, she therefore secretly adjusted the saddle slightly upwards again. The Challenge candidate consistently maintained her feel-good cadence, shifting gears and motor so that the rhythm remained the same.
From my perspective as the team coach, there was little else to criticise or correct along the way. The long-distance novice positioned her hands and feet in the ideal position immediately after every stop, her knees always pointed forwards in a biomechanically correct manner and Conny didn't need to be reminded to drink regularly either. This is something that is often forgotten when you have to concentrate on so many other little things - and takes its revenge at the latest when the rising temperatures lead to a fluid deficit by midday.
Where should you look?
If anything, I was a little worried about Conny's head position. Whether it was due to the beautiful stretch along the Isar, which stands out particularly in this area with its strongly contrasting two-tone colour scheme of bright turquoise and earthy brown, or the sub-optimal sliding sunglasses, Conny's head was very upright in contrast to his upper body, resulting in an unnatural "kink" between the thoracic and cervical spine, which often leads to muscular fatigue. This had to be kept in mind. A relatively rigid, rarely alternating sitting posture is a disadvantage of long, predominantly flat stages.
Conny also started stretching before the halfway point and tried to keep her head further towards her chest on monotonous sections. But perhaps Conny simply had tour guide Barbara firmly in her sights. It's not always easy to ride at the same pace in a group, especially with different types of bikes and physical abilities. It is usually a good idea for the "navigator" to ride a little ahead. Courage to leave gaps is the name of the game here. Praise to the 50-year-old, who knew how to ride her pace and rhythm consistently over the entire route and never let the gaps between the three of us, changes in the landscape profile or conversations throw her off course.
The right focus is crucial
Socialising on the bike is nice, and time passes more quickly with a chat, as Conny confirmed afterwards. However, you shouldn't be too tempted by the pace of the group at key points. On the 100-kilometre trip, this particularly included the sometimes steep sections or the gravel passages before and after the national border. On the climbs, Conny could probably have switched to pedalling in the saddle at suitable points. This loosens up the otherwise uniform posture.
On the other hand, Conny shouldn't be distracted by too many tips on riding technique and shouldn't spend too much time thinking about posture, fitness and the like. Because if you are confronted with possible problems over and over again in this way, you will notice them more intensely than if you are thinking about the view, your job or your favourite music. Experienced long-distance runners manage to keep their focus away from aches and pains until they could become a real problem. The newcomer is perhaps too "sensitive" or sensitive because he or she is less able to judge how mission-threatening, threatening or negligible the condition really is.
Important for a long tour: Catering
On a trip with a net riding time of several hours, it really helps morale to divide the time or distance into segments. One of the core elements of the preparation was mental coaching. If you want to sit in the saddle for a long time, you have to learn to focus less on the overall distance and more on partial stages. Calculating the distance yourself was the tactic of choice. Conny had completed a maximum of two thirds of the distance beforehand. This was also the reason for her overly pessimistic expectations in hindsight.
A refreshment break against a beautiful backdrop can act as a lifeline when your motivation starts to wane. A refreshment stop therefore not only serves to top up your energy tanks, but also to lift your spirits and shorten the following sections of the route. Markers such as summits and turn-off points, the start of the "final spurt" and the halfway point of the route can also help here. It is therefore advisable not to coincide the big break with one of these points.
MYBIKE Challenge 100: Catering tips
You usually rest a little after the "mountain festival". This also makes it easier to start the second, shorter stage. Tip: Don't let stops get too long, as eating and sitting puts the body into a kind of regeneration mode, making it difficult to start again.
What should you pay attention to when eating? Meals should be easily digestible, i.e. not greasy, and dairy products are also less suitable. In our case, the food on the way consisted of fruit gels that quickly go into the bloodstream and the classic bananas for on the go, as well as lunch snacks that last much longer.
We had water and an electrolyte drink to drink on the way, which compensated for the loss of fluids through sweating. In principle, anything you like is suitable as tour food. This also guarantees that you don't just drink when you're thirsty. Incidentally, the much-vaunted juice spritzer does not deserve its fame. Carbon dioxide is problematic in bike bottles anyway, and when added to the acidity of the juice, the spritzer can even cost you performance on strenuous sections. Pure juice even more so. Cold tea is our tip, slightly sugared it even provides power.
Out of the comfort zone
The middle third of the route was the most varied and strenuous for everyone. It always is, because the legs have already covered a few kilometres, but the finish still doesn't seem close. Some cyclists therefore count up the kilometres to motivate themselves, others count down. Basically, you shouldn't spend too much time looking at the speedometer, but rather, as in Conny's case, with your fellow cyclists. The MYBIKE support team obviously struck the right balance between distraction, motivation and praise.
Everyone reacts differently to a crisis in the saddle. Children, for example, want lots of praise, while adults tend to react irritably to excessive flattery. Constant corrections and well-intentioned advice have also torn up some good rope teams. The ups and downs when changing from river to river put more strain on me than Conny with my sporty spare bike and even set me back a little. When it flattened out again and everyone fell back into their monotonous sitting position, Conny started again with loosening exercises for the neck.
What helped Conny the most?
She praised the Ergon grips and saddle she had replaced as part of her bike fitting during and after the ride. She had no serious problems with her bum, knees or hands. Although she had little to compare it to, as long bike rides were not a hobby of hers before the Cube, she was certain that the saddle had literally saved her bum. And it showed. No sliding around on the saddle, no repeated changes between pedalling and rolling, no constant shaking of her hands, and her pedalling movement was smooth and fluid right to the end. According to her, this was not only due to the bike fitting, but also to the coaching beforehand.
According to Conny, a small series of stretching exercises helped her to hold the position for hours without tensing up. Good flexibility between the torso, pelvis and legs is a particular advantage for pressure distribution on the saddle. She also strengthened her mental preparation, Conny said later. Not despairing at the big task, but rather working her way through the highlights, allowed her own expectations to rise step by step from the moment she crossed the Austrian border.
Where did the biggest problems occur?
Although you could clearly see that she wasn't running out of energy even at kilometre 80, the freelancer became increasingly taciturn. This is often a sign that athletes are dealing with problems. At the same time, she repeatedly abandoned her favourite ergo-grips and supported herself with the balls of her hands instead of her palms. The artificially extended arms straightened her upper body. By the end of the challenge, her slightly straighter neck was still very sore. Even days later it had not recovered. Even the sweets from Barbara's rucksack couldn't help. And almost sadder than that: both the legs and the rest of the body still had plenty of potential - almost certainly even as far as Innsbruck.
Final in Innsbruck?
So did Conny fail the MYBIKE Challenge 100? Yes, she did, because the challenge was set for 100 kilometres. Due to two detours or GPX deviations, the 100-kilometre mark was not passed in Innsbruck itself, but around ten kilometres earlier in Wattens. Conny still sees it as fateful that the "hundred" fell virtually on the premises of Swarovski, a manufacturer of exclusive cut crystal glass and rhinestones. This coincidence will probably cost her husband a few more euros...
After the targeted kilometre mark, the Cube's battery and Conny's voltage promptly dropped to zero. However, we as the MYBIKE support team were quite sure that Conny could have cycled the rest of the way to Innsbruck without knowing the kilometre mark, even if she was anything but beaming. But it's nothing new for motivation to wane once a set goal has been reached. However, the premature crossing of the finish line did not diminish the sense of achievement. It is a rule that has been confirmed a million times among athletes: the less you believed you would achieve a goal, the greater the feeling of happiness when you do manage it.
So full of adrenalin, the champagne tasted twice as good on the other side of the finish line. That evening, as well as two weeks later, we wanted to know whether she would like to start a late career as a long-distance cyclist in view of her good experiences, the perfectly adapted bike and the feeling of happiness. The ride had been great fun and she was very proud, but she had missed out on the pleasure of the last third due to her aching neck, said the 50-year-old. And that was so important to her that she didn't want to make it as long as possible in future.
About the person
MYBIKE reader Conny Anders is 50 years old, married, lives in Bavaria and works there as a freelance graphic designer, so she spends a lot of time sitting down during the week. Cycling and especially long distances were not an issue for her until a holiday in South Tyrol last year. However, she enjoyed a hire pedelec there so much that she subsequently bought the exact same model (Cube Reaction Hybrid). The longest distance she cycled in preparation was a maximum of 65 kilometres.
