Emanuel Buchmann likes to see what he has done. When he is once again climbing the ten per cent ramps on his local mountain, the Pfänder near Bregenz, he may not always enjoy it. But: "You can see what you've done. And you have a beautiful view there," says the professional cyclist from Team Bora-Hansgrohe. His gaze then goes far down to the surface of Lake Constance - and every metre of elevation gained makes the boats on the water look smaller. It's an uplifting feeling - especially when the climbing gets even better from year to year, as it does for the 25-year-old from Upper Swabia. A life as a cyclist without mountains? Unimaginable for Buchmann. "Mountains are extremely important to me. I couldn't imagine training in the flatlands. The fun would be gone," he says.
Buchmann is already one of the world's best climbers, having finished seventh overall at last year's Critérium du Dauphiné and beating Chris Froome, Richie Porte, Alberto Contador & Co. on the mountain. And he wants to get even better. Mountain riders thrive on great talent - but they also have to work hard. Together with his coach Dan Lorang, Buchmann has been working on his next big goal: "Riding at the front in a Grand Tour," says Buchmann. The three-week Tour of Spain (25 August to 16 September) is his big goal this season. And the Vuelta will be followed by the Road World Championships in Innsbruck in September, which, with its mountainous terrain, offers good opportunities for climbers.
But how do you manage to keep up with the best on the mountain? "You have to be light and pedal at high wattages," says Buchmann dryly. Sounds simple. Of course, the 61.5-kilo lightweight Buchmann can't pedal at the same wattage as the giant sprinter Marcel Kittel, the time trial world champion Tony Martin or the classics specialist John Degenkolb, who all weigh at least 15 kilograms more. But while the three of them are involuntarily pulled downhill by the downhill force, climbing goat Buchmann can show his potential as soon as the climb is long and steep enough - at an average gradient of seven or eight per cent, the wheat is separated from the chaff in the professional peloton.
But even high performance is useless - if you have to carry too much weight. Lorang estimates that you need to be able to deliver 6.2 to 6.5 watts per kilogramme to be able to compete with the world leaders around Froome, Quintana and Nibali. "One kilogramme more or less can decide whether you ride at the front or not," he explains. But even a flyweight like him has to be able to pedal at an average of 380 to 400 watts on the final climb. But wattage figures are a secret of success, Buchmann doesn't want to give anything away.
Strictly speaking, endurance cycling uphill is similar to an individual time trial: You have to be able to pedal as hard as possible for as long as possible - only uphill and in a more comfortable riding position, because aerodynamics play a much smaller role. For an amateur cyclist, it is sufficient to train largely around the anaerobic threshold (i.e. roughly at FTP level). 15 to 20-minute intervals, power-orientated, i.e. with a low cadence of less than 60 revolutions per minute (for example the classic K3 training from the sports science of the GDR) are one of the keys to success - and here the training of the mountain biker Buchmann in the preparation phase is not so different from that of the time trial specialist Tony Martin. In addition, of course, there is the persistent collection of metres in altitude: the Bora climber was at a training camp in Gran Canaria, where he completed 150 kilometres and more than 3,000 metres in altitude on many training days.
But Buchmann is no longer satisfied with just being a passenger. Races in the mountains are rarely decided by a steady pace. If you want to compete for victory, you have to be able to set high power peaks - at the end of a five-hour stage and after half an hour of climbing at the limit. "Emanuel has a low lactate production rate. This is a weakness when it comes to winning a stage from a small group or gaining decisive seconds," explains Lorang. Sprinters and classic specialists deliver their top performance deep in the red zone - i.e. when extremely high levels of lactate are formed. Endurance athletes like Buchmann draw their strength from the fact that they hardly produce any lactate.
One of the main focal points of Buchmann's training in 2018 is therefore: rhythm changes, short peak loads - so that his body becomes accustomed to this stress and he no longer has to let go when Froome starts his high-frequency staccato attacks or Vincenzo Nibali gets out of the saddle explosively. We present an example of a plan that Buchmann is using to fine-tune himself in the third-to-last week before a three-week tour. On day 2 of the plan, Germany's best climbing specialist does not complete any classic K3 training (strength endurance on the mountain). Like almost all of the intensive units in the sample week, they are designed to be close to the competition: Buchmann changes the cadence several times during the exertion phase. Training days 1, 5 and 6 are race simulations with speed changes in the high intensity range - like in the finale of a mountain stage. Endurance, strength, economical cadence, anaerobic capacity for power peaks and weight - these are the most important components that a mountain rider needs to work on. Added to this is altitude training, so that the body produces additional red blood cells and thus improves endurance performance. Buchmann wants to take part in no fewer than four altitude training camps this season - his body responds well to this stimulus.
To do this, the 25-year-old completes fat metabolism training once a week - as on day 7 of our training plan: very long rides of around six hours at a very low intensity, during which the carbohydrate stores are spared (which the climber needs for the decisive ascents) and the body gets most of its energy from fats, which are available to the body almost indefinitely. "This is extremely important for a world-class climber," emphasises Lorang. Because climbing at world-class level is a delicate balancing act between high performance and low weight, Buchmann has to pay particular attention to his diet. "That's very, very important," he says - so it's a good thing that his partner is a nutritionist. The plan: balanced, good fats, proteins - lots of carbohydrates only if the intensity of the training is appropriate. "I don't see anything wrong with pasta if you're training intensively," emphasises the athlete, who also deliberately intersperses phases in which he eats a low-carb diet. When his weight and performance are perfectly harmonised, his body is ready to reach new heights.
Info Emanuel Buchmann
Professional since 2015
Size 1.81 metres
Competition weight 61.5 kg
Continuous power/FTP approx. 390 watts (estimated)
Annual scope 32,000 to 33,000 km
Race days 64-70 (early February to early October)
The key to successStrong climbers need high continuous power in relation to their weight.6.2 to 6.5 watts per kilogramme of body weight at the anaerobic threshold (FTP) is the benchmark for world-class climbers. Basic endurance (GA1) Basic endurance (GA2) Development zone (EB) Sprint intervals (SB)
