Operation Ötztaler Cycle Marathon, Part 1 - Status Quo & Performance Diagnosis
About Joe Ramming
- 50 years
- 1.83 metres
- 76 kilos
- 12.5 % body fat
>> Status quo: Has been cycling for 15 years; spent almost 300 hours in the saddle in 2022
>> Highlight: 2022 Dolomites Marathon
>> Target 2023: Ötztal Cycle Marathon in the time limit
>> Training time budget: 8 hours per week
>> INSCYD threshold diagnosis: 212 watts
Status quo & performance diagnosis
"Do you think I could do the Ötztaler?" A rather casual question triggered this story. Joachim "Joe" Ramming is a hobby cyclist. "A slow hobby cyclist," says the 50-year-old about himself. But one with bite: the family man has successfully completed the Dolomites Marathon several times - on the long course, albeit at the back of the field.
The Ötztal Cycle Marathon, however, is a much tougher number: 227 kilometres and 5500 metres of altitude difference spread over four climbs are a pretty intimidating feat - especially with the Timmelsjoch as the last climb: after the long uphill gallop, the 1800 metres of altitude difference in one go are a real slog. Even some mountain stages of the Tour de France pale in comparison. Many athletes not only fight against the mountain and their inner bastard, but also against the broom wagon.
Only those who pass the checkpoints within the time limit are allowed to continue. 14 hours to the finish may seem like plenty of time - that's twice as long as the fastest riders need - but the broom wagon always collects plenty of riders. Cramps can also immobilise strong legs. And a slump quickly eats up time cushions. Riding through the finish arch in the time limit is definitely a challenge. The profile, atmosphere and toughness make the Ötzi one of the most sought-after marathons; the 4000 starting places are allocated by lot.
The requirements for the Ötztal Cycle Marathon
Only proven specialists compete for the top places in the Ötztaler: light, strong climbers have an advantage. The currency is "watts per kilogramme of body weight". The best riders pedal as hard as professional cyclists and charge up the mountains with 5 watts per kilo (W/kg) and more. To make sure you have enough energy, you need to be burning fat at top speed; in the middle, flatter part of the route, you can't overdo it, you have to save energy.
The minimum power required to complete the Ötztal Cycle Marathon is 2 to 2.5 W/kg when climbing. In addition to pure performance, skill on the descents, an economical riding style, adequate nutrition and much more also count. In principle, the slow riders approach it in a very similar way to the top riders, just not as fast. And of course this also means that they have to sit in the saddle for much longer, which doesn't make it any easier.
However, anyone who manages it against all odds and reaches the finish line in Sölden despite their strong physique and little time for training will be on cloud nine for the next few months. If you want to see shining eyes, take a look at the final of the Ötztal Cycle Marathon.
Ötztaler Cycle Marathon: our athlete Joe
This challenge also entices and motivates our protagonist Joe. "Can I do this?" This question has been on his mind for some time. The 50-year-old has been cycling for 15 years and usually sets himself two annual goals: the Dolomites Marathon and the Wendelstein Tour. "I started the sport late - I think that limits me," he says about his form, "but I really enjoy it. I'm so glad that I discovered the racing bike for myself."
Joe likes to go on tours in the Alps with friends and regularly spends a week in Mallorca. "I haven't really trained yet," he says. "I just rode when I had time and when I enjoyed it." He has experience with interval training from the roller: "I'm most familiar with structured riding from Zwift, I've tried a few things there, but I was never quite sure which programme was right for me."
Joe is a family man and has a demanding managerial job that also requires a weekly commute. He is away from home for half the week and spends long hours in the car. Not ideal conditions for increasing his training workload. For him, improvements are almost only possible through more targeted training. His technical equipment for this is excellent: smart trainers at home and at his place of work, a lightweight racing bike and a gravel bike, both with power meters. He has already collected data with these in recent years.
First analysis
This data shows that some of Joe's best performances came in the winter; in the summer, the Dolomites Marathon stood out as an energising achievement. The increase in winter was due to intensive Zwift training. But its effect fizzled out because it was not followed by any subsequent training or competition. Joe's performance has stagnated over the past two years.
Although he spent almost 300 hours a year in the saddle, there was no recognisable increase in performance before his seasonal peaks. In principle, Joe was always similarly fit, i.e. he rode on a performance plateau.
Before the Dolomites Marathon, he was on his bike more, but the timing wasn't right: one week before the start, when it would have made sense to reduce the amount of training (tapering), he rode an extra-long nine-hour unit, his longest ride of the year. Also noticeable: the individual rides were often typical "mixed-mesh rides": instead of training most of the time in the GA1 target zone, Joe tended to ride above it, regularly even with anaerobic peaks, but also spent a lot of time at too low power levels.
As a result, he lacked the right stimulus to further develop his aerobic system and thus the foundation of his form. Our plan: with more structure and new accents in training, more should be possible. The Ötztal Cycle Marathon could be completed with Joe's physiological status quo, but only just. A little more reserve would be good.
Performance diagnosis
The first step from fun rider to professional cyclist is a performance diagnosis. This can be done in the lab, but also on the road, which is what we opt for. The advantage: the test takes place under real conditions, we are flexible and not dependent on a laboratory appointment. It is also cheaper to carry out, which makes more frequent testing easier. With the help of simulation calculations, details on metabolism can also be determined from power data, which was previously reserved for good laboratories.
The provider INSCYD offers such computing skills. In principle, the INSCYD test is a scientifically more in-depth version of the FTP test (see below), which you can also do yourself; in contrast to this, however, it not only determines performance, but also provides more explanations on where to start in order to improve performance.
The INSCYD test protocol currently still requires a supervising coach, so it is not a pure do-it-yourself programme like the FTP test. Joe rides the four intervals that are important in the test on a November Sunday in his home area: over 20 seconds, 3 minutes, 10 minutes and 20 minutes.
The analysis shows that Joe's strengths currently lie in the short term. He produces too much lactate too quickly, which enables him to ride quite fast for short periods, but inhibits his long-term performance. He performs well in the seated sprint and his maximum oxygen uptake (VO2max) is also OK.
Professional coach sees development potential
Its threshold performance, i.e. maximum continuous performance, is less pronounced. Fat burning is also rather weak. This means that he basically has the wrong "engine profile" for an event like the Ötztal Cycle Marathon, where a high threshold and optimum fat burning are the required skills, while sprinting qualities are dispensable.
However, Sebastian Weber, INSCYD mastermind and professional coach, sees potential for development. "With optimal training, it is possible to increase VO2max to at least 55 millilitres per minute per kilogramme of body weight," he says - that would be an increase of 17 per cent. The maximum lactate formation rate VLa_max could also fall from 0.5 to 0.4 millimoles per litre of blood per second in the long term, i.e. by 20 per cent, which is not to be expected with eight hours of training per week. However, both would increase the threshold performance, i.e. the climbing power for the Ötzi.
TOUR protocol for the FTP test
Look for a secondary route with little traffic and no traffic lights. The profile of the route has an influence on the result: you generally achieve a higher average performance on an uphill section. If you are training for a mountainous race, the mountain route is preferable. If you are planning a flat race, a flat route is more suitable for the test.
If you are new to the subject of performance data, you should ride with the power meter for one to two weeks before the test to get a feel for how dynamically the device's display reacts. Ride up a few hills and you will see how your power peaks subside and the power levels off.
This will give you a realistic assessment of the approximate performance level at which you can ride. After this familiarisation, you will be ready for your first test. As you will be pushing yourself to the maximum during the test, you should be healthy and able to cope with stress. If in doubt, have yourself examined by a sports doctor beforehand with an exercise ECG.
The test procedure
>> 30 minutes Warm-up, with one or two short, crisp starts after just under 20 minutes
>> 5 minutes Full throttle
>> 10 minutes loose rolling
>> 20 minutes Full throttle 15 minutes cool-down
FTP = the maximum 20-minute power multiplied by 0.95 = _____
If you feel that you could have ridden even harder, you should repeat the test after a week. You will achieve the highest average performance with a steady ride.
FTP test on the roll
In principle, the test can also be carried out indoors. Zwift, for example, offers various protocols for this. As a rule, the values are slightly lower indoors than outdoors. To determine progress, the test should always be carried out in the same way.
In order to strengthen the aerobic foundation, we will initially focus more on training basic endurance, with a clearer focus on the lower basic endurance range (GA1) than before. So in order to get faster at the Ötztaler, Joe will initially ride slower.
Intensive indoor training will be reduced and the outdoor routes will also be adapted: In future, Joe will ride a long training session of three or more hours at the weekend on a relatively flat course, on which he will be able to dose his exertion better than on the hilly courses he has ridden so far, which have repeatedly forced him into the red zone.
Depending on the weather, the road or gravel bike will be used. A morning indoor fasting training session of one and a half hours also falls into the GA1 zone and supports the development of the still lean fat burning, which is of central importance for the Ötzi.
Joe also completes two interval training sessions a week. On the one hand, intervals with 110 per cent threshold power are on the programme - a compromise between stimulating VO2max and not creating too much lactate. On the other hand, so-called sweet spot intervals at the GA2/EB limit, completed at a low speed, in order to address the fast muscle fibres and to trim them more for endurance. We want to make sure that we don't further stimulate his short-term performance, which won't help him with Ötzi.
Operation Ötztaler Cycle Marathon - Outlook
Around eight weeks after the start of training, Joe will repeat the performance diagnosis for the first time. A one-week training camp on Mallorca in April, where he will also ride mountains, as well as a short, intensive mountain camp on Lake Garda in May and the Nove Colli in Cesenatico as a training competition are firmly planned. On the way to the Ötztaler on 9 July he will then compete in the Wendelstein Tour.
Joe is looking forward to the upcoming tasks: "This intensive support will make the Ötztal adventure even more exciting. What I've already learnt is that I need to take more time for recovery during training."
