And I jinxed it. Three weeks ago, as the early signs of spring were quietly blossoming, I took the risk of believing (and writing down on paper) that the long, pleasant days were here to stay for the last month of preparation ahead of Mallorca 312. I should have known better.
Sure enough, winter returned to Switzerland and temperatures dropped back into the freezing range. Yet, with limited time at my disposal, I decided to stick to the planned long outdoor rides and cursed myself for it. On March 29th, I found myself climbing an 18% incline in the snow near the Swiss capital, Bern. Sure, it wasn't a harsh winter storm, but enough to make me question my life choices.
Fortunately, the snowfall didn’t last long. Half an hour later, it was spring again, and the gentle morning sun was warming my cold bones and sweetening my bitter mood.
Now, with only one week to go until Mallorca 312, I’m not going to enrage the weather gods again. It turns out I have a bigger fish to fry.
(Image credit: Nick Busca)
The bad weather was not the main hurdle I had to overcome over the last month. The main concern was my saddle. Despite having done several bike fits in the last year (the last one in October), the position was probably not 100% nailed, and the saddle shape was not ideal for my morphology. Hence, the pressure in the saddle evolved from bearable discomfort on the turbo trainer into excruciating saddle sores after the long rides out.
I tried to stick to the position at first, thinking I was just not used to it anymore and that the pain would eventually go away. But it got worse, and I was forced to take a few days off the bike, apply gentle treatment to the chafed area, and use Compeed for protection, which I still need to wear.
It was a wake-up call to review my bike position and gear of choice. As my coach, Nathan Haas, is based in Girona and an in-person fit was not within budget or timeline, we proceeded with a remote assessment. After a couple of attempts, he also referred me to Colby Pearce, co-director of Team EF Coaching and a bike-fitting guru.
His first diagnosis was that the saddle shape was likely one of the main issues and that I needed to change it. At the same time, he noticed I was a bit cramped at the front end and needed more reach, so he suggested changing the cockpit as well and going for a longer one. With Easter around the corner, I was afraid I didn't have time to change the set-up and get used to it in time. But Canyon’s logistics and a local bike shop’s flexibility came to the rescue, and I was able to have the work done in less than seven working days before the break.
The weeks around Easter were always the ones I feared most. With three back-to-back events at work right after, and a family getaway right before, finding time to fit training around a busy schedule was quite a conundrum. Yet, together with Haas, we found some good workarounds.
Luckily, during the family trip, the weather decided to cooperate a bit more, aside from another sub-zero temperature on a north-facing descent towards France. The plan was to cycle to and from the Airbnb, for a total of 300+ km over three days with 3,000+ vertical metres (and one full day of rest in between). It was a hard back-to-back, but a worthwhile one.
(Image credit: Nick Busca)
The event days were more demanding, with 15+ hours of work per day and limited sleep (an average of 5 hours) for 5 days straight. There was no training at all, except the days right before the events themselves, when the 5-6 am training slot was the only option to keep the momentum going. The fatigue from the long days built up steadily and is still very much here, and getting back in the saddle has been quite challenging—courtesy of the saddle sore that is still very much alive.
The last two areas I wanted to prepare well for the big day (and for daily training) were fuel and nutrition. The first consultation with Team EF Coaching nutritionist Spencer Miller helped me return to a simple but effective approach, focusing on high-carbohydrate intake for long rides and higher protein to optimise recovery.
“It could be beneficial to start experimenting with taking 90 to 100 grams of carbs per hour and see how your stomach feels at the end of that six hours,” says Miller.
“As long as your stomach feels good handling it, the better for such a long day like Mallorca 312. Regarding protein, 1.6 to 2 grams per kilogram of body weight per day is the target. Protein has a huge impact on recovery, especially when you have back-to-back training and are making sure you’re not losing muscle mass.”
And as soon as I paid more attention to getting more carbs and protein, I immediately felt stronger, more motivated day in and day out, and always ready to go, no matter how hard the day was.
At the same time, it was time to better understand my fluid needs, so I got in touch with Precision Fuel and Hydration to help me turn the last stone.
(Image credit: Precision Fuel and Hydration)
As a first step, Precision Fuel and Hydration senior sports scientist Lindsey Hunt sent me a home-testing protocol. The test was easy but revelatory. All I had to do was weigh my drink bottles and record my body weight before a steady ride on the turbo trainer (55-65% of my FTP), track intake and effort during the ride, and then record the bottle and body weight at the end to calculate fluid loss and consumption. Surprisingly, I had gained 300 grams over the ride, meaning I had drunk more than I had sweated, and I had to re-evaluate the belief I had always held that I was a heavy sweater who was not drinking enough.
Once my old conviction was reframed, it was time to finalise the details for April 25th: “Regarding hydration, bring 2 tubes of electrolyte PH 1000 and add 1 tablet per 500 ml, or consider bringing electrolyte capsules if you prefer plain water, with 2 capsules per 500 ml," said Hunt.
"For fuelling, target 90 g/hour of carbs, as it will be a long day of steady effort. As discussed, use PF 300 Flow Gel as the primary carb source and supplement with caffeine gels late in the race, along with real food from aid stations.
"Ahead of the race, it's worth carb-loading to maximise glycogen stores 48 hours before your event: 8-12 g of carbs per kg of bodyweight. The final pre-race meal is important to get right: aim for 1-4 g of carbs per kg in the 1-4 hours before the start.”
Now, with finally some rest from crazy workdays before the trip to Mallorca in sight (and a bottom bracket upgrade courtesy to C-Bear Ceramic Bearing), I am starting to feel excited and more hopeful about what’s coming next. And with all travel logistic sorted by Sportive Breaks, I only need to stay healthy, fit, pack my bike and head to the airport. Sounds simple enough...
