The Swiss athlete, who emigrated to South Africa, has been winning major bike marathons at home and abroad for years. Particularly noteworthy are her three Cape Epic victories, not to mention her Grand Raid wins and Swiss Championship title.

You have already won the Cape Epic three times. What do you find particularly appealing about this race? Where do the difficulties and challenges lie?  

The Cape Epic is a bike adventure that simultaneously gives me the chance to discover the country on my bike–a great passion of mine. While this was my main focus when I first started participating, it is now quite clearly about winning this prestigious race. This is not only highly motivating when it comes to the enormous scope of preparatory training, but it also sustains me over the course of the season.

In my eyes, the format of the team competition is also a second major incentive. You cycle in a two-person team, which is not at all easy for us individual athletes. Harmony, mutual support, respect, trust, and above all, good communication are crucial to success. Mastering these challenges and experiencing the emotions of winning are much more intense because you can share them.

The difficulties of the race lie in the temperature, the terrain, and the duration. Temperatures between 15 to 45 degrees can prevail, which make cycling on the dusty, very rugged and thus slow terrain a challenge or a true adventure.

During your races, you are on the go at a high level of intensity for several hours at a time. In the case of the Cape Epic, several consecutive days, actually. Can you give us an overview of how you organise your training?  

In my everyday training, I have 5 different levels of intensity. My coach gives me clear guidelines as to when, how long, and how intensively I should cycle, so my training is tailored to my A-priority competitions. B and C-priority competitions serve as preparation and are welcome opportunities to test my equipment, tactics, and nutrition, among other things. I use a power meter to measure all my trips. This makes it easier for my coach to plan and control my training.

I spend approximately 20-30% of my training on the racing bike. The rest on the mountain bike. I do targeted yet minimalist strength training. As of late, I have been spending my recovery days on an e-bike, which weighs around 20 kg, but places very specific demands on me in terms of strength. Overall, I do around 15-25 hours of training per week.

Recovery or rather sleep is absolutely crucial in my eyes. I make sure I get 8-9 hours per night and also take an afternoon nap. This has made a huge difference since I became a professional: I have more time for recovery and can concentrate on the essentials.

What are your three most important tips for all those wanting to participate in a mountain bike marathon this year?

1. Train in a structured manner and according to the requirements in terms of your big goal.
2. Purchase the appropriate equipment and look after it carefully.
3. Get to grips with your competition diet. Nutrition is crucial. You should therefore start practising early and determine a strategy for the race. It’s best if you test everything during a preparatory race.

How do you approach a race? Do you concoct a tactic or adapt to the racing situation? Do you have an eating and drinking plan, for example? What tips do you have for hobby cyclists?

When it comes to preparation, I am a perfectionist. During preparation, I gather as much information as possible about the race. The more I know and the better prepared I am, the less nervous I am. If possible, I view the route, plan my eating and drinking, as well as my equipment, and study the strengths and weaknesses of my competitors so there are no surprises. There are no excuses. If so, then I have poorly prepared something.

My tips for the hobby cyclists:

1. Good physical and mental preparation is at least half the battle.
2. What is good for the professional is not always good for the hobby cyclist. This means adapting the equipment, eating and drinking, and tactics to your own physical condition.
3. Realistically assess your personal abilities and divide the race accordingly.

Foto: ZVG