At the age of 48, Bernd Hornetz won the legendary Ötztaler Cycling Marathon with its 238 kilometres and altitude difference of over 5,500 m in under 7 hours. We posed questions to this exceptional athlete. 

You really achieved something incredible with your victory at the Ötztaler Cycling Marathon. What, in your eyes, are your three success factors? 

• The joy of cycling as a natural, personal, and communal experience. 
• A very supportive and tolerant environment.
• The ability to handle a high amount of training to develop enormous endurance capacity just below the FTP (Functional Threshold Power, measured in watts, is the power you can sustain for 1 hour on a good day under ideal conditions).

Many hobby cyclists participate in recreational races such as the Ötztaler. What are your most important tips for successful preparation on the one hand, and a successful race on the other?  

A great many factors play a role here, none of which can be neglected. That would be the quintessence, in short. To list all these would produce a rather long essay. Basically, you would still need to determine what a successful race means. This ranges from "scraping through within the time limit" to "cycling to victory". The former is already an extreme challenge, for which you should be well prepared. 

One simple and general tip would be to approach such a challenge gradually. This means, competing in a few races / touring trips which make increasing demands on you in terms of race time and altitude differences at intervals of 2 to 4 weeks throughout the season. In this way, you’ll be able to recognise many things that need to improve. It is more effective to get professional advice from a coach for one year. While may cost a few euros, even I was able to make significant progress after seeking advice from Dennis Sandig, iQ Athletik, and Kuno Messmann, the Corratec team manager. (Kuno is the former head coach of the German Ski Association (DSV)). This considerably shortens the learning by doing process. 

However, I would also like to give a concrete tip: during such long races, eating and drinking plays a significant role. Many struggle with stomach problems, low blood sugar, etc. and are therefore not able to achieve their full potential. It is important to tank up well in advance with whole grain products and lots of vegetables (to reduce acidity). You should also eat a protein-rich diet. Don’t eat an excessive amount of carbohydrates the day beforehand or at breakfast. Eat a lot of bulk whole grain foods such as noodles and rice, which are easy to digest. 

During the race, make sure that you eat regularly and drink plenty. At the beginning, I eat 2 to 3 bars and later switch to gels and isotonic drinks as well as lots of pure water. If you don’t need to win and want to achieve a good time, then don’t give in to your adrenaline but rather start at a moderate pace. It feels too slow, but will give additional motivation at the end when you pass those on the hard shoulder.

During your races, you are on the go at relatively high intensity for several hours. Can you give us an overview of how you organise your training? And how much time do you invest in recovery?  

High intensity with the emphasis on relatively! During training I try not to overdo the intensity. For me, high volumes and the in part extremely high intensities seem to be the ideal combination of training stimuli. I wouldn’t be able to cope if I was always only training flat-out, especially as a working family man who always has much too little time to regenerate. You need to just accept this and recognise the signs of fatigue. Then give the bike a rest, or go for a leisurely cycle. 

The winter months are not particularly inviting when it comes to cycling. What winter training tips can you give recreational cyclists? 

• Add variety and train with friends. This will even motivate you to ride in the dark with lights. I also like to take the crosser or the MTB.
• You need to always have a good training rhythm. Then your motivation will remain constantly high.
• Have one goal in mind. Don’t plan the first race of the season too late, and it’s best if you cycle together with friends, club members, or team members.

Foto: ZVG