Nutritional Considerations: IM World Championships (Nice, France)

On September 22nd, 2024 the best female professional and age group triathletes from around the world will race 140.6 miles in Nice, France. For the second year, the Ironman World Championship will be split between Nice, France and Kailua-Kona, Hawaii for the men's and women's races. Last year the men raced in Nice, France and this year the women will take the stage in Europe. 

The course consists of a 2.4 mile swim in the salty blue Mediterranean sea, a one-loop 112 mile stunning and spectacular bike course with over 7,800 feet of elevation gain and a four-loop 26.2 mile run on the iconic Promenade des Anglais. 

Although a beautiful race venue, the course brings with it some challenging situations. With a good understanding of the following nutritional considerations, you can improve your chances of delivering a great performance on race day - while enjoying this incredible experience. 

Carb loading
Authentic French Cuisine places great emphasis on using fresh, high quality ingredients to create great flavors. However, much of French food is rich in butter, dairy, meat and oil. Although the food is delicious, consuming large quantities of fat and protein in the days leading up to the race may reduce gastric motility and emptying, contributing to feelings of fullness and nausea, along with increasing the risk for Gi issues during activity. More so, foods rich in protein and fat are more calorie dense, which makes it difficult to effectively carb-load and fill the muscles and liver with glycogen in the days leading up to the race. On the flip side, if you are concerned about eating unfamiliar foods or you have specific dietary needs (ex. vegan/vegetarian/gluten-free) and feel limited with your food options, you may find yourself not eating enough and going into the race feeling depleted and low in energy. 
TIP: Have a plan for carb-loading. Know exactly what foods you will eat (and where) and how much to consume at least 8g/kg/bw of carbohydrates in the 48 hours before the event. By prioritizing a higher-carb consumption in the earlier hours of the day and reducing carb volume in the evening, you can minimize the risk of feeling lethargic, uncomfortably full, gassy, nauseous and bloated on race day morning. With grocery stores and markets at almost every corner, you should have no trouble finding a variety of familiar food options to prepare in your Airbnb/hotel room. 

Sea water 
The salty sea provides great buoyancy for swimming but there's a risk for swallowing air or sea water. The first condition is called aerophagia. Swallowing too much air can cause stomach distress, reflux, burping, belching and GI issues. Examples include not fully exhaling underwater before taking the next breath, mouth-only breathing, rapid breathing and swallowing big gulps of air. As a result gas is trapped in the stomach, which can lead to gas and stomach aches. 
TIP: Keep a steady and rhythmic breathing pattern. Make sure to forcefully exhale when your face is in the water. Try to work with the rhythm of the ocean by changing your cadence of your stroke to keep yourself moving forward (and not slapping waves/chop). Chewing gum, drinking carbonated beverages, and consuming too much caffeine can also increase the risk for stomach pain, reflux and belching. 

Sport nutrition timing 
Whereas general nutrition guidelines advise consuming carbohydrates, fluid and sodium in 10-15 minute intervals to optimize digestion and absorption and to help delay fatigue, a bike course with significant elevation changes, technical long descends, step and gradual uphills and potentially wind in certain sections presents challenges for fueling and hydrating on specific intervals. First off, with a significant amount of climbing in the first 1-2 hours of the bike, your energy requirements may be slightly higher but your gastrointestinal tract (blood flow) may be compromised if you are working too hard to get up the climb. Because proper fueling on the bike can reduce the risk of bonking and becoming progressively dehydrated as the race progresses, keeping your fueling strategy simple to execute is key. The more steps in your fueling/hydration strategy, the more you risk GI issues from consuming concentrated nutrition products. 
TIP: Look for opportunities on the course to coast/ease up on effort in order to take in nutrition when breathing/heart rate is controlled. Start with enough nutrition on your bike to get you through 3 hours of riding (with the help of aid stations for water as needed). Your sport nutrition is your most important currency in racing and it's not worth sacrificing bottles to save weight on the bike. Be mindful that you won't always be able to drink on a schedule - you need to work with the terrain of the course. Therefore, try to take smaller sips more frequently over 10-15 minutes (or a few big gulps every 15 minutes) when your breathing is controlled. Do not go more than 20 minutes without fueling/hydrating. In the 10-15 minutes before a long descend, it's advised to take in a little more nutrition (~50-80 calories) to reduce the risk of dropping blood sugar while coasting (plus digestion will be easier while descending vs. climbing). Be mindful that it takes ~15 minutes to digest nutrition so don't take in more than 25-30g carbs within 15 minutes. Lastly, your nutrition strategy can only work if you are well hydrated. It doesn't matter how many bars, gels or chews you consume, if you are behind on your fluids, your muscles will tire faster and your risk for nause and GI issues increases. Dehydration slows gastric emptying and gut motility. Although gels, bars, chews are convenient and easy to consume, they often lack adequate sodium and they obviously lack adequate fluid.

More is not better
The bike course is demanding and it will require a lot of muscular work, endurance, strength and stamina. There may be times during the bike, but especially during the run, when you may think that you need more nutrition to give you more energy. Although this is true to a point, your gut can only tolerate so many carbohydrates (and fluids) per hour. And if you plan to consume more than 60g carbs per hour, it needs to be a combination of glucose/maltodextrin + fructose and your gut needs to be trained to be able to absorb higher levels. Overfueling and overhydrating present much worse side effects than being a little underfueled and dehydrated. 
TIP: Understand your individual carb, sodium and fluid needs per hour and don't let your sore/tired/fatigued muscles fool you into thinking that taking a few more gels each hour or several cups of sport drink (on top of what you plan to consume) will give you more energy. Think small amounts consumed frequently throughout the run and recognize that your muscles will be tired and sore - it's an Ironman! 

Karel is at Paris-Roubaix!

 

A year ago, our good friend Joe emailed us about the Paris Roubaix EF Pro Race Camp from April 4-7th, 2024. Immediately, as soon as I read the words Paris Roubaix, I knew this was something that Karel had to do. 

Since a very young age, Karel has loved the sport of professional cycling. He got this love from his dad. Karel watches all the grand tours and classics and knows a lot about the sport and the riders. He also loves anything bike related so he regularly stays up on bike tech by reading various websites. Having grown up as a cyclist, he also knows a lot about the 'early days' of cycling. 

Check out these pics of teenager Karel. 

Behind the Tour de France, Paris-Roubaix is one of the most recognizable events in cycling. Known as the Queen of the Classics and the Hell of the North, this event dates back to 1896 and has taken place 120 times since then. Paris-Roubaix is arguably the hardest one-day cycling race in the world. At almost 260km (161 miles), the unpredictable weather and wind conditions add an extra layer of difficulty to the 29+ cobble sectors which make up around 55km (34 miles) of the race. Although the course is flat, the vibrations from the cobbles require a tremendous amount of power which means a great amount of energy is expended within each sector. And all of this is done on a road bike. There are three five-star sectors on the course (the start show the difficulty of the cobbled sectors), which are the Trouée d'Arenberg, Mons-en-Pévèle and the Carrefour de l'Arbre.

The race finishes in the iconic Roubaix Velodrome. 

In other words, Paris-Roubaix is a legendary bucket list event for any cycling enthusiast. 

Karel traveled to Europe on Monday from Charlotte. He flew to Newark on United and met Joe there. They flew on United to Brussels. They arrived to Brussels airport around 7:30am on Tuesday and were greeted by someone with the EF coaching staff. They were shuttled ~90 minutes to their hotel in Lille Grand Stade. When they arrived, they received their Cannondale bikes that they rented for camp and checked into their rooms.  Karel was exhausted from very little sleep on Monday night but they venture out for a shake out ride on Tuesday to experience the cobbles (and wind). After a good night of sleep on Tuesday, the camp officially started around noon on Wednesday. They received some really cool swag at the hotel, had lunch and then listened to a presentation about riding on the cobbles (Karel really enjoyed it). Then they were off for day 1 of camp - a 55km ride, finishing in the famous velodrome. When they arrived back to the hotel, they had snacks and then a late evening dinner. 

The camp package includes:

• Four star accommodation at Park Inn by Radisson, Lille Grand Stade, near Roubaix velodrome - the start and finish of the sportive and finish of the pro race
• All meals and ride nutrition
• Daily training rides and sportive preparation with Team EF Coaching trainers
• Team car supported training rides with mechanic, nutrition and spare kit
• VIP pro race package including exclusive team access at the World Tour race
• Daily bike maintenance and cleaning by team mechanic
• Paris-Roubaix Challenge race entry and insurance
• Massages by team soigneurs
• Daily laundry service for cycling kit
• Pre-camp access to our training library
• Personal race-day nutrition consultation with nutritionist Spencer Miller
• Secure bike storage and ride preparation room
• Transfer from Brussels airport or Roubaix train station

After 3 days of riding parts of the course, Karel will participate in the Paris-Roubaix Challenge. On Saturday morning, thousands of cyclists get to ride the same course as the pros. Although ~90km shorter than the pro race, Karel and Joe will be racing 170km (~105 miles) and will cover all of the cobbled sectors, just like the pros. When Karel finishes the race, he will get to watch the professional women finish the race in the velodrome. Then on Sunday, he will get VIP access to watch the male professional race. 

I'm so happy for Karel to have this experience. It's going to be a challenging 4 days as riding the cobbles (on a road bike) is no easy task. Karel said that it was so much harder than he expected. But like we experienced at the Haute Route Alps 7 day stage race, this experience will give him a greater appreciation for what the professional cyclists experience when they race (just at much slower speeds and with much less pressure to perform).

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Marni Sumbal, MS, RD, CSSD (@trimarni)

Haute Route Alps Stage 7 - The finale!

 

STAGE 7 

August 27th, 2022

Start: Megeve, France

Finish: Megeve, France

62 miles

4:21 riding time

14.2 mph average

7628 feet

Climbs: Epine (6.9K), Croix Fry (11.3K), Aravis (4.4K)

After 6 days, we didn't think we would make it this far. The final day. All that was between us and becoming an official Haute Route finisher was 62 miles. On any day in Greenville, riding 7600 feet would be a big climbing day but for stage 7, it was a "light" day. Besides the time trial, every stage involed over 10,000 feet of climbing. I was really looking forward to completing this event and I wore my Haute Route jersey (included in our race packet) as a celebration for making it to the last stage. 
At breakfast, I looked at the results and I was safely sitting in 2nd place in my age group. Unless something extreme happened (ex. mechanical or crash), I felt like I could remain 2nd in my age group (40-44). I felt like that was a big accomplishment and I brought that motivation to the stage. I wanted to remain competitive but also enjoy this last day. Karel was very tired and was still a bit worried about not having the energy to get through the stage but he knew he would finish, he just didn't know how much he would suffer. 

With the majority of this stage being timed, I knew it wouldn't be like the previous stages. This would be much more like a group ride with quick stops to refill bottles. Planning for a little over 4 hours of riding, I planned to refill two bottles somewhere half way. Karel didn't refill his bottles throughout the stage. The weather was a bit cool (60) so I started off with my arm warmers but took them off before the start as I knew I would warm up quickly. 

After 14.4k of neutralized riding, we made our way passed the timing system and that was it. From that point until 99k, this would be our last timed segment of the Haute Route Alps. 

Aside from the lead riders, there was a big pack of riders and I was able to stay in the group. But then the road picked up and I could feel myself struggling. I was ok with getting dropped but then Karel rode up to me and said "Marni, don't give up. Just push until the top of the hill and then there is a downhill." I was so thankful that he told me that because all I needed was to make a few hard pedal strokes to get back to the group and even though my legs were burning and my heart was beating out of my chest, I was able to stay with the big group to the top of the climb and recover on the downhill. 

One of the early climbs was a bit rough with loose gravel. I wanted to be extra careful as I didn't want to crash or have a mechanical but I also trusted my skills. I was able to descend safely and made my way to a strong group, with a few strong females. It was a lot of fun to feel like I was finally riding to my potential on the last two stages. I really enjoyed being able to stay with bigger groups and sit on the wheel of strong riders. The middle climb took an hour so I still needed to pace myself. 

Although the climbs were not as long as previous days (thank goodness we didn't have to climb 3+ hours again!), they were still punchy and the legs felt the accumulation of climbing over the past 7 days. Even though the finish line was near, I didn't focus on the finish but instead, just stayed focused on the kilometer that I was in. 

Once again, the scenery was incredible and I really tried to take it all in. My favorite part was the last hour. It reminded me of one of my favorite climbs in our area (Saluda Grade) and I was behind a guy from Canada who was riding really strong. He was not as comfortable descending but super strong on the climbs and flats so we made a good team. I stayed on his wheel for the climbs (he really made me push) and then he told me that he trusted my wheel on the downhills so I would take the lead. I made one pull to give him a break so I was glad that I could contribute. The final 10K was windy and a gradual incline into Megeve but we stayed strong. It was just me and this guy from Canada and we worked really well to get each other to the finish line. 

Once we saw the 1K to go, I felt such relief. We gave each other a fist bump before making the final turn toward the finish line chute. 

When I crossed the finish line, I saw Karel and I couldn't believe we did it. By far, this was the hardest athletic feat that we have ever attempted. 

After 7 days of riding, we were so happy to not have to ride our bikes on Sunday. Although, I was very sad to return my Pinarello as I had fallen in love with my bike over 7 days and I was sad to let it go. Karel took off my crank, saddle and pedals and we returned our bikes back to Jeremey with France Bike Rentals. 

We picked up our finisher polo shirt and then walked back to our hotel (a few minutes away). After taking a shower, we relaxed in bed for an hour - just enoying the moment of knowing that we didn't have to ride our bikes on Sunday. I turned on the TV and could pick from watching cycling, UTMB and Mountain biking - all in French. It was nice to feel like we could finally relax. 

Shortly after, we walked through the cute town of Megeve (which was my favorite town that we visited throughout the Haute Route) and had an amazing meal in the afternoon. It ended up pouring outside during our meal and we couldn't help but think how great weather we had throughout the event. After we ate, we walked around and then back to our hotel to collapse in bed before heading to the athlete award ceremony at 7pm. 

Prior to the awards, we received a notification on our Haute Route app that the top three in each age group would be recognized. That came as a big surprise to us so I was so honored to get on the stage to celebrate. Since the overall winner of the female division was also in my age group, she received a different prize so her prize rolled down to me, which was unexpected. 

Dinner was amazing, especially dessert. After the ceremony, went back to our hotel, ready for bed. 
Even though we were so tired, it was hard to sleep as our bodies were completely empty and sore. But being able to go to sleep knowing that we had nothing to do the next day was a great feeling. 

We ended up going for an easy swim the next day at the swim center (behind our hotel) and it felt really good to float a few laps in the long course pool. We were both extremely tired (and it had been over a week since we swam) so it wasn't a productive swim for fitness but very productive to move some blood. 

We had a great lunch (burgers - veggie for me, it was amazing!!) and then around 3pm we checked out of our hotel and walked next door to the bus stop to board our shuttle bus to take us to the Geneva Airport in Switzerland. 

Although we struggled throughout this event and found it very humbling, we do feel that our long distance triathlon training contributed to a great amount of endurance needed for this event. However, having been through this 7-day experience, we now know how to prepare better and what is needed mentally and physically, to be a bit more competitive throughout this event. 

Thank you for following us along. We really appreciate it. We hope that we have inspired you to step out of your comfort zone to challenge yourself as you explore your capabilities. 

Results

Haute Route Alps Stage 6

 

STAGE 6

August 26th, 2022

Start: Meribel, France

Finish: Megeve, France

85.45 miles

6:10 riding time

11.0 mph average

12,086 feet

Climbs: TRA (9.7K), Cormet de Roselend (19.2K), Saisies (16.3K)

By this point in the event, we had our morning routine nailed down and we started to become a bit more relaxed in the morning. Whereas we had stuck to a strict 2-hour before the event wake-up, we gave ourselves a bit more time to sleep in and woke up at 5:45am instead of 5:30am. We walked across the street to get breakfast and then packed up our room. At this point I was out of Skratch Super Fuel (which I used for the first 4 stages in my first two bottles). I used 2 heaping scoops C30 from Never Second and 1 packet of EFS Salty Watermelon (which was really good) in my other bottle. I also had some chews to give me a bit more calories since my other bottle only had 110 calories. 

Since we didn't have far to go for the staging area (it was right next to our hotel), we made our way to the starting area around 7:15am. Although this stage was our 4th stage of climbing over 10,000 feet, it was also our second to last stage - and our last stage of climbing over 10,000 feet. Certainly knowing that we only had one day left made it a lot easier to look forward to this stage. In looking at the weather on the Epic Ride Weather app, it looked like we may get some rain later on the in the stage but overall, it would be a cool and cloudy day. 

I wore my jacket to start because we had 21.7K neutralized with most of it downhill. After we started, we had a short climb out of the village of Meribel before starting our long descend down the Col de la Loze that we climbed to finish stage 4. After a few minutes of riding, I noticed that my computer wasn't picking up speed, mileage or cadence. The night prior my Garmin froze so I am not sure what happened but it was trouble picking up the satellite. I restarted the computer and still nothing. After a few minutes, Karel and I stopped on the side of the road to try to fix it up but after trying a few things, it was still not picking up the metrics. While I wasn't using power for pacing, it was extremely helpful to know what kilometer I was on as that helped with pacing. Plus, for this epic event, I wanted to make sure every mile was accounted for. Once we got started again, we were at the very back of the group (behind the last vehicle) but after a kilometer of descending, we were back up toward the front of the group. Eventually my computer started working (somewhere in the beginning of the first timed climb) so that was a relief that I finally knew where I was in the climb. 

Once we got a few kilometers away from the first timed section, I stopped to go pee on the side of the road and stuffed my jacket in my jersey pocket. I picked back up with a group just before the first timed section. 

The TRA climb was a great first climb of the day. The road condition, grade and switchbacks reminded me of home and I felt really strong. I was able to stay in a small group and I found myself ahead of a few girls that were always ahead of me in the previous stages. Karel was feeling a bit stronger than in the past few stages thanks to the rest day. It really helped him to have the afternoon off where he could rest and refuel and get a good night of sleep. Karel ended up in a group near the front (not the front front but near the front) and he was really surprised to be in the company of some of the top GC (general classification) riders. 

This stage was a bit different than the first four stages in that much more of the stage was timed, including the downhills. From 21.7 until 75, we made our way up the TRA climb, down the TRA climb, along a rolling/flat section before starting the Roselend climb. Finally at the top of the Roselend climb, the timing stopped and I regrouped with Karel. I decided to refill one bottle at the top of TRA just to ensure that I had enough for the next 45 kilometers. 

The 25K Roseland descend was not timed and Karel went ahead. We didn't spend too much time at the top of Roseland as it was a bit cool and cloudy and we wanted to try to beat the rain. We went through a lot of villages and tunnels on this route and the scenery was amazing. It was becoming much more green and the blue color of the lake took my breathe away - it was incredibly beautiful. 

Although I was tired, I felt like I rode really well on this stage and I was able to stay with groups much more than in the past few stages. I could tell that many of the riders were getting tired and probably went out too hard for the first few stages. It was fun to ride with some new people in the group. 

My favorite part of the day was being so close to the cows and enjoying their company as they enjoyed their grassy field. 

The last climb was Saisies and it was challenging. It was a lot more pitchy than Roselend without much relief. We started off on a super steep incline just after the timing section, before it eventually settled into a 7-12% grade for the next 12K. There was a short drop in the grade (~3%) for a few kilometers before the grade picked up aagain to the top of the climb. 

Karel rode the Saisies climb with our Australian friend Clay (who had nice music jamming from his phone) and while I tried to stay with them for a few kilometers, eventually I needed to drop back. However, I was able to link up with a few other solo riders to keep myself riding strong. I made a quick stop at the last aid station on top of Saisies  before making my way down the descend and into Megeve. 

For this stage, we went through a lot more towns and the roads were a bit more busy at times but there was plenty of support staff keeping us safe. The final 10K was a gradual climb into Megeve and I was thankful to be around a few other riders to finish off strong. I have no idea how we missed the rain but I never got wet. Karel said he got a little rained on but it didn't last long. It felt like we were chasing the rain all day. The cooler weather felt great. It was a much more windy day, which made it tough on the top of the climbs. 

After I finished, Karel and I dropped our bikes off with Jeremy at France Bike Rentals to give them a charge (electronic shifting) before the final day. Karel got a massage while I showered and then we went to get some food. The post event meal was the best meal that we had had all week. It was sooo good. It was so great knowing that we only had one more stage and we would be staying in the same hotel for the next two nights.

We rode a few minutes to our hotel and I instantly fell in love with it. I could not have asked for a better accomodation for our final stay in Megeve. The hotel was super cute and since we had a little more time in the afternoon (with it being just around 3pm), Karel enjoyed a cappuccino at the hotel while I editted my Go Pro footage. We then walked to the nearby grocery store for some food for dinner. 

The rain helped to cool things off which made for a comfortable evening in our room. Although I felt like we had already finished the event and tomorrow was a bonus stage, Karel was exhausted and continued to question how he would finish the last stage. We both slept great in the evening and looked forward to one last ride. Only 62 miles and 7500+ feet between us and the finish line! 

One more day to go!! 

Lessons Learned 
There's something about not giving up. You never know what you are capable of doing unless you try. In a 7-day event, there are going to be bad days. There are going to be tough moments. But if you give up, you don't put yourself in a position to experience the good moments and good days. We never thought we would feel good in any stage but we both had good days throughout this event. Stage 6 was a good stage for us (for the most part) and we rode stronger than we had in the days past. This stage also involved a lot of self-talk. At any point we could have just eased up but we both wanted to give our best, in every stage. That's all you can ask for from your body. Just give your best. 

Haute Route Alps - Stage 5 (Time Trial)

STAGE 5 - 10K Time Trial 

August 25th, 2022

Start: Meribel, France

Finish: Meribel, France

6.2 miles

59:33 riding time

6.27 mph average

2657 feet

Climb: Col de la Loze. 

For our "rest" day, all we had to do was ride 10K. Up the Col de la Loze. 2657+ feet to climb in 6 miles. Pitches above 20%. Over 9% gradient for the majority of the climb. Summit at ~7500 feet. At this point in the event, we have covered 390 miles and 52,000 feet of elevation gain in five days. 

Yeah, a lot to accomplish before we could full enjoy our rest day. 

The overall vibe was a bit lighter in the morning as every rider had a set start time range for the time trial. Mine was 9:45-10am and Karel had 10am - 10:15am. They seeded everyone based on overall times so that the top seeded athletes were at the end.

We woke up around 7am (yay for sleeping in!) and had breakfast at the hotel. Although I felt a bit more in my element with the concept of a time trial (my own effort), the course had me worried. I wasn't sure if I had the energy to get up some of the steep pitches and I was worried about having to walk (or fall over). 

After we ate, we took some time to foam roll and do some mobility before heading out on the bike for a warm-up. There were many riders out warming up which it was really important to go into the time trial with a good warm-up in the legs. We wore our triathlon one piece race kits because why not, it's a time trial! 

It was hard to find anywhere flat around the village so there was a lot of back and forth riding. Every pedal stroke was hard, especially going uphill. I found myself extremely nervous. 

When I rolled up the staging area, they called my name right away. After a 37 min warm-up, it was nearing 9:45am and I was about to go. I didn't even have time to think about the start so I just rolled up to the starting stage and within 60 seconds, I was off. I think this was actually a good thing as I didn't have any time to think about what was about to come. 

Once I started, I found myself a bit less nervous. I mean, there's no turning back now so I may as well make the most of the next hour. My goal was to finish but I also gave myself a bonus goal of trying to get under 1 hour. 

The first 1.5 miles were not too bad. It was a gentle 7% grade, weaving through the streets. Eventually the road turned into a golf path type of road (very narrow) and then I hit the first kicker. Ouch, that was steep. There was no way to control my heart or take it easy. I had to give every ounce of power to get up the climb. Then the road settled back down again to 7% (which felt like I was going downhill compared to the kicker) so I was able to relax. I knew I wasn't going to gain any time or places for this time trial so I tried to be really strategic with my energy. I didn't want to overdo it on the "easier" sections as I knew I would need the energy, muscle power and heart beats for the last 5K - the "hard" stuff. 

With other riders already on the course, it was easy to get a glimpse of what was coming - seeing athletes rock their bikes side to side to power up the climb helped me prepare myself. And then there were the riders who were descending down from having already completing the climb - which gave me some reassurance that I would die getting to the top. 

The switchbacks were a blessing as it gave a tiny bit of relief before the road kicked up. 
With every steep pitch, it took everything I had. I questioned if I would be able to get up the next steep climb but then when the gradient dropped to 9 or 10%, I had a bit of relief. There was a short 30 second moment of downhill riding which was grately enjoyed. Looking ahead at the finish, I could see the road ad it went straight up. 

But thankfully the end was in sight. 1K to go. 1K until I get to rest and fully enjoy my rest day. 

There were a few riders on the sidelines cheering and an announcer on the top. I soaked it all in. The hardest climb of my life. 

When I got to the top, I couldn't believe the view.  also beat my goal of breaking an hour and went 59:33. After enjoying a few apricots and a cookie, I walked over to the finish line to wait for Karel. 

There he was, muscling his way on the 20+ gradient to get to the finish line. 50:44 to get to the top. After he crossed, he made it a few more pedal strokes until he hobbled off his bike and collapsed. 

With no rush to get back (except getting a little cool at the top), we spent the next 35 minutes really taking it all in. 

The descend was even more amazing as we could really take in all the sights that we missed while suffering and making sure that our next pedal stroke was not our last. During our 22 minute descend, we stopped to take a few more pics and made sure to give way to the riders who were climbing. It was motivating and inspiring to see the top seeded riders (especially the females) riding so strong up the climb. 

After we finished, we changed and had a snack and then walked across the street to the Olympic center for lunch. After lunch, we caught up on some work for our athletes as we had a bit more time and energy. Later in the afternoon we walked around the town and got a few things for dinner. I was craving cereal and chips so that was my dinner. It totally hit the spot and I felt so good going to bed. 

Although Karel found the stage very hard, the day itself was very much needed. It's amazing what a few extra hours of rest and food can do for the mind and body. 

While we were sad to pack up and leave Meribel, we were really excited for our next stop - Megeve. Our final destination for the event and where we would be spending the next two nights. 

Lessons Learned 
In the afternoon of the stage, we watched the Col de la Loze stage from the 2020 Tour de France. After riding this climb, Karel's entire perspective of professional cycling changed. He no longer understands how these riders can ride so fast, with such a high cadence and attack on these climbs. Watching this video left us with our mouth wide open, in disbelief of what these riders can do. 
There's something incredibly special about this experience of riding on these legendary climbs. Although we ride these climbs 2-3x longer than the TdF riders, we are on the same climbs. 
This stage taught me a lot about comparison. There was no way I could get to the top of this climb trying to race another athletes race. The only way was to focus on myself and my own effort. It's so easy to compare yourself to other athletes or even a past version of yourself. It's so easy to feel defeated when being passed by another athlete. But knowing that I was giving my absolute best with each and every pedal stroke, I was so proud of myself - on this day, with the fitness, health and ability that I brought to the stage. Watching the tour and other cycling events is one of our favorite things to do but we now have a whole new perspective of what these riders are capable of doing with their bodies and minds. 

Haute Route Alps - Stage 4

STAGE 4

August 24th, 2022

Start: Les Deux Alps, France
Finish: Meribel, France

95.5 miles

8:09 riding time

11.7 mph average

14,339 ft elevation gain (Karel's computer had 16,211 feet!)

Climbs: Glandon (25K), Madeleine (19K) and Meribel/part of the Col de la Loze - 16K)

Stage 4 had us worried. It was our "Queen" stage which means it was the most difficult stage of our 7-day event, involving several difficult climbs and accumulating the most elevation. We were so worried about this stage that we didn't even familiarize ourselve with the climbs or stats until that morning. As if the first 3 stages were not hard enough, we were carrying around a massive amount of fatigue and soreness going into this stage. 

But there were positives on this day. First off, if when we finish the stage we will officially be over half way through the event. Wahoo! Secondly, we will be staying in the famous ski town of Meribel, France. And even better, we would have the same accomodations, in the same location for two nights! And even better, our hotel had a pool! Not that I was interested in actual swimming but I was missing the water. Lastly, we "only" had a 10K time trial for stage 5 which gave us most of the afternoon to catch up on food, rest and sleep. 

So while there was a lot to look forward to after the stage was complete, we first needed to complete this massive stage. 

With another early start of 7am, we woke up around 5am and you, guessed it, ate breakfast, packed up our stuff, pinned our numbers on our jerseys, etc. etc. We had gotten into a routine and since we were so exhausted, we were a bit on autopilot. It was a little chilly outside, which was nice in that we slept ok without AC but it was a chilly start to the morning in the low 50's. It was getting harder to eat in the morning but my appetite would really pick up in time for the post event meal. 

The start of the stage was downhill and for 30.8K it was neutralized. I had a jacket and gloves on to keep me warm and I really enjoyed the almost 70 minutes of neutralized riding. Although I made sure to be careful as riding with 400 riders down switchbacks, on narrow roads and in tunnels can be a bit sketchy, especially when everyone is tired. 

Before the timed segment, I stopped to remove my jacket and gloves and also went pee. With a rest stop in the middle of both of the climbs, I was planning to quickly top off my bottles to get me through the climbs but then fully refill at the very top when the timing section was complete. 

The Glandon climb was incredible. The scenery was a bit more green than what I had seen the past few stages and it often felt like I was on another plant. The water and architecture in nature was incredible. Although I was tired as I made my way up the 17.6 mile, 4453 foot climb for 1 hour and 57 minutes (8.96 mph), I was really soaking in the scenery. 

By this point in the stage, we found ourselves around similar people so we began to know people by names (and with hours of climbing, there was also time to get to know people). Karel enjoyed riding with Clay - who had his music jamming from his phone. I found myself around the same Canadians and British guys and also rode with a Brazilian lady for some of the climbs. She was very strong but her knees were bothering her so we were encouraging one another not to give up. That pretty much sums up the vibe of this event - people are really encouraging and supportive. 

After enjoying the views at the top, it was time for a very long, fast decend of 14 miles (40 minutes). I didn't care too much for this descend as the road surface was more bumpy and there were more long and straight sections where I would pick up quick speed. Karel took advantage of the downhills as it's where he felt the happiest. 

Next was the Madeline climb. This climb had us extremely worried. Per the profile, it was a constant climb of 12 miles (4777 feet) and the grade was a constant 8-11% without any opportunity to coast. The only place I could "ease up" was on a switchback. I found myself out of the saddle a lot on this climb as I could get a bit out of each pedal stroke to move me forward out of the saddle. My friend Bryan warned me about this climb and told me to expect around 2 hours of climbing. 

At the top of the climb, it wasn't as horrible as we thought it would be but we were still really glad that it was overwith. Just one more climb until we reached Meribel. 

After another fast decend of 15.8 miles, it was time for the last segment of the stage. 16 miles and 3400 feet of elevation. I felt strong starting this climb and I could tell that other riders were starting to fade from the stage itself and the accumulation of the multiple stages. I linked up with a few guys and tried to stay on their wheel as long as I could until I hit my breaking point and needed to settle into my own effort. 

It started to get really warm (upper 80's) and I could feel it. I also felt really bonky and needed to stop at the final aid station (with 5K to go) as I was so hot. The helpers at the feed zone were handing out coke so I took in a cup and filled up one of my water bottles to help get me to the top. I absolutely hit the wall for the last few miles of this climb and it was a very slow and uncomfortable grind to get to the top of the climb. 

When I finally reached the finish line, I was so relieved. Karel was there waiting for me - with ice cream in hand and I told him that I needed something quick to bring me back to life. I had the most delicious cup of fruity gelato which totally hit the spot! After 10 minutes of resting and getting some sugar into my system, we then rolled into the super cute town of Meribel to the sights of adorable chalets, ski homes, shops and live music. The Haute Route Village was set up near the Olympic center and our hotel was right in the center of the town. I ended up getting my second massage after this stage (which was really good!) and Karel got some food. I snacked on salty crackers and my recovery drink and passed on the post event meal as Karel said it wasn't the greatest. 

I was so excited to check out our hotel and it was even cuter than I could have imagined. We had a balcony overlooking the pool and the shops and our room was big with plenty of room for our luggage to explode (it was nice to not have to repack our bags the next morning - we could enjoy our room for two days!).

Even though I was so empty and wanted to lay in bed, the pool was calling my name so I put on my two piece suit and went down to the pool. I met a new friend James and his wife Cassandre who were both very strong and nice. James used to do triathlons and Cassandre won her age group at Ironman Nice and will be racing in Kona next month. Karel eventually joined us in the pool - after he enjoyed an overpriced cappachino that he had been craving. 

After the dip in the water, we got some food. There were very few restaurants open in the town (which surprised us) so we didn't have many options. We settled for a pizza place (I think I lost count of how many pizzas I've eaten in Europe this month) and Karel had this potato and meat dish which he didn't care for, it was really fatty and didn't digest well. 

After we ate, we were ready for bed. It kinda felt like we had a day off the next day so I was tempted to stay up a bit later than normal but I knew it would be good to get as much sleep as I could before our 10K time trial in the morning.  

Lessons Learned 
Having something to look forward to really helps during tough moments. Knowing all the great things that we would experience after the stage was complete was good motivation to help me start and finish the stage. Also, going into this event, I thought we would be missing out by leaving Nice and riding to Megeve, instead of the other way around. There was something cool about riding to the water and I thought I would have preferred that route. But as the ride went on, I loved entering new villages and towns and making our way up in the country of France. This was a good lesson about making assumptions and how you may expect something to be good or bad but it can be the opposite of what you had hoped for (or imagined). Sometimes the best mindset is a neutral one and to just let things be how they are supposed to be. 

Haute Route Alps - Stage 3

STAGE 3

August 23rd, 2022

Start: Serre Chevalier Briancon, France
Finish: Les Deux Alps

70 miles

5:48 riding time

12 mph average

10,612 ft elevation gain

Climbs: Lautaret (26K), Sareene (13K), Les 2 Alpes (9K) and descending Alpe d'Huez.

With our latest start time thus far, we were happy that we could get a little extra sleep with a 6am alarm. The daily routine didn't change from the last two days and we tried to eat as much as we could, prepared our gear, repacked our luggage and dropped off in the hotel lobby, prepared our post-race backpack and questioned how we would be able to ride another stage. Even at "only" 70 miles, we still had 10,000+ feet to climb. Although I didn't look at any of the time off times, Karel was really worried that he wouldn't make the times for this stage. The cut off times are pretty strict and while you can continue ride the next day if you don't make a cut off time, you aren't consider an official finisher unless you make all cut off times and complete every stage. Thus the less than 50% finisher rate. Additionally, there are some stages that if you don't make the cut off time, you can't continue on the route and you will be picked up by the "broom wagon." In looking back at this stage, we made the cut off times by around 50-minutes (factoring in rest-stop times) so it's not just physical fitness that is required for this event but also a lot of good luck (mechanics, crashes) and being strategic with your stops. 

The hardest part of each morning was the hour before the start of the stage. It was really hard to quiet the mind of worries, what ifs and soreness. It was such a battle to not go back to sleep as we woke up so exhausted. 

Around 7:36, we made our way to the start venue and lined up in the corral to begin stage 3. We only had 8.2K of neutralized riding and it was all on a gradual uphill. It was not an easy start to the stage but I found my legs responding really well from the first few pedal strokes. I felt like today was going to be a great day. As for Karel, his legs hurt from the first pedal stroke and he found it difficult to turn the pedals over. He got dropped from the group in the neutralized section and really struggled from the start. 

After looking at the stage for the day and the grades of the climb, I felt like this stage would suit me well. Once we reached the first timing section, I really worked hard to stay with the group that I was in (which was a big group of around 30 riders) and I worked really hard for the next 17 miles. I was feeling really competitive and really gave my best effort to the top of the climb. Once I reached the rest stop, my legs were super shaky like I had just done intense intervals for 80-minutes. We were also climbed up to 6000 feet so I'm sure the thin air didn't help. I thought Karel was also in the group but it was a few minutes later when he rolled up looking completely destroyed. Karel was having a really rough day. His muscles were extremely sore (even to touch), he felt broken inside and he was really tired. I felt really bad for him but he didn't want my day to be affected since I was feeling strong so he told me to go ahead and to give my best for both of us. 

I enjoyed the fast 12 mile descend before approaching the next time segment. I was looking forward to the Sareene segment as it also included some descending, which I was hopeful that that would help me move up in the overall rankings. I was sitting in 2nd age group (40-49) with no chance of catching first place who was leading the race (and ended up placing in the top 20 overall) and around 11th overall female. I thought maybe today I could get into the top 10. For the next 12 miles and almost 90 minutes, I climbed 3500 feet. The views were incredible and it only got better as I reached the town of Alpe d'Huez. Karel ended up passing me in the last climb so I was really happy that he was feeling better. It was a bit windy (and cool) at the top so we didn't spend much time at the feed station (~10 minutes). 

For the next ~9 miles, we enjoyed the 21 legendary switchbacks of Alpe d'Huez and felt like we were riding into history seeing the names of famous TdF riders painted on the ground. 

To finish the stage, "only" 14 miles to Les 2 Alpes. "Only" 3000+ feet of climbing left. 

I really dug deep and gave everything I had on this day. While I felt strong throughout the ride, I certainly had to battle some mental demons to keep fighting until the finish line. Once I reached the finish line, I was done. Like sit in a chair, I don't want to move I just want to fall asleep done. We spent an hour in the athlete village (including eating our post event meal) before finally making our way to our hotel. 

To be honest, Karel and I really struggled this evening. We were both exhausted, it was hard to communicate well and we were both extremely nervous about our "Queen" stage the next day. We took a short walk in the evening in the town to find some food (options were slim) and that helped a bit to move the legs but it was also exhausting to move the body. 

Lessons Learned 

Mentally this was my toughest stage. Physically this was my best stage. I really felt pressure for this stage as Karel wasn't having a good day and I also felt like I could move up in the overall standings - which I did not. Trying to keep everything in perspective - this opportunity, the experiences, the views, our health, etc. - I realized that something needed to change with my mindset for me to really make the most out of this experience. I recognized that I was giving my best and the "disappointment" that I felt was from the pressure that I felt from trying to achieve a certain outcome. I didn't need to change my execution as I was going to continue to give my best every day but by changing my mindset, I could enjoy the experience a lot more without feeling like I needed to prove something every day. It's like running in an Ironman - you could be running your best but then glance at your watch and see a time slower than what you think you should be running and even though you can't do any better in the moment, you feel like a failure. With us not even being half way through the event and approaching our biggest stage the next day, I was able to feel a bit less pressure when I woke up in the morning as I reminded myself that the only person I need to compete against is myself. 

Haute Route Alps - Stage 2

Haute Route Alps Day 2

August 22nd, 2022

Start: Cuneo, Italy

Finish: Serre Chevalier Briancon, France

90.2 miles

6:57 riding time

13 mph average

11,835 ft elevation gain

Climbs: Col d’Agnel (20K). Featured in both the Giro and TdF, the third-highest paved road in the Alps. Col d’Izoard (14K). Featured in 36 TdF.

We woke up aroud 5:30am and made our way to the hotel breakfast. We started to recognize familiar faces as similar people would stay in the same accomodations (based on our package - we purchased 3-star hotels, middle package). I found myself pretty hungry for breakfast and there were a lot of great options to choose from. The coffee machine was always the first priority for Karel (and everyone else). Every morning I would review the athlete briefing (online on our app) from the night prior and also review the course. This helped prepare us mentally for what's to come. If I would look too much into the stage the night before, I wouldn't be able to sleep due to fear as to what's to come. Sometimes I would look up the climbs online (pictures) to get excited for the views. 

After we ate, we made our way back to our room, packed up our stuff, dropped off our luggage downstairs to be picked up by the Haute Route stafff to take to our next accomodation and got everything ready for another long day in the saddle. Although less miles than on stage 1, it was another day of riding over 12,000 feet. I think we have only ridden over 10,000 feet about three times in our life and here we were, conquering classic cols and well over 10,000 feet, 4 days in a row. 

Our bodies were exhausted and we were tired. A lot of mental games are played before and during the stage. For example, on stage 2, I just told myself "only two climbs." And it was nice knowing that the finish of stage 2 was at the top of the second climb. The other nice thing about stage 2 is that we had 20K of descending that was not included in the stage to take us to the town of Serre Chevalier Briacon (where we were staying). Also, we had 20K of neutralized to start the stage, which was a really nice way to get things started. 

During the neutralized section, it was more or less a controlled group ride (unless we were climbing or descending to start, then it was a little more chaotic with varying levels of fitness and skills). During the start of every stage, there were plenty of people (guys) stopping on the side of the road to pee (which is totally normal and accepted in Europe) and also removing layers before the first timed section (depending on the weather). 

After around 12 miles 46 minutes of neutralized riding, it was time for our first timed section. And for the next 38 miles and 3 hours and 20 minutes, we would be climbing - a constant grind up the Agnel. The top of Agnel was at 9000 feet high and in 38 miles we climbed 7700 feet of elevation. This climb was unlike anything I've ever seen before and despite the suffering, I really tried to take in the sights. 

When I got to the top, I was happy to see Karel and we both had another moment of wow, this is really, really hard and also really really epic. 

After an 18 minute break to eat, refeul, layer up for the descend, pee in the bushes and take some pics, it was time for another glorious long descend on the tight, narrow and twisty roads of the alps. For the next 15 miles, I tried to let my legs recover before the next climb up the the Izoard (~7700 feet high). Although the Agnel was much more pitchy with the grades, with many segments over 12% in the last 7K, the Izoard was not any easier as we were exhausted, tired and mentally broken. But we made it to the top. 8.75 miles and 3200 feet in an hour and 18 minutes. I worked really hard for that 6.7 mph average up the climb. It was really neat seeing all the signs (going from Italy back into France) as well as going through the small villages and seeing so many people on bikes (either tackling the climbs or just casually riding). 

When we got to the top, it was a relief knowing that we were done for the day. We spent about 20 minutes at the top taking in the sights, grabbing a few snacks for the descend and then enjoying the next 12 miles of descending to arrive to our next village and accomodation. Karel and I both got massages after this stage and although only 20 minutes, it was nice to just lay down and try to get some of the soreness out. We then ate our post race meal, climbed a hill to get to our next accomodation, walked to the grocery store to get some more food for dinner. 

From 7am (start was 7:30am) to 4pm - it was another long day and we were both looking forward to a "shorter" day on day 3 (only 70 miles and 10,600 feet of elevation gain). The nightly routine was the same as day 1 - charge the gadgets, wash bottles, repin the bib number on a clean jersey, fill bottles with sport nutrition, try to eat as much as we could and question how we would get through another stage. 

Two stages done. 207 miles covered. 25,681 feet elevation climbed. 

Lessons Learned 
For some reason, I remember very little from stage 2, specifically post event. I don't remember the last 20K after the last climb, I can't really remember where we stayed (except it didn't have AC and it was a warm day) and I can't recall much from the evening. Not sure why - probably out of pure exhaustion from doing something that I have never done before. But I did learn that I am capable of so much more than I thought. These two epic climbs forced me to dig really deep and to rely on all my tricks and tips from long distance racing in order to keep my legs turning over (and not falling over or stopping). The Haute Route encouraged us to download a free app called Epic Ride Weather.  This app really came in handy throughout the event as we could look at the weather for our entire ride to help us plan how to dress. Although we would get really warm on the climbs, the weather was much cooler on the top of the climbs. And then it got really chilly descending. I downloaded all of our Haute Route Alps routes to my phone and then uploaded to the app. 

Haute Route Alps - 1 day out

 

We woke up around 7am and had breakfast in the hotel shortly after.

We weren't sure what the check-in process would be like for the Haute Route so we both felt a little anxious in the morning hours. We were instructed to bring our suitcase (plus bike box) to drop off so we brought all of our stuff inside our suitcase as we weren't sure if they would be inspecting our gear as there were some mandatory items on the packing list (ex. gloves, arm warmers, jacket, etc.). With the check-in opening at 10am, we left our place around 9am so that we had plenty of time to walk the 2 kilometers to the athlete village - with our suitcases. After arriving, we stood in line outside the village for around 20 minutes until the gate opened at 10am. It was finally happening. It was time to check in for the Haute Route Alps! 

The check-in process had a lot of steps but it was very organized and everyone was very nice. 

Step 1: Drop off suitcase, bike box and bike in a designated area. 



Step 2: Pick up race packet and if using Haute Route Accomodations (which we did), pick up travel bag. 





Step 3: Get our rental bikes from France Bike Rental. 


Step 4: Drop off suitcase (and bike box) with tag to be picked up after the last stage at our final accomodation. 




Step 5: Take pictures and buy some swag (and pretend we aren't nervous :) 

Step 6: Walk bike and travel bag (with stuff inside) back to hotel (and get pastries along the way). 



After much contemplation and discussion, we decided to rent road bikes for the Haute Route and travel with our mountain bikes for Xterra Czech. This was a last minute decision to change from our original plan of renting mountain bikes and traveling with our road bikes but we were really concerned about traveling with our road bikes from Vienna to Nice and then from Geneva to Vienna. We invested a lot into this event and waited several years for this event to happen and we didn't want to take any chances that our bikes would not arrive for the event. Although it was a little concerning to rent bikes for a 7-day event taking us over 500 miles, we were really pleased with our Pinarello Prince bikes that we rented, as well as the top notch service from Jeremy with France Bike Rentals. Karel brought my crank (155) to put on my rental bike, as well as my saddle and pedals. Karel also brought his own pedals. Jeremy let Karel go to work on my rental bike. Karel was prepared with a new chain and tools. I was so happy to see that we had matching white bikes and I could not have been more excited to ride my Pinarello for 7-days. Karel had this same bike back when we were dating so it was a bit nostalgic to be riding the same bike for this event 

After we had some food back in our hotel (we picked up some items from the grocery the night prior), Karel did a quick bike fit for me (me clipped in holding the kitchenette sink) before we headed out for a spin. We were really tired - a combo of the travel, walking around a lot in Nice and still feeling some lingering soreness from Xterra Czech just a week prior) but it felt great to be on the bike and to get the blood flowing. 

There was an organized Haute Route shake-out ride in the late afternoon which we thought about doing but we decided to ride on our own as we knew there would be several stops for pictures and a few adjustments on our bike fits. We had the GPS route from the shake-out ride and we mostly followed it for a scenic (and hilly) 18 mile loop. 

I quickly fell in love with my rental bike and it was amazing how quickly I forgot that this was not my bike. It was a great feeling knowing that I get to ride this bike over 7-days. There were a few parts on the bike that could have made the bike a bit better (according to Karel's standards ;) but overall, it was a fantastic bike to ride. While my bike fit was perfectly dialed in, I wasn't comfortable when I was in the hoods as I had to stretch my fingers to grab the brakes. Not a problem - we biked by the Haute Route village and Jeremy adjusted the brakes and also changed the front tire (Karel noticed it was a bit worn and he wanted to make sure I didn't risk any flats). Karel made a few adjustments to his fit and we were both feelig a bit less nervous for Sunday - the official start of the Haute Route. It was a bit interesting biking through the city streets of Nice, but it was good to shake out the legs. 

Physically we both felt pretty yucky during the ride but the scenery was incredibly. We were tired and just feeling off but the ride did help us out a bit. The ride took around 90 minutes (1700 feet of elevation gain) and we climbed for half of it and descended the other half. It was really cool to see the Tour de France signage as we were riding. 

After the ride, we searched for dinner and came across a wrap/burger restaurant and Karel got a chicken wrap and I got a veggie burger. We both got fries with our meal.

After we ate, it was nearing 6:45pm and we walked down the street to a building for the Haute Route Athlete Briefing/Welcoming. This is when it all got a bit real. Sitting amongst cyclists from all over the world, hearing all different languages, we started to feel the nerves again. We watched an inspirational video to get us excited about this tremendous physical feat that we were about to embark on and got a briefing on stage 1 of the event. 

After the briefing there was a pasta dinner but seeing that it was already 8pm and we were ready to sleep. We got all of our things ready for the morning - rear light (mandatory), nutrition in bottles, kit (with bib number pinned on back), computer charged, luggage packed and post-event bag packed. We went to sleep around 9:30pm in anticipation for the early alarm at 4:45am for the start of the first stage of the Haute Route Alps. 

Lessons Learned
We didn't need to bring all of our gear and clothing to the check-in. We also brought way too many clothes with us for the event. We only needed about 2 outfits (and sleeping wear) as we didn't do much between stages except eat, rest and sleep. We brought 5-6 cycling jerseys (and a few bibs) which was good since we didn't have laundry access throughout the event (The Haute Route offered laundry for 2 items after stage 3 but we didn't use it). Instead of weighing down our suitcases with clothing that we didn't wear, I should have brought along more snacks for after each stage (instead of searching for groceries) and brought along more sport nutrition powder to refill bottles throughout each stage (instead of just relying on on-course nutrition). I think Karel would have benefited from having his Normatec boots to use after each stage. We brought a foam roller which was nice to have - even though it was often painful to foam roll the quads before each stage. The shake out ride was needed to move blood so that's something we always do before an event. Although our first two hotels had AC (stage 1 and 2), we didn't have AC for our entire Europe trip. I highly recommend this travel fan - it came in so handy, not just to cool us off but for the light sound during sleep. Under different circumstances, we would have ridden our own road bikes but we don't regret using France Bike Rentals. We purchased Package #3 and Jeremy was amazing. He would even clean our bikes after the stage and he was there after every stage if we needed anything. Our bikes came with a spare kit and CO2 and fully charged. Although our bikes would have been fine throughout the entire event, I had Jeremy charge my bike after stage 6. Karel had his charged after stage 5. I'm glad we went to the athlete briefing/wecoming ceremony as it was good to understand the briefing (which was always uploaded to our app) and to get to know some of the faces we would be seeing throughout the event. 

2022 Haute Route Alps - post event reflection

 

It was 2019 when I came across a YouTube video discussing the Haute Route Alps. Despite not having the best bike handling skills, having little understanding of what it's like to cycle in the French Alps (besides watching the Tour de France) and training exclusively for long distance triathlons, I was captivated by this event and I knew it was something we had to experience. Somehow I sold Karel on the idea of combining our love of cycling and traveling to Europe and we registered for the 2020 event. Fast forward two years later, after living through a worlwide pandemic, the reality hit that we were finally checking this 7-day, 500-mile, 70,000+ feet elevation gain event off our bucket list. 

We knew this event would challenge us physically and mentally but we had no idea what we were truly in for when we registered for this 7-day event. Known as the toughest amateur cycling race in the world, for the past 10+ years, the Haute Route Alps combines top-notch services with legendary climbs for an unforgettable, life changing experience. Although our long distance triathlon training and racing provided us with great endurance and resiliency for this event and we became an official Haute Route finisher, we learned so much from this adventure and we would have done several things differently in the preparation and execution of this event. 

The distances, the elevation, the altitude, the time limits, the relentless climbs that go on for hours, the uncomfortable gradients, the long descends, the mental games, the weather, the effort, the tactics and the organization - every day we questioned how we would finish the upcoming stage. What was conceptualized as a bucket-list event, the Haute Route Alps has been etched in our minds and we will be forever changed because of this physical and mental test of discipline and endurance. 

While riding your bike all day is the main focus of this event, it's only one part of the challenge. Riding from one location to the next, locating your next hotel, unpacking and re-packing gear, charging gadgets, trying to find food in a country where you don't speak the language, struggling to sleep because your legs are throbbing, analyzing the next day's stage and statistics in fear of what's to come and waking up between 5:30-6:30am every morning to attempt to eat as much as your body can handle all catches up on the body.

The time cuts are strict, there are crashes and mechanicals, the weather is unpredictable, the climbs are gruelling and the descends are long. Sure, it's a race with a start and finish line. But there's no gaurantee that you will finish the entire event. To be counted in the official results, you must finish all seven stages - and meet all time cuts. You need great physical fitness and a lot of good luck. Everyday would wake up each morning nervous, anxious and fearful, wondering if it was physically possible to climb yet another 10,000 feet. 

Although there is a lot of suffering, strangely there is comfort knowing that you are not alone. Throughout the event, you find yourself riding the same people/groups and you begin to know one another one a first-name basis. Depending on the level of exhaustion of each rider, it's not uncommon to get to know personal details about your "teammates" while grinding at 40-50 rpms for 2+ hours. The sights of horses, goals, cows and sheeps brought us joy and the scenery reminded us how lucky we are to see this part of Europe on two wheels. With all kinds of mental and physical challenges to overcome each day, you form strong bonds with the other riders. Although there was plenty of competition on the course, it was a friendly and supportive environment. By the end of the week we made so many great friends. Even if we were from different parts of the world, the cycling language is universal. And with less than 35 women in the event, it was something special to be one of the females who completed the entire event. 

The Haute Route organization excels on route guidance and safety. There were arrow signs at every turn, vigilant course marshals giving us the right of way, well-stocked aid stations, regular updates on the app, daily briefings, newsletters, videos and photos and attention to every detail from the pre and post stage food, staffed feed stations, and daily massages.

The Mavic support, cheers from onlookers in each village, motorcycle escorts, SAG vehicles and supporitve staff made this event unlike anything else. Everyone involved made this event all about us - the riders - so that we could do what we love - ride our bikes. The stress-free accomodation package was worth every euro. The Haute Route took care of all of our accomodations so that all we had to do was show up to the next hotel. At least 90 minutes before every stage, we had breakfast available every morning in the restaurant of our hotel.  Our luggage was always waiting for us at every next hotel. And as the event went on, our hotels got cuter and cuter. My favorite lodging was our last hotel in Megeve (picture below). 

The race directors are exceptional at planning each route. I can't imagine the work that goes into planning this event for 400+ riders over 7 days. Having a race village in a new location every day was a reminder of the magnitude of this event. 

The distinctive kilmeter markers on the side of the road were helpful (yet often painful) notifications of the name, length and gradient of each climb. After accomplishing an iconic climb, we could cherish the challenge of reaching the summit - only to think ahead to the next climb. Seeing the names of riders synonymous with the Tour de France painted on the ground was a constant reminder that we were riding on legendary, historic climbs. It would be a feat to ride up one famous mountain road in a day yet we would conquer 2-3 bucket list climbs, day after day after day. The excitement and mystery of the views at the top of each climb kept us pedaling through exhaustion, shortness of breathe and soreness. 

Because the descents were fast and somewhat dangerous, they were not often timed. So when we reached the end of a timed section, we could stop and soak it all in. For a moment in time, we could relish in our accomplishment of what we conquered over the past 2+ hours and push aside the agony of what was about to come. We learned tactics throughout the event, like waiting for a group to form before the next timed section as a grupetto will get you to the next climb a lot faster than riding solo. 

The front of the Haute Route is a race - it's very competitive with very strong and skilled riders. At the back of the race you can find gritty riders hoping to finish a stage. In the middle are riders who are competitive, mostly against themselves. But no matter where you are in the field, you are bound to have good and bad days. No matter how hard you trained, you will struggle. You can't fake this event. The Haute Route knows how to find your weaknesses. You will have to dig really deep. You will question if your next pedal stroke will your last. Empty, sore and exhausted, you will have more moments of self-doubt than confidence. But despite the roller coaster of emotions felt within each kilometer, somehow you have to find a way to keep yourself moving. 

It's hard to grasp the absurdity of what we accomplished. Riding for 5-8 hours every day, covering no less than 10,000 feet of elevation on most stages. Attempting a time trial on day 5 with pitches over 18% that require all your strength to power up so that you don't fall over. Having no concept of the time of the day, how many miles ridden or how much elevation accumulated, the enormity of each stage is something we still can't seem to comprehend. It's going to take some time for this accomplishment to sink in. 

The only way to get through this event was to focus on one kilomenter at a time, one day at a time. This event taught me a lot about staying in the moment and removing pressure on expectations - two vital tools that are needed with long distance training and racing. 

Pressure. It's a word that most endurance athletes can relate to. Anytime you feel "pressure" to perform, it's more than likely that you perceive there are expectations placed on you. But the truth is that pressure is nothing more than a self-imposed, product of the imagination that we create for ourselves. 

With so much uncertainty as to how the body will perform in training or on race day, the best way to not feel pressure is to not create it in the first place. There's a big difference between what we believe we are capable of achieving versus what we think we must achieve. It's within this gap that the worry, stress, anxiety and doubts occurs. 

The Haute Route taught me so much about managing expectations. After getting dropped from group after group in the first stage, within the first 60 minutes of the ride, I was being taught a valuable lesson that in order for me to finish this event, I needed to race my own race. I constantly reminded myself that I don't have to be good at something that I've never done before. It was when I started to stay present in the moment and attack each climb with a more task-oriented, learning persepctive that I began to improve and to gain confidence in my abilities. Even though I had a lot of struggles during this event, I had my own set of internal motivators to keep me going.

The next time you find yourself drowning in negative self-talk or feeling a tremendous amount of pressure to perform, remind yourself that the training session or race outcome is not the most important thing in life. The pressure you feel is more than likely a fear of failure. Relax. Enjoy the training session. Enjoy the event. It's just another day in your life. 

From Vienna to Nice

A blog post I wrote before the Haute Route.....

International travel can be very unpredictable and stressful so I've been mindful to give ourselves plenty of time whenever traveling to somewhere new. With a 7:25am flight in Vienna Austria on Friday 19th, we decided it would be best to spend the night at the airport hotel on Thursday 18th. The airport is only around 60 miles from where Karel lives in Znojmo (he lived just a few kilometers from the Austrian border) but it takes a little over 90 minutes to travel there. I wanted to get to the airport at least two hours before our boarding time of 6:45am so the hotel sounded like a much better option. Plus, we would be able to sleep in an AC room (for the first time in 15 days, since arriving to Europe) and we were craving a good night of sleep since we haven't slept restfully since arriving. 

After arriving to the airport, we parked our car in the P4 parking garage. I booked our parking online so that we would save a bit of money by doing it in advance. We received a QR code to get into the parking garage and that went very smoothly. I did the same thing when we flew to St. George in May in Charlotte, NC and we were able to park in the hourly parking lot across from the terminal for about the same price as long-term parking. We then walked a few minutes across the street to the NH Vienna Airport hotel, we checked into our room. It was so nice to feel the AC. 

At 6pm we had dinner in the hotel buffet (which was way overpriced but we were so hungry). It's been really nice in Czech because the Czech crown (currency) is in our favor as the US dollar goes a long way. Especially in Karel's town of Znojmo, it's very affordable for us to eat/sleep/travel. 

After we ate, we watched the Collins Cup documentary online and then went to sleep around 9:30pm. The night wasn't too restful as I was nervous about the airport experience the next day but it still felt good to sleep in AC. The alarm went off at 4:10am and we walked across the street to the terminal at 4:30am. Austrian Airlines is strict with luggage weight and the size/weight of carry-on's so we made sure to meet all regulations. We carried on as much as we could of our Haute Route gear in the case of lost luggage. 

The check-in process was very smooth. There was no counter to report to but instead, we checked in ourselves, printed our boarding passes and our luggage tags, fixed our luggage tags on our suitcases and then dropped off our bags at the counter. I purchased a "fast track" security ticket with our parking pass for 10 euros each as I was worried about going through security and while it did expedite the process, we would have been fine without one. After going through security, we had around 1:45 until we boarded our flight. 

Karel and I did some work on Training Peaks for our athletes from 5am until 6:30am and then around 6:45pm, we boarded a bus that took us to our plane. We then boarded our Austrian Airlines flight and around 7:30am we were off to Nice, France. I slept most of the flight and Karel read a Czech cycling magazine that he brought with him. 

With this being our first time to France and first time to Nice, it was beautiful to see the sea and all the mountains. I couldn't help but think that we would be biking over many of those mountain passes. 

We arrived shortly after 9am and I felt the stress lift off me after we received our luggage. I was a little nervous about taking the tram to the city to get to our hotel but I used the Rome2rio app to understand the tram and I also found another blog to understand how to buy tickets, etc. We bought our tram tickets for 1.50 euros each and when we were about to board, we weren't pushy enough and the doors closed on us so we had to wait another 10 minutes. The tram took about 30 minutes to get to our destination (which was Garibaldi square) and then we had a 0.4 mile walk (plus a little extra until we found the right way to go) to our hotel. 

The Haute Route booked all of our accomodations as part of our package so we added on an extra night to our Nice hotel - Aparthotel Adagio Nice Centre. Although we arrived around 11am (well before our check in at 3pm), our room was ready and they let us check in early. 

The room had AC (yippee) and a small kitchenette which was nice to have. After unloading our stuff, we were hungry for a meal so I found a brunch restaurant called Les Clay. We sat outside and I enjoyed pancakes and eggs and Karel had a bagel bread sandwich. 

After we ate, I was so exhausted that I napped for about an hour. I wanted to sleep all day but Karel wanted to go to the sea and I couldn't resist the opportunity to swim in the Mediterranean for the first time. 

We walked to the Port of Nice and checked out the beautiful yachts before heading to the rocky beach. The water was incredible blue and refreshing and super salty. It was amazing to just float on our backs in the water. We enjoyed swimming in the ocean and laying in the warm sun. 

Around 3pm we left the beach and had lunch at a restaurant (not sure of the name) as Karel was really wanting some fish. There wasn't much on the menu for me so I enjoyed pizza and salad (I can always opt for Pizza ;) Karel learned how to "eat" his fish from the waiter and he really enjoyed his meal. Mine was also delicious and I finished it all but two pieces (Karel finished those slices for me). 

We then walked around the city, I got us lost again as we tried to find the LIDL grocery store and we arrived back to our room around 7pm for a light snack (yogurt, fruit and muesli). 

We slept amazingly well and woke up a little after 7am on Saturday morning. Only one more sleep until we start the toughest amateur cycling event, the Haute Route Alps!