How I Prepared for Ultra-Distance Cycling Challenge - Chasing Cancellara Zurich to Zermatt
Riding an ultra-distance cycling event it's a true test of endurance and determination, but with the right training, planning, and mindset, anyone can participate and finish such an incredible cycling adventure. In this guide, I'll break down the steps I went through to prepare for an ultra-distance cycling event. In my case it was the Chasing Cancellara Zurich to Zermatt cycling event covering a staggering 280 km and boasting approximately 6,000 meters of elevation gain. It was my first ultra-distance cycling event.
Training
Preparation for an ultra-distance cycling event should begin months in advance. Give yourself at least 3 to 6 months to build up your fitness gradually. If you are used to long cycling days, you will already have a good base and will only need to incorporate a little more mileage and hills.
I was cycling around 100-150km per week and gradually increased to 300 km per week up to 1 month before the race. I also included a couple of long rides to get my body used to being on the bike for long hours and because Zurich to Zermatt is almost 6000m of climb I made sure I was doing a good amount of elevation gain during my training.
For me training has to be fun and my goal was to finish and have a good time on the road. I wasn’t looking to break any records. So one part of my training was a bikepacking trip in Denmark where I was cycling 6-7 hours per day. While discovering and exploring the north of Denmark I was building up for the ultra-distance event.
I also included some hilly terrain later on, cycling some amazing passes in the Dolomites and finished my trainings with a 230km ride a month before the race.
It’s supper advisable to participate in other events of smaller length as well. I did the Granfondo Sangottardo a couple months before as part of my training. I choose this event because of the elevation gain, pushing me to build up strengh for the climbs.
Planning
Familiarise yourself with the route, and if possible, incorporate sections of it into your training. This will allow you to prepare and anticipate the challenging part of the race. It’s very important that you plan ahead so that you can pace yourself accordingly. You don’t want to push too hard at the beginning and don’t have enough energy to finish.
More importantly is your nutrition plan. This includes a comprehensive understanding of aid station locations and the food and drink options they offer. I always prefer to pack my own supply of energy gels and bars to ensure I have what my body needs and digest properly to power through this demanding endurance event.
Something I learned from previous experiences in ultra trail runs is that you shouldn’t experiment with new food during the race. You don’t want to test what 3 gels will do to your stomach if you never had one before.
Zurich Zermatt by Chasing Cancellara event had a fantastic variety of drinks and food which allowed me to carry less stuff and made full use of the aid stations.
What to Bring
First make sure your bike is in perfect conditions. Is not a bad idea to have it serviced before the event, but if you do, go for a small ride to make sure everything is working as it should.
For the race you want to make sure you have everything you need without bringing to many things making your ride uncomfortable or carrying too much weight. This is a list of what I carried with me for the Zurich Zermatt by Chasing Cancellara
Bike:
Navigation computer (downloaded the route and fully charged the device)
Rear and front light fully charged + Extra battery because the full charge wasn’t enough to last the whole event
2x CO2 Cartridges + adaptor
Multitool with chain breaker
Spare tube, Tire levers, Tube patches
Quick link
Gear:
Helmet
Rain jacket
Gilet
leg warmers
Sunglasses
Luminous vest for the night provided by the race organisation
Food:
3x Isostar powertabs
4x energy bars (Cliff and Kind)
4x Isostar energy tablets
2x bottles (1x water + 1x isostar)
As you can image the food above it’s just and extra. I was already aware that Zurich Zermatt by Chasing Cancellara provided with the rest: drinks, fruit, salty and sweet snacks.
Mental preparation and setting a realistic goal
If you talk to people that have participated in any ultra distance race, it doesn’t matter if it’s cycling, running, swimming or any other sport, you’ll quickly realise that those events are mainly about mental strength rather than physical. Of course the physical part is important and you should not adventure yourself into such events without preparation but your mind is what will get you through the finish line.
In this types of events, specially if it’s your first one, is important to understand that this is a race against yourself and you should ignore all the other participants. Knowing your body, understanding how to pace yourself and have a strong mind is the key to success. The majority of people that don’t get to the finish line are the ones that started too strong or tried to follow someone that was faster.
Ride your race!
Race Day
Pre-race day:
Rest and eat well. Prioritize complex carbohydrates like whole grains, include lean proteins, healthy fats, and plenty of fruits and vegetables. Test your pre-race meal during training to ensure it provides sustained energy without causing digestive issues, and avoid high-fiber or sugary foods. Hydrate well in advance and eat 2-3 hours before the race for optimal performance.
Race day:
Start conservatively and pace yourself. Focus on maintaining a steady effort rather than pushing too hard in the early stages.
Stay hydrated. Take sips of water and electrolyte drinks regularly, and make sure you refill in the checkpoints so that you don’t run out of water at any moment.
Eat on the Bike. Don’t wait to be hangry and consume easily digestible food throughout the race. Energy bars, gels, and bananas are excellent choices. Experiment during your training rides to find what works best for you.
Stay mentally strong! You will go through moments where you will have doubts and fatigue. This is normal and you have to stay strong and remind yourself why you signed up for this challenge. You can do it!
My Zurich-Zermatt by Chasing Cancellara Experience
Zurich-Zermatt was my first ultra-distance cycling event. With 280 km and 6'000 meters of elevation, it’s one of the toughest one day races in Switzerland and an exciting challenge!
The last 2 weeks before the race I was not able to cycle at all, which it wasn’t that bad as it allowed me to recover from the harder trainings the weeks before and arrive fully rested. I still managed to go for a small ride to do a last test of the bike and stretch my legs on Thursday.
The race start time was set for 1h20am on Saturday. Friday was a normal work day but I was able to have a nap in the afternoon and fuel properly along the day for the race.
At the start line I was very nervous as expected but I knew as soon as I’ll start pedalling all of those nerves will disappear. The main goal of the race was to finish and enjoy the experience as much as possible.
I started the race slower than what I would have liked. Even if I ate food that I am used too before the race, my stomach didn’t feel great. I wasn’t able to drink or eat properly. The night has a bit tough but I tried to keep going hoping I feel better later. In the checkpoints I was drinking coke and eating a little bit of banana which helped and added a little bit of fuel in the body.
Thankfully I started to feel a little better at the foot of the Glaubenberg Pass, the first big climb of the day. Unfortunately I hadn’t been able to eat much and energy wise I was a bit low. But I kept my head down and slowly made it to the top while the sun was rising. The beautiful scenery and in combination with the first checkpoint where I was able to eat properly felt like a rush of energy. I had some moment of doubts but they were all gone.
Going down the Glaubenberg I was refuelling well and by the time I arrived to Brünig I felt good and ready to go for the beast of the day: the Grimselpass. A climb of 1650m with already 150km and over 2’000m elevation on the legs. Even though I was feeling better getting to the top of the Grimselpass was one of the hardest moments on the bike but the views helped deal with the pain.
Once I was able to reach the top I started to feel like the finish line was close. Still almost 100km to go but the toughest part was over. Still my whole body was in pain but I manage to find some energy to push a bit through the Valleys of Wallis until Visp where the last climb to Zermatt was waiting for us.
The last climb from Visp to Zermatt was a roller coaster of pain, excitement, low energy, rush of force but little by little the finish line was closer.
Crossing the line after more than 14 hours cycling was an incredible feeling. Riding the last meters across Zermatt feels you with such a sentiment of achievement and joy that can’t be described.
