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Tough times in Switzerland

Cait — Mon, 14 May 2012 11:00:09 +0000

This is not an easy blog post to write, I’ve been putting it off for a long time. Despite the pretty photos and attempting to put on a brave face, my time in Switzerland hasn’t been going according to plan. On and off last season I experienced some problems with tight calf muscles and hoped that an off season break would put a stop to things. After a month off and some physio they still weren’t perfect so I reluctantly put off starting winter training until the legs were 100%, assured that it was nothing serious and I’d be ok in a few weeks. It’s now May and I’m still not training. I don’t know what’s causing the problem, I’ve no idea what I can do to fix it and I’ve no idea how long it’s going to take. I’ve rapidly gone from loving being a world cup racer full of ambitions and dreams to being a Sunday cyclist the same as everyone else and I hate it.

I’ve seen masseurs, physios and several specialist doctors. Each person I’ve seen has initially said the problem is fairly minor, the muscles are a bit tight but in good condition, a few weeks and I’ll be fixed. They gave me possible solutions, nothing definite but something to try, and all requiring ‘just’ a few weeks to see if it was beneficial. Suddenly months have disappeared, I’ve wasted a lot of time and money and I’m no further forwards. I’ve tried complete rest, gentle exercise, lots of stretching, ice, heat, anti-inflamatories, eccentric calf strength exercises, a bike set up test, supportive insoles, magnesium supplements, vitamin D supplements, iron supplements, K-tape, killer deep tissue massages, acupuncture, dry needling, swimming, core strength work, foam rollering, an ultrasound scan, MRI scans of my back and legs… the list goes on. I can confirm that every other part of my body works perfectly but I still have no definite answer as to why my calves hurt and suddenly loose all power after a certain amount of time.

I wish I had a broken bone, at least then there is a definite time span until it’s fixed. I’m used to working towards goals, you can do anything with a target and something to aim for. As a cyclist you learn to suffer, to challenge yourself mentally. This has been far harder to deal with than any painful training or racing. On the bike suffering brings progress and improvement, I’m just going backwards with no end in sight. Riding in the Alps is all very well but I came here for racing, the world cup season is in full swing and I want to be there. I can’t help but feel by locating myself in one of the best places possible for racing I’ve put myself in the torture chamber and thrown away the key. For anyone lacking in motivation for the next hard training session I can give you a million reasons why you should appreciate being fit and able to race.

A process of elimination means I’m hopeful that I’ll have a proper diagnosis very soon, there are very few things left that it can be at this stage. Maybe then I’ll be able to do something about it.

Swiss road biking

Cait — Sat, 12 May 2012 07:38:43 +0000

after work ride

Zürich is a bit of a paradise for road biking, on either side of the lake there is a long, small but steep ridge of hills that you can zig-zag up and down for lots of 10-15 minute climbs. The roads are silky smooth and overlook the lake and the Alps. There is something pure and simple about riding uphill on a roadbike, especially if the climb is long and you have to attack out of the saddle around every corner because its so steep. I can combine a few of these hills for an after work loop of less than 2 hours but getting well over 1000m climbing.

Of course the descents are the best part, completely pothole free swooping hairpin bends, some open and flowing where you can pedal flat out to hit 60 or 70 kmph, others incredibly tight and technical with huge drops off the edge meaning mistakes could be lethal. It’s amazing to ride them as fast as possible, tucked on the drops, minimal brakes, hanging off the side of the bike willing it to go around the corner and hoping like mad your skinny tyres won’t give way.

roads above Zürich

For longer rides there are Alpine passes within riding distance of the city. Similarly insane roads except climbs and descents go on for 10 or 15km and the surrounding scenery gets more dramatic. I’ve ridden the local ones (at first surrounded by skiers and 2m of snow), but in the next few weeks the really hardcore passes will open up so there is more exploring to be done. There’s signpost for the Gotthard at the bottom of my street that’s been tempting me all winter…

road to Schweiz

The weather is starting to get really hot (when it’s not torrentially raining) and now that its ‘cycling season’ there are roadies everywhere. Seasonal cyclists mean I’ve never seen so much blinged out carbon moving so slowly but there are also plenty of really fast people with lots of top pros based in the area and turning up on local group rides. Strava also adds a whole new dimension to road riding, I’m trying to convert the world – get on it!

It’s actually highly dangerous, I’m a mountain biker, I really shouldn’t be this enthusiastic about road biking!

Greifensee, Zürich

Spring evening ride

silky smooth roads

view above my house

after work ride

chilling after a ride

Ireland vs Switzerland Part II

Cait — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 16:00:39 +0000

My last blog post seemed to raise a few opinions so I’d better explain further. As I said before Ireland and particularly Dublin is one of the best places I know for xc riding and training, with a great cycling community and a great variety of technical trails within easy access of the capital city. So why do Switzerland have a handful of both male and female xc riders in the top 20 in the world from junior through to elite level whilst Ireland has… err, well, none?! Elite racing is given so much more prestige and recognition here, achievement in sport seems to be more desirable and encouraged. The national newspapers frequently cover mountain bike racing and national races frequently attract 7,000+ spectators.

Swiss racing

There are 8 UCI ranked xc races attracting top riders from all over the world in Switzerland this year and none in Ireland. This allows riders to compete in their own country whilst gaining experience of world class level racing, providing inspiration and increasing ambitions. It gives the events more prestige making it easier to attract public and media attention as well as associated funding and financial support. The availability of support not only from the National Cycling body but also from teams from amateur through to professional level cannot be underestimated – making racing financially possible (it is almost unheard of here for an elite rider to work full time), providing valuable expertise and allowing riders to focus on performance.

Development from a young age is well considered in Switzerland. Nationals races have kids races which include skills testing as well as other entertainment to keep them interested throughout the day. Many clubs have a good development structure offering technical coaching, training and race assistance for underage riders. This is only beginning to get going in Ireland.

Up to a certain level the Irish race scene is quite good, it is not considered elitist so there is a wide variety of people taking part, there is a good sociable atmosphere at races, and participation is rapidly increasing. Having raced all over Europe I would still say Djouce, Castlewellan or Kilruddery are amongst the best national standard races courses I’ve ridden, technically and physically challenging as well as great fun to ride.

racing - Dublin mountians

Its when you get to the top level of the sport that things are lacking with very few riders competing at a real international level, especially for elite women. There is little understanding of the standard of international racing and what is involved to get that fast. There is no structure or guidance and little experience of coaching for riders wanting to compete at that level. Without our own UCI races and with low numbers of elite riders it becomes essential to travel to Europe for anyone wanting to progress in the sport but there is no encouragement to do so. It is logistically and financially difficult with riders left to make their own way. This takes a lot of determination, often leads to doing things the hard way and ultimately often affects results negatively. It is easier to stay at home, win a race all be it at a slower pace and be happy with what we have rather than really progressing and being internationally competitive.

Some of these factors come down to wider cultural economical differences between Switzerland and Ireland (some of which you would never dream of trying to change!), but I’m sure that Ireland has the potential to gain a reputation for being at least as good a place for mountain biking and racing as Switzerland, and develop some top level riders to go with that.

Zürich vs Dublin

Cait — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 12:00:05 +0000

Alpine mtb

I’m starting to get annoyed with people telling me I must be in heaven coming from ‘flat’ Ireland to go mountain biking in Switzerland. Actually not quite. Think of Swiss mountain biking and you think of spectacular mountains, massive climbs and long technical Alpine descents. There is that but firstly I don’t live in the Alps, the hills around Zurich are similar size to the Dublin mountains. There are a few good trails that are very easy to get to from the city but far less of them and less variety than in Dublin. The hills are very steep so you climb from ages by fireroad because the singletracks are too steep to ride up, do one long descent and then repeat. I miss technical climbs and xc rides where you go for hours and barely see a bloody fireroad.

Powerscourt, Wicklow

Admittedly Ireland has no Alpine size mountains and there really is something amazing about riding in such spectacular scenery, but when it’s limited to 3 or 4 months of the year due to snow then its less of an advantage. For downhill and freeride Switzerland probably wins, uplifts and long descents make far more sense for this than small hills. There is also has the advantage of an extremely reliable and extensive train network so its easy to get to different riding locations at the weekend to get some variety.

Dublin mountains singletrack

Cycling is not a seasonal sport in Ireland. I can’t get my head around the fact that here everyone puts their bike in the cellar between November and March. Summer dust is all very well but mud and wet roots are my favourite biking conditions and make for good technical skills. We don’t have the option of skiing so you just toughen up (actually that is possible here 95% of the time too but most people seem too weak!).

Then there is the social side. Clubs here seem to be only for serious cyclists and most people ride alone or in small groups. There are a lot of people riding but so many of them can only ride downhill or else tear around the fireroads on pimped out bikes but have no skills or appreciation for what the sport is really about. I couldn’t imagine anything like the Epic Club race with 50 or 60 people turning up for some hardcore xc mtb fun and then having a laugh in the pub afterwards. I really think that for xc riding and training Dublin is one of the best places you can live. No matter what level you are riding at there are club rides, races and training buddys to make things more fun.

There is so much potential for mountain biking in Ireland, which is perhaps beginning to be recognised internationally, but not anywhere near as much as it deserves. But actually maybe we should keep quiet about it, keep Irish mountain biking for real mountain bikers – an influx of Eurogoobers could seriously ruin things…

Lugnaquilla, Wicklow

Alpine mtb in Ticino

Cait — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 15:00:31 +0000

Just as we thought summer had arrived the weather made a dramatic return to snowy winter timed perfectly with Easter weekend. The solution? head south and chase the sun! Fellow Irish exile Fiola Foley and I had a road trip to Ticino for some big-mountain biking. When you pass through the Gothard tunnel everything breathes a sigh of relief and relaxes, the buildings are colourful and disordered, the weather sunny and snow-free, the language and food Italian – only the Swiss francs and the incessant ringing of church bells confirm that you’re still in Switzerland.

Day 1 didn’t quite follow the weather forecast and was a bit of an adventure with a monster steep long climb up to 1400m, river crossings, hike-a-bike, riding in the clouds, mud and rain, a fast fun descent, soaking wet kit, an enforced coffee and lunch stop due to gigantic thunder and lightening storms, a more sheltered xc ride, more rain, hail stones, more wet kit and finally a well deserved Italian pizza.

river crossing

hike-a-bike

the top

big climbs

looks like Italy!

The next day the sun came out and another long, steep and extremely windy 1500m climb took us up to Refugio San Lucio on top of a ridge surrounded by spectacular mountain views. After welcome stop for hot coffee and a chat with some super friendly Germans in the hut we hit a singletrack climb along the ridge dodging the occasional snow drift before starting an awesome long decent. Unfortunately just as it was getting good, Fiola snapped her mech hangar and had to take the fireroad down whilst I hit some rocky, rooty, fast, flowing, switchbacking singletrack down to the bottom. Lugging the ‘Green Monster’ (Ragely mmm bop) all the way up the mountain was suddenly worthwhile!

Refugio San Lucio

Singletrack climbing

1000m decent!

Excitingly this all took place only 2.5 hours drive from where I live! bring on the summer…

more photos here.

Spring!

Cait — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 17:34:00 +0000

The weather has gone nuts and we’ve had a 30C temperature increase in the last 3 weeks and it now feels like summer. I’ve been getting cabin fever stuck in Zurich and the small hills around it so with 17c, blue skies and sunshine yesterday it was time for an adventure. What a ride – jersey and shorts, an 11km Hors category climb passing ski slopes and snow shoe hikers, an insanely fast fun descent back down, frozen lakes and xc ski areas, smelly cow farms and finally Saturday shoppers posing in their Gucci sunglasses beside Lake Zurich. The photos say it all, more here

road to Schwyz

climbing to the ski resort

view on the way up

view from the bars

Ibergeregg - the top!

got some puzzled looks from the skiers!

snow!

Frozen lake near Einseideln

Lake Zurich

Jet Black indoor trainers – product review

Cait — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 16:00:29 +0000

I’ve been using Jet Black Fluid turbo trainers for warming up and cooling down at races for the last couple of years and have been very impressed with their performance (says a lot, I’m extremely anti turbo training!). The Australian made hydro-gel rollers make riding feel very smooth and quite, and there are plenty of options for easily adjusting the the resistance. Despite feeling a lot more stable than other turbos I’ve used, they’re extremely easy and quick to set up or pack away – very important, I think if turbo training is hassle a lot of people wouldn’t bother!

Anticipating a cold, dark winter in Switzerland this year a set of Jet Black rollers seemed ideal for keeping things interesting when stuck inside, they arrived just in time for a 2 week spell of -10c (now over thankfully!). They take 30 seconds to set up, simply unfold the already assembled unit and pop your bike on top. The aluminium rollers mean they’re very quite and don’t build up friction when you use them indoors so riding feels very smooth. I found them surprisingly easy to learn, the non-slip coating on the rollers mean they feel very stable so it only took 10 minutes of bouncing off the door frame before I was able to balance unaided, take my hand off to have a drink and do some high cadence sprints. I’ve mainly used them for high cadence riding but the resistance good enough to ride at higher power.

They are perfect for very specific and time efficient workouts with the major advantage that you have to concentrate and use a lot of core strength to balance (especially when sprinting!) so it feels far more like riding a real bike than with a turbo and you’re not counting down the seconds until the end of the session. In fact its actually great fun, I sit in my bedroom with the windows wide open for blasts of chilling air and the occasional faceful of snow whilst watching videos of world cup races and listening to Velobeats on full blast! god knows what the neighbours think…

Jet Black Cycling
Jet Black international on facebook

Compressport compression wear

Cait — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 16:15:29 +0000

I have been religiously wearing compression clothing from Swiss company Compressport after training and racing for the last two years, and despite being initially sceptical I have found them to be very effective in speeding up recovery. The idea is that the skintight material compresses your legs slightly allowing blood and fluids to flow faster so that recovery time is reduced. They really do make tired, heavy legs feel a lot less uncomfortable and more refreshed as soon as you take them off.

Different to other compression wear available, Compressport’s individual calf and quad tubes are easier to pull on that full length tights and can be particularly useful for mountain bikers who often crash and have bloody knees. They don’t cover your foot which means you can wear sandles with them in summer, and since the material is not lycra they don’t get hot and sweaty. Although they are tight on the legs its not an uncomfortable feeling and one pair has lasted 2 seasons without loosing their stretch. The distinctive, cool designs and different colours mean they are also great for posing on the podium!

podium cool

Long journeys, especially when flying is involved can leave your legs feeling sluggish and lacking in energy – not ideal when you need legs to be performing 100% if you’re going to a race. Compressport’s full length socks are designed to deal with this by improving circulation so that your legs stay fresh when travelling. They are extremely high quality and well made, designed to give you graded compression so that the important areas are effected first, which also makes them very comfortable to wear. The spotty design means they look super cool too. The shorter race socks come in a similar design and are the most comfortable, breathable socks I’ve ever worn.

Full sock testing in Spain

Highly recommended!

real winter

Cait — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 20:19:22 +0000

Until 2 weeks ago the winter weather in Zurich as been no different to Ireland, grey and damp but very little snow or sub-zero temperatures. Things have changed dramatically though and since then its been between -10° and -15°C with a thin coating of snow everywhere and huge lakes frozen solid. It might look pretty but at that temperature everything hurts, I have a 20 minute ride to work through the city and by the time I get home my fingers won’t open the door!

Zurichberg ride

On Saturday I decided I ought to toughen up and get out for a ride. Half an hour to get dressed and 19 items of clothing seemed a lot of hassle but it was worth it for my sanity. I set off with hot water in my bottles and within half an hour it was frozen solid, but at least it’s a dry cold and in true Swiss style the roads are kept meticulously clear so its very safe to ride. I was actually shedding layers before the top of the hill too. Sharing the snowy trails with skiers and sledges made things interesting – snow is surprisingly grippy when you’re forced to ride sideways at high speed to avoid hitting people!

Yesterday I gave in and abandoned my snow-sport boycott – I think there’s a lot of fun to be had and I don’t want to miss out. Einseideln is pretty area of rolling snowy hills and frozen lakes a short train ride from Zurich, which is perfect for cross country skiing. The main advantage to xc skiing is that it’s great training, you get a full body workout and I’m aching in all kinds of funny places today. It might not have the same adrenaline buzz as downhill but there is more of a sense of adventure since you can really get away from the crowds and explore the countryside instead of following everyone like a herd of sheep down the hill. I’ve done a couple of days before so know the basics but my technique could improve a lot – hopefully I look like a lost mountain biker rather than a a ski-goober!

Ski race

Einsiedeln

Langlauf Einsiedeln

skiing

escaping to the sun

Cait — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 19:25:20 +0000

Under the disguise of a family holiday I escaped for a Christmas pilgrimage of mountain biking and coffee in the Spanish sun last week. We stayed in Lanjaron in the Sierra Nevadas, an area I know well but that gets better with every visit. With dusty trails and 20°C in December I can’t think of anywhere I’d rather be.

The trip was made all the more exciting by the arrival of my new long travel hardtail – a Ragley Mmmbop with 150mm travel forks, fat tyres and wide handlebars. Not wanting to do things by halves I went all out freeride and got a quick release seatpost and some baggy shorts and there’s no looking back. The bike is a bit of a beast to lug 1000′s of metres uphill when you’re used to dancing around on a lightweight carbon thing but it’s rock eating abilities on the descents makes up for it.

Tello descent

Eoin riding Brutus for Men

Google Mountain ride

urban mtb in Pampaneira

Eoin spent most of the week getting sideways at every possible opportunity until he broke his bike and disappeared to join the Spaniards in the bar!

Google mountain ride

Its not just the biking – the relaxed sociable lifestyle, the food and drink, the weather and the language make it an amazing place to be. I’ve spent the last 3 months attempting (fairly unsuccessfully!) to mould myself into an uber-efficient German speaking Swiss working machine and I’m pretty sure the last week has just undone all my hard work. Thank god!

cortado sampling

Thanks to Freeridespain for the use of their back garden. More photos here.

A week is nowhere near long enough, it could be 4 months before I wear shorts again, already thinking about the next visit…