It is the penultimate afternoon of the 2014 ABSA Cape Epic. After a week of hard racing and extreme weather, the female riders of Team RECM are salivating at the thought of wrapping up their dominant victory in the world’s premiere mountain bike stage race.
As the sun shines amid a gentle breeze, the tranquility of the afternoon massage treatments is shattered by the squawking of neighbouring birdlife. While this might be pleasurable to some, the riders are a little perturbed by this disturbance, which could affect their planned siesta.
You see, peak performance in any endurance sport is heavily dependent on adequate recovery. While the fans all like to read about reported training volumes and impressive power outputs, rest is perhaps the single most neglected factor in many an athlete’s arsenal.
For Ariane Kleinhans at least, recovery is everything, where adequate sleep is perhaps the most pivotal factor in maintaining her innate athletic ability. Currently back home in Switzerland visiting family and friends as well as fine tuning her preparation for later this season, Ariane graciously agreed to the most insightful of interviews.
Nature Gym: Building up to the 2014 ABSA Cape Epic and the recent UCI World Marathon Championships as one of the favourites, how did you cope with the pressure and expectation?
Ariane Kleinhans: Knowing that I’d have to race against Sally Bigham and Esther Suss, the number 2 and 3 of XCM world champs 2013 and having with Annika Langvad one of the strongest possible female riders as my partner I was aware of the fact that I had to step up my game big time to be able to win the ABSA Cape Epic. I wanted to win this race really badly and this pressure motivated me hugely in my training leading up to the Cape Epic. But also, I had a nearly perfect preparation for the 8-day stage race and by winning races ahead of the big one I could build up a lot of confidence, which made me cope with the pressure very well.
For world champs it was a bit of a different story. For that race the pressure I put on my shoulders, lead me the wrong way in the preparation and was finally almost unbearable on race day. Looking back, I didn't rest well enough after the Cape Epic and that’s probably where I got my preparation for worlds into trouble. I should have rested three weeks instead of two, but I was a bit too eager (and tempted by some fabulous Swiss weather) to train end of April and not patient enough with myself. On race day I was very nervous and I couldn’t fight the negative thoughts while riding.
Handling the pressure I put on myself is still a big challenge for me and it is something I continuously have to work on to beat the best of my sport.
NG: How much pressure do you put on yourself leading up to events of such magnitude? Is the thought of the impending event all-consuming and if so, how do you maintain a balanced life perspective?
AK: I am a very ambitious person, so yes; I put a lot of pressure on myself. Even though I still think it was the best thing that happened to me - turning my passion into my profession - the increased pressure is definitely the biggest challenge I have to deal with right now.
Ever since I became a professional cyclist I put everything on that one card. Since 2011 cycling has been my life. From end of November till March the Cape Epic is present in my mind almost 24/7. Luckily for me, my husband Erik has the same goal and our lives run pretty much in parallel, which helps a lot. He also needs to sleep a lot and can’t go to a concert with friends for example, so I don’t get to feel that I would miss out on anything. Leading up to a big goal like the Cape Epic, Erik and I are very unsocial and going out for dinner once or twice a week is about the most social thing we would do in those months – making sure we’d be in bed at 10pm of course. But like you can imagine, this lifestyle can only be maintained for a certain amount of time; I am actually somebody that likes to be social.
That is why rest periods are very crucial! You need to recover physically and mentally. Even though we actually already rest a lot during our ‘on’ time while preparing for Epic, the lying on the coach after training is a must, especially if I want to train just as hard the next day. It is actually boring to lie on the couch and not something I aspire to do with my life, but it is important in working towards my goals. That is why after the big goal, or at the end of the season in November, we need a week or two where we just don’t want to bother about what we eat and when we go to bed or if we were standing on our legs for too long. Just like every working person, we take about 4 weeks of holidays like that a year. That is the time where I see my friends and possibly my family and get to see that there is actually much more in this world than just cycling.
NG: While the fans tend to salivate on reported training volume and race results, an often overlooked - yet critical - part of any athlete’s life is recovery. What are the key factors in your own lifestyle specifically related to recuperation?
AK: Rest is an absolute crucial part of our lives as professionals. And it is, like you say, possibly the most overlooked of many athletes. Even I make the mistake over and over again to not rest well enough. Why? Because it’s hard to rest, for a person that actually wants to move. It is not what I am living for to lie on the couch and watch TV! It is actually just such a boring thing to do and does not fit at with my idea how somebody should live their life!
There were maybe other factors playing into it as well, but in the beginning when I came to SA and turned professional, I had many depressions to fight. Looking back at my first two years as a pro, it was a really difficult time. I had my biggest crisis the day after a stage race. During the race I could chat to my cycling friends and race my heart out, and then the next day, despite Erik’s company, I felt alone and all I could do was moving from the couch to the fridge and back. It was really difficult for me to accept, that I was that tired and just had to sit still and nothing else to do in my life.
For me one of the most important steps to improve as an athlete was to accept these lows without judging myself. I would love to be in Cape Epic shape all year around, but it is just not possible! I would love to be able to cycle 20-25hr a week and work as a coach full time and see my friends every day for a coffee and never be tired. But I can’t. That’s what I had to realize first, I cannot do everything all the time.
Before I came to SA, I was always on the go. If I wasn't doing any sport, I was working as a swimming coach or meeting my friends, but I never sat still. I put my alarm clock on earlier and earlier to fit everything into my busy schedule. It worked in the short term, but definitely not in the long run. Cutting down on my sleep time was probably the biggest mistake I could make and possibly the reason for the recurring runny nose and cough back then. I got sick so many times, just because I didn't rest and sleep enough. That is why my number one advice to an athlete is, to really watch that he or she sleeps enough. Erik and I never set an alarm to go training - unless before a race of course - and if we have to, we try to catch up on sleep in the afternoon. It might be the sunny weather also, but since I have lived in South Africa I have yet to have a cold.
NG: When at home between races, do you have a daily routine or rhythm? What do the days immediately following an intensive racing period consist of?
AK: A general training routine leading up to the Cape Epic could look like the following:
I wake up at about 7-8am, have my breakfast, go for my training ride at about 9:30am, train 3-4hr, come back and immediately have my USN Recover Max, clean my bike, go shower, make some salad and meat for lunch, lie on the couch and watch TV and try to sleep (mostly not successful in that though), maybe do some “admin” if I have to, do some stretching and massaging with the foam roller as well as some stabilization exercises if I have the strength to it, walk/cycle to the shop to buy groceries, make dinner, watch some more TV, do some more stretching and go to bed at 10pm.
In a rest phase after an intensive racing period, like after the Cape Epic, it is actually important for me not to have a routine but just to do whatever I feel like! It is the time where I don’t want and don’t need to be disciplined and really need to listen to my body and mind whatever feels right. Sure there is recommendations what I should do, and sure it would be great to go for a leg loosener on Monday after the Cape Epic. But if I don’t feel like it, then I just don’t go! After the Cape Epic this year I had a stomach bug right at Sunday night after the race. It basically turned my body inside out. This issue also affected my recovery from the race quite a bit.
The first three days after Epic I spent mostly on the couch watching TV. To get not too depressed, I met some friends for dinner or went to a coffee shop to have a chocolate brownie. I cycled maybe 3 hours in total that week, slept as much as I possibly could, ate whatever I felt like and on Saturday we went to watch a rugby game. The second week after the race wasn't more active than that either, but that was when I flew to Switzerland. As you can see, I did rest quite a lot after the Cape Epic, but unfortunately it was still not enough with the stomach bug, lack of sleep and the travel overseas.
NG: A sport such as cycling can be all-consuming, particularly at the elite level. How do you “unplug” from life on the road during the racing season? Do you have outside interests?
AK: During the season, I watch a lot of TV and surf the internet. It’s actually a bit of a shame, but I’m just too tired for almost everything else. Even reading a book is almost too exhausting sometimes. I did work on my English a bit though and followed an online learning program for a while. And I like to read the Swiss newspapers online. Because Switzerland got a direct democracy, meaning we can vote four times a year about changes in the law, I like to build an opinion about the political matters and put in my vote. But to really relax I like to watch comedy shows such as the Big Bang Theory, because it just cheers me up and I don’t have to think too much. Otherwise, I love making food and do the grocery shopping. Eating something nice is a big treat for me and everything that’s involved with that, kind of makes me happy. Then if I had have enough energy, I’d meet or chat to my friends and family.
NG: Your husband Erik Kleinhans is also a professional cyclist. How do you and Erik deal with the ups and downs that are part and parcel of professional sport?
AK: He deals definitely better with the downs than I do; I can’t believe how relaxed he stayed after his injury at Sani2C! When I broke my hand back then in 2011 it was like the end of the world for me. I am very emotional and show them openly, while Erik keeps it very much to himself. Of course he is also affected by a negative result or something like an injury, but he won’t affect others with his problem. Unfortunately I can’t do it. I feel really sorry for Erik because he becomes my punching bag at times. But I really struggle to keep my emotions inside myself.
But he also gets stressed before a race and obviously when the tension rises in the Kleinhans household it’s not always easy. I am sure there are people that are far better in dealing with pressure than I am and like I said it’s definitely something I still need to work on. But I was much worse in my days as a swimmer, so at least I can see that I did improve over the years.
NG: With you sharing your life with a fellow full-time athlete, what are the key differences in mindset, physical attributes and preparation between elite female and male bike riders?
AK: I don’t think the mindset is much different between the two of us. We are both very committed and see cycling as more as just a job. But of course there is a big difference in our physical capability.
A female body doesn't produce as much testosterone as that of a man and therefore can’t recover as fast, that’s just a biological fact. It’s always impressive again for me to see, how much Erik can train day after day and still recover. It sometimes frustrates me, seeing him train that hard and to know that I can’t do the same. It makes me feel a bit useless sometimes. That is why I’m very happy to work with my coach Andrew Smith; he helps me in a big way to keep me on the right track. Erik on the other hand doesn't have a coach like I do. Christoph Sauser gives him a lot of advice and he trains with him whenever he can. But Erik doesn't like it if somebody tells him what he has to do and doesn't want to follow a strict program. I guess I am just used to that from my days as a swimmer, where you get told to the meter what exactly you have to do. In that regard our preparation differs a bit.
NG: Many aspiring riders seek out advice from the professionals in order to reach the next level. What would your advice be to a husband-and-wife team embarking on their maiden Epic voyage in 2015?
AK: Don’t share an Epic tent with your husband like we did at our first attempt! Those red igloos are really too small and you won’t get enough sleep while squeezed in with a farting (and maybe even snoring) person.
On a more serious note, I would advise the couple to train together sometimes to get to know each other’s strengths and weaknesses on the bike. To do a smaller stage race like the Tankwa Trek as a test, is probably the best advice I can give to practice the teamwork on the bike as well as the routine after crossing the line.
If there is quite a difference in strength between the two, it’s good if each person trains alone at their own speed. Erik and I only trained together in the very beginning until we knew each other well enough and realized that we both have to make too much of a compromise to train together.
To stay married after the race, it is very important to work as a team during an 8-day stage race. I must say, Erik was extremely supportive and he was trying to figure out how he could help me best all the time. On the other hand, I had to speak up also and tell him what would help me and what not, as he can’t read my mind (this also helps in everyday life). We figured out, that I, as the weaker rider, would set the pace on the climbs and ride in front. Like that I was able to find my own rhythm and wouldn't blow halfway through. On smooth flats where headwind could affect me, Erik would give me slip stream and sit in the front. But the pacing is a very difficult task for the stronger rider! Even for an experienced professional like Erik is, it’s difficult to get it right. It requires very good communication from the weaker rider and sitting a wheel needs to be practiced too!
Note: Image courtesy of www.teamrecm.co.za
