Race Nutrition – Italian style

Given the recent horsemeat scandal in the UK, Anglophones would be appalled by our team doctor's nutritional advice.  After having anlyzed my blood tests, his advice was, “Eat meat (horse or beef) cooked medium rare, with a bit of lemon juice and fine grain salt sprinkled on top.” Only in Italy do doctors double as chefs, and I have yet to meet an American doctor who would reccomend horse meat to fulfill a dietary need. Italy is without a doubt the world leader when it comes to food, however no two regions have the same specialties.  Each has it’s own culinary traditions.  On the Focus XC Italy Team, we have 7 athletes who live in 5 different provinces, each with it’s own typical plate.  Having lived in Verona for the past years, I’ve become extremely fond of the local cuisine.  After talking with my teammates about their favorite foods, I would be curious to try out the tastes available outside of Verona as well. The team doctor may not approve of all of our favorite foods, but as I’ve always said, there are foods for the mind and foods for the legs…

Peara’

This Veronese delicacy is my personal favorite.  It is a simple dish made from grated bread, butter, fat, Grana, with some pepper and salt thrown in as well.  It resembles mashed potatoes or grits, but with a taste uniquely Veronese. It is quite heavy, so I wouldn’t reccomend it before a race, and given its fat content, it's great to warm oneself up in the winter, but in the summer it would be nearly impossibile to eat without the airconditioning on full blast.

Here’s a better description of what Peara' really is by two true Veronesi:

Spezzatino

Andrea Righettini, hailing from Cazzano in the Trento Province, says that if there is one plate that he can’t refuse it’s spezzatino accompanied by polenta, cheese and mushrooms.  From a foreigner’s point of view it looks a lot like an Irish stew.  Much like in Ireland, it gets a bit chilly in the Trento region, so a hot stew with meat and potatoes helps to get through the winter.

Pizzocheri

Jenny Fontana, from Tirano in the Province of Brescia could just about walk to the Swiss boader from her front door.  Being from the mountains she, like Andrea, prefers hearty foods, particularly Pizzocheri, a heavy pasta and potato dish high in calories and fat content- perfect for the cold mountain climate.

 A large plate of pizzocheri

Canederli

Belatin Schmid and Fabian Rabensteiner both come from the Bolzano region of Italy, which has strong historical ties to Austria.  Both riders speak both German and Italian, and likewise both love Canederli. This typical Alto Adige dish looks much more like something one would find on the northen side of the Alps.  They are large dumplings often served in a light broth. 

Fabian, from Chiusa, the last exit on the freeway before the Austrian boarder, prefers his Canederli with Finferli, a type of mushroom.

 Beltain, from Egna just south of Bolzano, prefers his Canederli filled with speck.

Of course, before races  we do our best to eat the classic Italian pasta, generally in bianco – with olive oil and some grana cheese for flavor.  Going from region to region for the various races on our busy schedule, it’s not always easy not to indulge in the local taste-treats.  Don’t tell the doctor!

When in Rome...

Tell me your sign and I’ll show you your bike…

This weekend, the otherwise quaint village just outside of Bolzano in the Italian Dolomites, is overrun with mountain bikers from 26 nations ready to take on the Merlene Sunshine Race .  The race is on Sunday, but Saturday the loudspeaker is already pumping out the beats of the latest European house and techno hits as the racers look to memorize every root and rock on the 5km course.  After looking over the course, we share our experiences trying to figure out if it was better to stay 20 centimeters to the left or right on the most technical descents and what tires will give the biggest advantage.  Here on Focus XC Italay Team, with half the team on the Raven 29er and half the team on Raven 26” we compare where each bike had an advantage.

Studying the best way down the drop

Here in Europe, despite the more tecnical nature of the race courses with respect to their North American counterparts, full-suspension bikes are almost unheard of.  Unlike in America, where 29ers are the vast majority of bikes ridden by top riders, here there are still many who prefer 26” hardtails.  I hope that nobody revokes my American citizenship for admitting that I too am one of  those who has chosen a 26” hardtail to tackle the many tight switchbacks here at the Merlene Sunshine Race.  My countrymen might say its old school or Eurotrash, but I really like the way I can play around with the smaller wheels, jumping over rocks and roots, changing direction on a dime and (legs willing) accellerating hard out of corners.

Freder, the team's mechanic explains the benefits of the Raven 29er to the press

A good friend of mine, as well as an ex Italian national team member has said on a number of occasions that if he knows someone’s zodiac sign, he can tell them if they should opt for a 26” or 29er due to the inherent charteristcs  associated with the various astrological signs .  I am still trying to figure out if he is joking or not, but I have to say that he is at least partially right… on the side of a personaly determining how one rides his or her bike.  Whether or not a personality is determined habythe alignment of the stars is another issue entirely.

It's all a playground to Andrea Righettini

Someone like my teammate Fabian Rabensteiner, who is very methodical in his training rides his Raven 29er with great effect powering through technical sections of the course like a freight train.  Beltain Schmid and Andrea Righettini on the other hand look at race courses like elemenatary school kids look at a playground, everything seems to be laid out for their amusment as they hop and jump over lines that I never would have otherwise seen.  They play around on their Raven 26” frames, popping wheelies and doing endos just for kicks and giggles.  Perhaps it is my notorious disorganized nature that runs contrary to the well-thought out methodology of Rabensteiner, but I seem to fall more on the side of Righettini and Schmid and therefore 26.  Even if I don’t (or can’t) play around as much as my two younger teammates, I like to shoot from the hip a bit seeing what the course is like on the go, and the Raven 26” is perfect for that, ready for anything anytime.  Some could also say that I choose the Raven 26” because I’m old school. (that may or may not be a metaphor for just plain old – in cycling terms) or that I’m trying too hard to hide my colonial roots and fit in with everyone else here on “the continent” and they wouldn’t be too far off either.  Whatever the reason may be, I can definitely say that the course at the Merline Sunshine Race is one of the most fun courses I’ve ever ridden- on any type of bike. 

The odd couple... the disorganized one (Me, Left) and the methodical one (Rabensteiner, Right)

Welcome to the Big Leagues

What does it feel like to get your teeth kicked in at a race for which you been preparing for months?  Well, as I found out first hand at my first ever Bundesliga mountainbike race in Bad Sackingen, Germany on Monday, it is certainly not fun, but it isn’t nearly as bad as I had imagined it would be… after I wrapped my head around the fact that I got my butt kicked by some of the best mountain bike riders in world on an extremely technically demanding course.  It was so demanding that a year ago I wouldn’t have even considered going for a Sunday ride on it, much less race full gas over the rocks, roots, jumps and drops on the southern edge of the Black Forest.

 Racing down one of the many rock drops on the course

I’ve often heard neo-road pros talking about the beating that they take in their first high-level international races.  Even in the face of not finishing a race they often have a glint in their eye that hints at a certain nostalgia for the suffering they endured, and even have wry a sense of humor about the whole endeavor.  I never understood this attitude until now, as a neo moutain bike pro, why they were so keen to talk openly about their experiences. Now that I too have been through this painful and humbling initiation, I feel more of a strange sense of relief mixed with a dash of pride than the shameful feeling I had imagined it to be.  Sure, as a racer there are few worse feelings than when a 200 pound German race official blocks the race course, yells “HALT!!!” and then proceeds to rip your race number off  your bike and jersey to end your race, but it is all part of the initiation.  In not making the cut, you understand what it takes to do so, opening a window that gives a view of what it takes to make it.

The non-chicken line saves time, but doesn't leave much room for error

We as humans tend to fear the unknown, whether it be an extremely technical course, a star-studded field, or a lack of experience in dealing with both at the same time.  The initial blow, though extremely humbling, brings a sense of pride in having taken punches from the best in the world and having walked away from it eager to get back in the ring again.  You really can’t wait to get out and race again.  You realize that international level racing is an unforgiving and often cruel game to play, but it’s where you want to be- amongst the world’s best. You might get your teeth kicked in now and again, but that’s all part of the game at this level.  Though this game is ofeten humbling, it sure is fun to play.  I can’t wait for the next one!

In the course recon this section looked impossible... at full gas, it's hardly noticeable

On an Easter egg hunt at the Bad Sackingen Bundesliga

When I was little, every Easter the Easter Bunny, a.k.a. my  grandma and grandpa, would hide plastic Easter eggs around their house for my brother and I to hunt for.  They were filled with various types of candy and $2 bills (yes, unfortunately I am old enough to remeber $2 bills) that would fill our Easter baskets to the brim.  Naturally, my brother and I would turn this into a race to see who could find all of their eggs first.  I always won, although that depends upon who you ask- me or my brother.  Roughly 15 years later I am sitting in a team car going over the Brennero Pass in Austria with my FOCUS XC ITALY TEAM headed to another type of race, the Bundesliga mountain bike in Bad Sackingen, Germany on the hunt for results rather than little plastic eggs.

 The last stop in Italy at the Brennero Pass

The Bundesliga, like the soccer league, is a series of top level German national mountain bike races.  This weekend there are riders from 16 nations racing from as far away as Isreal (who happens to be the Israeli National champion racing for our German sister team, the FOCUS XC TEAM).  There is even another American in the race, which has been a rare occurance for me in the years since moving to Italy.  I have grown accustomed to eing the first American finisher by default… I’ll have to step up my game to keep my undefeated record intact!!!

Snow at our hotel in the southern part of the Black Forest

I am not the only one who will need to abstain from German pretzels and beer in order to show up in Bad Sackingen in top form, however.  For all of  us on the FOCUS XC ITALY TEAM, this is the first real test against some of the best mountain bikers in world.  Beltain Schmid and Andrea Righettini, who have both raced against the world’s best while wearing the maglia azzura  of the Italian national team, will look to use their experience to come up with good performances in the U23 race on Easter Sunday.  Fabian Rabensteiner, fresh off of 3rd place finish last week at the GF Tre Valli in Tregnago ,will have the opportunity to show his form again this week against a world-class field in Monday’s Elite race.  This race most certainly marks the end of the “pre-season” and the begining of our regular season journey across Europe to take on the best racers in the world.  Hopefully we’ll be able to go back to Italy having found a few “Easter eggs” of our own after our first International race as a team.

Milano - San Remo 2.0

For those of you who did not see the spectacle of the 2013 Milano - San Remo, the 300km classic that starts in Milan and finishes in the Ligurian cosatal town of San Remo, the race was held under conditions so terrible that the race organizers were forced to cut parts of the race.  In the GF Tre Valli, the conditions for the Focus XC Italy Team were eerily similar, except this time we weren’t watching the race from the comfort of the couch, we were competing.  Ok, so it wasn’t snowing and our race was only 42km long, but the organizers were still forced to shorten the race to 34km due to heavy rain and winds and temperatures around 5 degrees (40 F).

A racer battles extreme conditions at Milano - San Remo

In temperatures like this, the startline stinks of warming embrocation, which is basically an oil or cream that is rubbed into the legs that give a warming sensation.  Think vicks vaporub combined with really hot chilli powder and you get the idea of both the aroma and the effect.  On the startline, racers quiz each other about how much clothing they are going to wear for the race.  Most conversations go something like “wind vest or not?”  “You taking your leg warmers off before the start?”  I was fortunate to be starting next to eventual winner Michele Casagrande, who, when I asked him if he was keeping his legwarmers on, told me I should be admitted to the looney bin just for thinking about going without them.  About 2 seconds later, I looked to my left and saw my teammate Fabian Rabensteiner taking his leg-warmers off seemingly unaware that not only was it pouring rain, but we could see our breath with every exhale.  When you’re on form (or if you, like Fabian, grew up skiing in the Dolomites), things like the weather don’t really bother you. 

There's nothing like a cold bath when the temperature is near freezing

Soon after the start, on the first asphalt climb, my legs weren’t only burning from the embrocation, but from the ferocious pace being set by the front of the race.  I was a bit peeved about it until I saw that it was Fabian who was making us all suffer.  After the race split up, we all settled into a more sustainable pace, trying not to crash on the slick mud, rocks and roots.  Believe me, this feat of balance and bike control is decidely easier to do when you’re not shivering uncontrollably.  Mud found its way into every part of my bike, kit and eyes making the suffering even less bearable.  Other racers’ faces were so covered in mud that they were unrecognizable.  At one point I looked at my teammate Andrea Righettini and didn’t know who he was until he scoffed what I am pretty sure were a few English explatives letting me know he was as unconfortable in these conditions as I was.

Rabensteiner celebrates a hard earned podium place 

We all suffered on through the mud, rain, wind and cold until the race mercifully ended.  At the finish we didn’t even slow down; we rode our bikes directly to the showers happy just to have finished the ordeal.  A warm shower brought relief, but it wasn’t until I heard what my crazy teammate Fabian had done (without leg warmers mind you)- he’d gone and finished 3rd against a top-class field, while our young phenom Kevin Filipozzi won the junior race.  Even finishing a race like yesterday’s requires a phenomenal degree of determination,  competing for the win shows  another lever of will power.

Where does all that cool stuff come from???

I admit it, we bike racers can be a bit spoiled. Ok, very spoiled.  We’ve got training bikes, race bikes, the most technically advanced kit, shoes, you name it, we’ve got it.   It all comes from the service course, the central warehouse that keeps all of our equipment in order.  From team cars to spare tires, the service course has everything a team needs to keep it racing throughout the year.  Step inside the  service course to see the equipment and organization that keeps the Focus XC Italy Team going throughout the season.

 The vehicles: Some are to be ridden, some are do be driven.  When it's time to ship out to a race, the big rig takes us, and all of our stuff to where we need to be.

Freder, the team's mechanic, has one rule for the team cars: A place for everything and everything in its place.

Trainers lined up awaiting the next warm-up session.

When you're our on the road and something breaks, it has to be able to be fixed.  The team car carries spare parts for everything from chainrings to saddles to every race.

I don't think I am alone when I say that from a racer's point of view, this could very well be the most important piece of equipment loaded up. Especially when we're outside of Italy and a good coffee bar is far from a given.

As the season progresses, some racers change their positions to adapt to greater or lesser flexibility or advice from physiologists.  Some, on the other hand, are just plain obsessive compulsive.  If a position change is necessary, we have various stem length options from FSA, whatever our motivation may be.

One of the team's two wheel/tire sponsors is Tufo, which provides Carbon and Aluminum tubular wheels as well as tubular ties.

Just like chains and tires, clothing sometimes needs to be replaced be it from the inevitable crashes or the dreaded "back window" that forms when the spandex gets a bit too stretched out after heavy use.

We all spend a lot of time seated on saddles from Fi'zi:k. This particular saddle bears the rainbow stripes of world team relay champion Beltain Schmid.

Schmid might be one of the younger members of the Focus XC Italy Team, but his cockpit has a decidedly old school flavor to it with his FSA handlebar capped off with bar ends.

Andrea Righettini had chosen the super grippy Mountain King from Continental mounted on a Crank Brothers 26" wheel for the muddy course conditions at his last race.

While Righettini, Schmid and myself ride the Focus Raven 26", Fabian Rabensteiner prefers the Raven 29er.  This very negative drop stem gives his bike a more reactive feel and allows him to achieve his ideal position.

I, like my other teammates riding 26" bikes, use a 39-27 crankset for the short, steep and technical climbs that are so common on the European cross country race circuit.

An Off Week? Anything but...

I often hear about racers getting a “well deserved break from racing” from the press and media.  Though it is true that in an off week racers get a rare break from the physical and psycholocical stresses of racing, this time is more often than not anything but a time of rest and recovery.  This past week, we at the FOCUS XC ITALY TEAM had no races scheduled which meant it was time to get in as much preparation as possible in anticipation of a very heavy block of racing in the spring months. 

FOCUS XC ITALY TEAM in preparations for the coming races

While racing, the training focus is largely based around recovering from race to race.  There is not much time to build fitness when one must race once or twice a week in very pysically demanding off-road races.  As soon as one race finishes, a racer’s focus shifts to recovering for the next.  With a rare one week break, my teammates and I took the opportunity to ramp up the intensity and volume of our training plans so as too squeeze out those last few drops of fitness ahead of the most important part of our season.

There are many kilometers (and a few coffee stops) on the road to the World Cup.

Unlike in road racing, in mountain bike racing, it is imperative to know the race course by heart- one must know the best line to take and what gear to use at every point of the race. As such, this past weekend, the FOCUS XC ITALY TEAM packed up and headed out to try the GF Tre Valli to take place on March 24.  Apart from the being an extremely useful reconossiance and good training ride, it was good to be out in the hills in the provice of Verona having a blast with my teammates, at times having to ride over sections of the course that were mysteriously still covered by snow.

The GF Tre Valli racecourse blocked by snow at the top of the first climb

The “off” week activities do not stop at race preparations however.  Life on the road to the World Cup often involves other obligations, such as the photo shoot we had on Saturday on the race course of the GF Citta’ di Garda.  Though it doubled as course reconnossance, the main purpose of this outing was to take photos.  Though we all make better racers than models, I don’t think we did a horrible job even though our focus quickly shifted to see who could get the best photo by doing the coolest trick jumping their bike over an obstacle or pulling the longest wheelie.

With these guys on my team it is highly unlikely I'll ever win a tricks competition

We will now look to put the finishing touches on our form as we head into the most important part of the season.  Starting next Sunday, we’ll all find out how our preparations have paid off.