Preparing for the Trans Alp Event

Words by Hannah Attenburrow

In 2012 I was inspired by the Olympics to try cross-country mountain bike racing. At the time I had no expectations of what I could achieve, I just wanted to get out and enjoy it. I was soon hooked and my life changed as cycling became a big focus. It was around this time I saw the Cape Epic (South African mountain bike stage race) and thought, “wow, one day I’d love to be able to line up at the start of a stage race”. Four years on and I’m two months away from doing just that!

The Trans Alp is a 7 day stage race from Imst in Austria, finishing at Lake Garda, Italy. The 700km journey will climb over 17,000m, twice the height of Everest. The terrain for the race will be really varied with lung busting climbs, fast single track, bike portages and some epic views!

I have never done anything like this before. I had never even ridden my bike hard for more than two consecutive days before entering, so this will be a huge challenge for me.

The Trans Alp is a pair’s race, and I am really excited about sharing this adventure with Michelle Reed, who I met when she got in touch with Pedal 2 Pedal (my coaching business) about women’s coaching weekends. At the time I did not have any booked in, so we agreed to meet up and go for a ride. We got chatting about racing and the Trans Alp came up as on our “dream race” lists, the rest is history. Michelle is 21 and from South Africa, but is over in the UK studying Nutritional Science.

My Tips for Staying Focused

• Set out with a planned route or goal in mind for example, today I’m going to ride 100km in 4 hours 55 minutes. It is essential to make it an achievable goal! Smart targets – specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely.
• Have enough water and snacks for the whole session (If you cannot carry enough water which is likely then know where you can get some on route from a friendly pub or shop)
• Practice eating different snacks on shorter rides first. I have found I could manage some things better than others as it’s not easy to eat, digest and ride! Use your favourites for those long sessions. Remember as a quick guide – the more you have to chew the longer it will take to get the energy into your system. A banana takes about 30 minutes, I believe, to get its sugars into your blood stream.
• My top snacks are bananas, Peanut butter sandwiches, dates, salted peanuts and malt loaf.
• Only focus on the hour ahead, this is especially important if the weather is bad or your feeling tired. Chunk it up and enjoy the ride!!

Recipe: Delicious peanut butter power cookies

As well as being physically and mentally prepared Michelle and I will need to be totally self-sufficient so I am off for some mechanics lessons with one of our sponsors, “Bike Fixers” in Portsmouth.

My Equipment

For the Trans Alp having a light responsive and comfortable bike is important.  I am so thankful to Specialized UK for giving me the opportunity to race and ride the new Era Carbon Comp. The Era is a brilliant bike for long distance mountain bike racing because the full suspension allows the bike to keep excellent traction and provides a comfortable ride, whilst the 9mm FACT carbon frame is light and means that the bike is agile. The rear shock uses’ Fox/Specialized Brain technology which means the bike understands and adapts to the ground underneath it, it knows if the shock is coming from the terrain or from me and adjusts itself accordingly. Pretty cool stuff!

Thanks to Box My Wheels for lending me a bike box to ensure my bike can travel safely!

For the Alps it is crucial I can carry enough water so I have been testing a reverse rack device which attaches to my saddle and carries my pump and water bottle cage for a second bottle. So far so good.

I am now two months away from travelling to the race and I am getting very excited and a little nervous to be ‘looking down the barrel’ at my first multi-day race. My training is also now stepping up to long multi-day rides.  I am about to fly out to Spain to spend some time riding and relaxing in the sun and can’t wait to test the Era on some Spanish trails.

My Dad’s favourite quote is: ‘Happy are those that dream dreams and are ready to pay the price to make them come true’. I am sure the Trans Alp race will be a mixture of dreams and nightmares!! Let the journey begin. Whatever happens, it’s going to be an amazing experience for Michelle and myself.  Let’s Go!

It’s brilliant to see these two dedicated riders take on a huge multi-day event, and we wish them the very best of luck. Follow Hannah and Michelle on Twitter for live updates of their training and Trans Alp adventure.

Grab a friends and seek out your own adventure this year!

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