Fitness
You can not manage a Transalpine tour if you are not well fit. But that's not all, physical fitness is only one part of it, you shall also be mentally prepared:
- Riding 60 - 100 km per day, at an average speed of 15 - 20 km/h, with ascents of more than 1500 m, carrying your fully equipped bike and a 7 kg backpack shall not be a problem.
- Be ready to carry your bike on your shoulder to climb several hundreds of meters.
Tip: The best way to carry your bike is to place the frame on your backpack. - Every extra kg you have on your body shall be carried up there, so try to save money from buying a carbon frame and keep your body weight down.
Tip: If you have trained during winter and spring, you shall not worry about loosing extra weight before the tour, otherwise you might end up lowering your body strength by fasting too much. - When riding above 2000 m the concentration of oxygen in the atmosphere is lower, therefore your heart rate will increase to compensate this lack of oxygen. You will feel even more tired and this feeling will last for about 5-6 days until your body adapts to this new situation. By that time you might be ending your tour.
Tip: If possible, try to train at high altitudes before doing a Transalpine tour.
Related Links
Fitness & Training
- Individual preparation for a Transalpine tour (by Andreas Albrecht)
- Training tips from Alpeneuberquerungen.de (in German)
- Training for a Marathon (in Italian)
- Winter training for MTB (in Italian)
- MTB training programs and tips
- Cardiosport Mountain Bike Program