CYCLOsportive spoke with exercise physiologist Tim Veneman from the Jeroen Bosch Hospital Sports Medical Center to answer this question.

WielerFit XL is a coaching program for all cyclists and mountain bikers, from recreational cyclists to (semi) professionals. Healthy exercise and performance on the bike for everyone, that is our goal! With the team of Wielerfit XL, the Sports Medical Center of the Jeroen Bosch Hospital offers optimal care, advice and coaching for cyclists at every level. Today, Tim Veneman, exercise physiologist, is speaking.

What are the main effort tests you perform for cyclists, and why are these tests so important?

During a maximum effort test, you start cycling at a leisurely pace, after which the wattage is gradually increased until you reach your maximum effort. During the test, various measurements are performed, such as continuous measurement of your gas exchange (oxygen and carbon dioxide concentrations via an effort mask), continuous heart rate measurement, an ECG (electrocardiogram) and, if desired, lactate measurements via a small prick in the ear. Tests can be performed on your own racing bike, to ensure that the effort matches the effort in a practical situation as closely as possible. Effort tests are important for cyclists, because they provide valuable insights into condition, threshold values and health (particularly the load capacity of the heart and lungs).

Also read: How to prepare for a multi-day cycling trip

How does an effort test and associated training schedule help to minimize the risk of overload?

Important results of an exercise test are the maximum oxygen uptake (VO2max), a measure of your maximum aerobic capacity, and the threshold values (also called aerobic and anaerobic threshold, or first and second ventilatory threshold). Based on these threshold values, personal training zones can be determined, based on heart rate or power. With these training zones, a customized training program can then be created, based on alternating blocks of low-intensity endurance training and high-intensity interval training. By mapping out the training zones properly, the personal training load can be estimated more specifically and the balance between training load and the body's resilience can be better monitored. This reduces the risk of overtraining and increases the effectiveness of training programs.

Also read: Keep cycling in autumn and winter

What are the biggest mistakes you often see amateur cyclists make in their training programs and how can they avoid them to prevent injuries or overtraining?

It will sound familiar to many amateur cyclists: Almost every ride full throttle, aiming for an average of at least 30 km/h. Nice for Strava, but not necessarily the most efficient way to train. Many amateur cyclists train with too high an intensity and do not vary their training enough. For cyclists who are on the bike for an hour 1 to 2 times a week, this is not such a problem, but for cyclists who do more training hours, a more targeted training approach can make a big difference.

What is an effective method of training?

A proven effective method for endurance athletes is polarized training, in which a specific distinction is made between low and high intensity training rides. During longer endurance rides at low intensity, you train the body to efficiently transport oxygen and nutrients and convert them into energy in your muscles. With shorter high-intensity interval training, you train the energy systems for higher exertion intensities and work on explosiveness. A good guideline is that the ratio between training time in low and high intensity training zones should be approximately 80/20: 80% of the time at low intensity, 20% at high intensity. Make sure that you gradually build up the training duration and intensity, and determine training zones based on objective test data from an effort test.

In addition, strength training is overlooked by many amateur cyclists, while it is a valuable addition to the training program. In sports with repetitive movements, such as cycling, the same muscles and joints are constantly strained. By including targeted strength training in your training schedule, you increase the load capacity of these muscles and joints. This allows you to strengthen these muscles and reduce the risk of injuries.

Also read: Prepare well and make your Granfondo a success

What mistake do cyclists most often make when preparing for a Gran Fondo?

A common mistake, specifically among cyclists working towards a Gran Fondo or other cycling event, is that cyclists continue to do heavy training in the last weeks and days before the event. This gives some people the confidence that they have done everything they can in terms of training, but in practice it often results in cyclists being tired at the start. The most important training work should have been done before the last few weeks. In the week before a cycling event, it is important to mainly make easy rides and take sufficient rest. Have confidence in the preparation!

Tim Veneman
Age: 32
Occupation: Exercise physiologist
Background: During my studies in Human Movement Sciences, I specialized in exercise physiology. With this expertise, I worked with cyclists at various locations, including Sportcentrum Papendal, where I worked with track cyclists as embedded scientists. In addition, I conducted research into optimal pacing strategies for time trials in cyclists. For 1.5 years, I have been working as an exercise physiologist at the Sports Medical Center of the Jeroen Bosch Hospital, where we perform exercise tests on cyclists from Visma-Lease a Bike and Unibet Tietema Rockets, as well as for amateur athletes and patients.
How many hours per week do you spend on your bike: I am a typical fair weather cyclist; In the summer I regularly go for a nice ride, but in the winter the racing bike often remains unused in the shed for a long time.

Early July is the time again. Traditionally it is time for the Maratona dles Dolomites. In Badia there are 10,000 cyclists at the start of one of the best organized and one of the most beautiful Granfondo's. On a completely car-free course!

1 Prepare well!

It seems obvious, but on our trips we regularly notice that people make mistakes when it comes to preparation. The Maratona dles Dolomites has 138 tough kilometers through the Dolomites with more than 4,000 meters of elevation gain. Whether you want to perform with a fast time as a result or 'just' finish the tour, you will have to be well prepared at the start to achieve your goal.

Also read: Cycling in the mountains: Stacking! Or not?

2 Train enough for the Marathon

Preparation for the Maratona starts with good training for the tough trip through the Dolomites. Training is not about cycling 40 km a few times a week. However, you don't have to get on your bike like a madman every day. Nowadays you can prepare yourself for a tour like the Maratona using the JOIN training app. You set your goal in the app and the available time to cycle and JOIN then creates a training schedule. Are you unable to train or are you ill? No problem. JOIN takes these types of variables into account and automatically adjusts the schedule. Do you really want to be well prepared? Then take an exercise test and use the test results to start working on a training schedule at least three months before the Maratona. Also make sure that the altitude meters in the Dolomites are not your first altitude meters. Go cycling in South Limburg, the Eifel or the Ardennes.

3 Test with the sports nutrition you are going to use

Sports nutrition is often underestimated when it comes to properly preparing for a Granfondo. We bring sports drinks from Power bar. All participants can fill their water bottles with our sports drink every day. In terms of sports nutrition, you can get a special one from us Granfondo nutritional package order from Kalkman Good Energy. This way you have exactly enough nutrition for every ride. It is not a good idea to only start cycling with our sports nutrition during your stay in the Dolomites. You don't know how your body reacts to new food.

Therefore, test the nutrition at home during your training rides. Kalkman has a nice one for that sample pack composed. In addition to testing the nutrition, we also advise you to train eating on the bike. Can you still eat well during high exertion or at the end of a tough ride? Or is it only possible to swallow gels at the end? Make sure you train it well in advance. Let your body get used to ingesting 90 gr. carbohydrates per hour. Your body will protest if you only start doing this in the Dolomites.

Also read: You go on a cycling trip and take…

4 What will the weather be like?

We are not weather forecasters. What we do know from experience is that the weather can change quickly in the mountains. Make sure you are prepared for that. Always bring clothing for different weather conditions. Arm and leg warmers, rain jacket, windbreaker/sleeveless body, overshoes and gloves, take it all with you in the suitcase. Of course, not all of this can be taken on the bike. That is why it is so useful that we have access to a support vehicle. Prepare a bag with extra cycling clothing if the weather turns and put it in the support vehicle. This way you will never be surprised by the weather.

5 How are you guided by CYCLOsportive?

At CYCLOsportive, three guides (tour guide, mechanic and masseur) always accompany you on your trip. The tour guide ensures a carefree stay in the Dolomites and can be contacted by the participants about anything and everything. The tour guide will discuss the program with the participants every day in a briefing and will also guide a group on bicycles. The tour guide always has a first aid kit with him. Safety is very important to us, so listen carefully to the instructions of the supervisor. We don't find it very interesting to descend at 100 km/h, for example. The mechanic is present to carry out minor repairs to the bicycle if necessary. The masseur ensures that all participants can be massaged at least once. The mechanic and masseur will also accompany a group on bicycles or will drive the support vehicle that takes part in the rides that we will make prior to the Maratona.

Also read: 10 tips if you go cycling in the mountains

6 What is the average level of the participants?

The participants who come with us come in all shapes and sizes and at all different levels. It is certainly not the case that you have to be half a professional to travel with CYCLOsportive. The participants include people who cycle the Mediofondo (106 km) and people who cycle the Granfondo (138 km). You will have to train for both distances (see point 2). The average level of the participants are cyclists who can cycle on average on a flat route between 27-32 km/h in the Netherlands. During the trip we will always divide the group into two smaller groups so that we can cycle with all participants at their own level. The supervisors ensure that you do not cycle too fast. Make sure you know what power/heart rate you can maintain for a long time without burning yourself out. The Maratona is a long and tough trip, you don't want to drive too much in the red. Practice this in your preparation.

7 Your bike in top condition

You train hard for the Maratona, so don't forget your bike! It must be in top condition just like you. We recommend taking your bike to a racing bike specialist for major maintenance. When descending the Passo Campolongo or Passo Pordoi, you want your brakes to function properly. Check whether your tires are still good. It is ideal to fit a new set of tires before the trip. Also have the switching system checked. There is nothing more annoying than a bicycle that does not shift properly.

Also read: Check your equipment prior to the trip

8 What resistance do I need?

Make sure you can continue to make at least sixty pedal revolutions per minute. Better yet: ride with flexibility. This way you continue to climb efficiently, you don't put too much strain on your knees and your muscles tire less quickly.

• With the resistance you should be able to make at least sixty revolutions per minute
• Select the crankset: a semi-compact (52/36) is a great choice for most
• Make sure you have a cassette with sufficient switching options, for example an 11/32 or 11/34

Also read: Want to learn to climb better? That's how you do that!

9 Is the route car-free?

Many Granfondo's organizations boast that the route is completely car-free. The Maratona organization is the only organization (as far as we know) that actually makes this happen. The roads will be closed to motorized traffic all day from 5 a.m. to 4 p.m. As a participant you will not be bothered by cars overtaking you.

10 In which accommodation do we stay with CYCLOsportive?

The trip to the Maratona is one of the most popular trips in our offer. In total, 20 enthusiastic cyclists will join us on the trip to the Dolomites. At CYCLOsportive, we value personal attention. We will stay in Hotel Melodia del BoscoThe hotel is excellently equipped to welcome cyclists and is ideally located in relation to the start/finish.

Also read: What mountains are you climbing during the Maratona?

Is your question not listed here? Let us know and send an email to gv@cyclosportive.nl

Hurrah! You have booked a trip with us or you have been drawn for a Gran Fondo. Your big goal from now on is to perform in, for example, the Maratona dles Dolomites, Strade Bianche or La Marmotte. Your participant package will then require you to submit a sports medical certificate. What does this mean? And what good is it?

What is a sports medical examination?

You go to your doctor, because he/she can declare that you are healthy, right? That is probably the case, but the GP is not allowed to sign a sports medicine certificate, so you have to be examined by a sports doctor. The sports doctor carries out various tests to test the functioning of your heart and lungs. Based on this, the doctor will determine whether your health is sufficient to participate in the Gran Fondo. The validity of this inspection is five years, unless you are 65+, in which case it is one year. The costs are usually around €200 – €300 and a large part of this is often reimbursed by your health insurance.

Also read: Cycling in the mountains: Stacking! Or not?

Just a necessity or useful for you?

The Gran Fondo is often the reason to take a sports medical examination. However, your eyes will be opened during and after the inspection. The inspection tells you a lot about your body and condition. This way you know after the inspection:

● Your overall state of health.

● Your body fat percentage.

● Your estimated threshold heart rate and power, or FTP.

● The point at which you go from fat burning to carbohydrate burning.

● Your training zones based on heart rate and power.

● Your lung capacity, or VO2max.

Also read: Medical Certificate via CYCLOsportive

Targeted training

Based on this information, you will receive advice on what you should pay attention to in training to achieve maximum results. It is not without reason that sports doctors advise you to have an examination once every two years, even if you are in good health. The sooner you do the inspection, the longer you can train specifically based on your specific body characteristics and condition. This way you are optimally at the start of your big goal!

Also read: Training for a Granfondo, how do you do that?

Sports medical examination via CYCLOsportive

To make it easy for you, several sports physicians connected to CYCLOsportive throughout the country. This way we take care of your cycling plans from A to Z!

Check out the full travel offer from CYCLOsportive here: the travel offer 2025

Text: Melvin Keppel, Rhino sports care

Train hard but don't forget what it's really about, recover smart!

Fortunately, there are also many ways to train. Below I explain what you should pay attention to when training in winter.

Digital training.

Nowadays it is easy to cycle comfortably indoors. There are various online tools to give training more structure or make it more social. Below I will tell you more about the most well-known tools. The most obvious option is to use your own bicycle on an indoor trainer, which can be one where you put the rear wheel in or where you have to remove the rear wheel from your bicycle.

Zwift

An online environment for virtual (group) rides. Also great to use for your own training. Less suitable for drawing up a training program.

Trainerroad

Visually and socially a lot less attractive than Zwift, but with a very clear structure in the training. Very suitable for drawing up and implementing a training program.

Sufferfest

Perhaps a bit unknown, but certainly no less. The structure of the training is good, beautiful and challenging training programs. The disadvantage is that there is little variation in the training.

Spinning or Wattbike

You may be familiar with spinning, cycling for a long distance with a heavy flywheel in a room with loud music and a trainer for the group. Wattbike is similar in that respect, the bikes are very different. Where you maintain spinning momentum through the flywheel, with a Wattbike you have more of the feeling that you are on a real bicycle.

My preference is for Wattbike training, which is more specifically aimed at improving your cycling technique.

MTB

If you want to improve your cycling technique, mountain biking is very suitable. You are often on a different bike than the one you cycle the miles on in the spring. When you get better at mountain biking, you will notice that you can quickly transfer this to your racing bike.

Compose your own week

Finally, some tips for making your own weekly schedule. As mentioned earlier, you mainly need time for a good foundation. Unfortunately, for mortals, this is a luxury we have limited access to.

although interval workouts There is a limit to making yourself stronger quickly. Do 2 to a maximum of 3 interval training sessions per week, for a period of 6 weeks before trying anything else. Whether these are the first, last or first and last weeks of your winter doesn't matter much, there is no definitive right or wrong here. The workouts can be short (45 minutes) or long (90 minutes). Intensity can vary and range from 90-100% of your maximum heart rate.

Endurance training can always be done, build this up slowly. Start with 1-2 hours and when you have the time you can extend the workouts to 4-6 or perhaps 8 hours. Intensity is preferably below 75% of your maximum heart rate

Recovery training. A bit of a misnomer if you ask me, every training disrupts the balance. With this training, the intensity and volume are so low that it does not hinder your recovery. 30 min. with a maximum intensity of 60% maximum heart rate.

The most important thing is that you stay fit and healthy, you have to enjoy every training and be eager to have a great season. Train hard but don't forget what it's really about, recover smart!

Would you like to read the frequently made mistakes again?
Training in winter: How do you do that?

Text: Melvin Keppel, Rhino sports care

Where there is training, mistakes are made.

Unfortunately, basic fitness is not something you can build up in a few months, laying a good foundation takes time, a lot of time. Of course, this does not mean that nothing can be done about it in the winter.

Most cyclists like to cycle on beautiful asphalt, nice sunshine, perhaps some height difference and, above all, not too much wind. Not really the most common conditions in the cold, flat Dutch landscape in the period November to March.

Good basic fitness takes many years to build up and you can do this in many ways. Cycling is a non-impact sport (if you do it right), which means that you do not have to absorb your body weight with every step or revolution you take. This allows you to do much longer training sessions compared to, for example, running.

Aerobic engine

Cycling is an aerobic sport par excellence. Most energy is released with the help of oxygen. And if this is not the case, you need oxygen to process the acidification after, for example, a sprint.

An aerobic engine consists roughly of your muscles, heart and lungs. How much air can you inhale, absorb into your blood, pump around your body and be used by your muscles. This interplay is the basis for all your fitness.

This entire system can be trained in many different ways, later I will explain how you could approach this.

Common mistakes

Where there is training, mistakes are made.

Progression

The whole idea of training is that you keep increasing the load so that your body continues to adapt. If you train hard in the winter, you will also have to train hard or even harder in the spring or summer. Take this into account when making a weekly schedule. Don't make the workouts too long in the winter. 2 to 3 hours is long enough for winter training.

Law of diminishing returns

When you are becoming a better cyclist, you need more and more training to get a little bit better. This ensures that the progression discussed above is always difficult to achieve. So don't start training too early.

Specific or non-specific training

Non-specific training can also be called cross training, not to be confused with CrossFit. This activity is far removed from the main activity. For example, running does not necessarily make you a better cyclist. If you go mountain biking, this is also on 2 wheels, but the position is often different. This may be deliberately for variety, or perhaps you want to learn new things. Train sufficiently under similar conditions in which you want to improve. At least 2 times a week.

Numbers

Don't pay too much attention to numbers. Train when you feel like it, don't make it a must. Training under winter conditions is really different from riding a cyclo in nice weather. Make sure you continue to enjoy it and if a training takes a little shorter than planned or you cannot achieve the specified intensity. Then don't hold on to this too much.

Do you want to know how to train?
Training in winter: This is how it should be done

There is no 'work life' or 'private life' is. There is just your life.

Before you know it you are completely exhausted and you no longer feel like exercising at all. You are nasty to your family and sit listlessly on the couch, zapping in front of the TV. How do you keep your busy life in balance? Before you can start thinking about cycling, that is the question that must be answered first.

Balance

The website sochicken.nl shows how important balance is and how you can achieve this, using a nice comparison with a mountain goat. Balance is the magic word for many of our problems. Mountain goats are good at it, we are less so. We strive for it, but we never seem to get there. Realize that there is no 'work life' or 'private life' is. There is just your life. The balance between work and private life is usually about the lack of free time. Or about it lack of energy to use that scarce free time in a good way (i.e. cycling). Become better at life and learn to distribute your energy, manage your time more intelligently and enjoy yourself better. How do you do that?

By doing less, you become a project minimalist. The more balls you have to keep in the air, the harder it becomes to stay balanced. Look for ways to save time that leave you time and energy to cycle. However, balance is not just a matter of doing less. It is also a matter of better/more planning. The better you learn to plan, the more balls you can hold up. Implementing a plan provides peace and control.

Want to know more about balance? https://sochicken.nl/balans-werk-en-prive

Ok, the peace and control are back and you have accepted that there is no work life and private life is, but just one life. In that one life you work 32 hours, you have a partner and two children in the age category 8-14 years. There are of course household chores, children have to play sports, but you also want to play sports yourself. You want to exercise at an acceptable level and not just exercise to stay somewhat fit. In short, after planning all the activities, there are still about 8 hours a week left for cycling. How do you do that as efficiently as possible? I went to Melvin Keppel from Rhino Sportzorg with this case.

Schedule

Whether high-level performance is possible with 8 training hours a week depends greatly on your VO2max*. If it is high, you can reach a significant level with 8 hours of training a week. If the VO2max is low, you will not cycle very hard even with 20 hours of training, Melvin explains. Training without guidance is difficult for many cyclists. Melvin: “A trainer who watches is recommended. An outsider can better put things into perspective and keep an eye on whether the balance between work/life/sport is good. Sometimes a coach can motivate you better to take a week of rest. Spend a little more time with the family and train a little more another week.”

When giving 8 training hours, Melvin recommends not planning too many training moments. A training week could look like this.

• Tuesday an interval training (VO2max) of 60 minutes
• Wednesday a recovery training of 30-60 minutes
• Thursday an interval training (threshold**) of 60 minutes
• Saturday or Sunday an endurance training of 180-240 minutes

Form peak

In 2×6 weeks you can work towards a peak form with the above schedule. Do you really want to peak at the right time and know what you are doing? Then look for a trainer who can guide you. You can of course figure everything out yourself, but it is certainly advisable to have your values (VO2max and threshold) determined by means of an exercise test. This is the only way you can peak with a personal training schedule.

Finally

Even if the planning is in order, over-fatigue lurks. Melvin: “Take your rest and recovery as seriously as you train. For many people, thirty minutes of sleep is better than thirty minutes of training. Sleeping for half an hour and cycling for half an hour is good training. In addition, spend 10-15 minutes a day taking care of yourself. Think of massages, meditation, core stability. Practicing another sport is also good for the body. For example cross training or running. It doesn't immediately make you feel better about cycling. But doing something different keeps the body in balance.”

*VO2max: mm of oxygen per kg body weight
** Threshold: heart rate at which the body starts to acidify (tipping point)

This article previously appeared on Fietssport.nl