Having won Challenge Kaiserwinkl-Walchsee three times in a row himself, PRO triathlete Frederic Funk shares his top tips for age-groupers on how to make the most of this tough – but ‘iconic’ – Middle Distance race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
TRI247 caught up with Funk, currently ranked #15 in the world, to get his top tips for age groupers set to toe the start line at Challenge Kaiserwinkl-Walchsee this June. Part of the article below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The bike course at Challenge Kaiserwinkl-Walchsee features 1200m\/4000ft of climbing. So for plenty of age-groupers, there\u2019s a bit of a debate to be had about whether the aero savings of a TT bike might be outweighed by the easier handling of a road bike. So what does uber-biker Funk have to say on the matter?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMake sure you are racing on the bike you feel the most comfortable with for climbing and cornering. A TT bike might be faster, but only if you practice climbing, descending and cornering. Otherwise a road bike might be the smarter and safer choice for this kind of course.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019re a confident descender and you\u2019ve been able to spend plenty of time practicing your bike handling skills on your TT bike in training, then make the most of the aero gains. But if you\u2019re likely to end up spending most of your time sat up, pulling the brakes. The extra confidence a road bike might give you on the downhills could end up being quicker overall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWalchsee has mostly shorter climbs, but there are a lot of them,\u201d says Fred. \u201cYou will definitely feel it by the end of the bike section.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Being able to recover between the efforts on the uphill is key, and thankfully it\u2019s something you can practice and improve on prior to race day. \u201cPractice this kind of undulating terrain in training,\u201d Funk recommends. \u201cOr you can simply do some intervals where you are going over race pace for shorter periods, then return straight back to race pace \u2013 or a little easier than race pace.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By simulating the short, sharp efforts you\u2019ll need to put out to ascend the climbs on race day in training. You can train your body to recover faster between efforts \u2013 leaving you with enough in the tank for the run.<\/p>\n\n\n\n