The 9 tips from Clément Clisson, winner of BikingMan Euskadi 2021, for ultracycling success

Clément Clisson, winner of BikingMan Euskadi 2021, shares his top strategies for tackling ultracycling races. Combining meticulous planning, effective sleep management, and precise nutrition control, Clément provides practical advice for mastering endurance and excelling in competition. Here are his detailed recommendations to optimize your ultracycling performance.

1. Plan sleep efficiently to optimize endurance

• The importance of micro-naps: For Clément, managing sleep is one of the keys to ultracycling success. Instead of a full night’s rest, he recommends taking several micro-naps each night, even if they last only 15 minutes. This approach helps reduce fatigue and avoid hallucinations without compromising race momentum. Strategic short breaks for sleep can be more effective than long rest periods.
• Listen to your body: Recognizing signs of fatigue before they lead to mistakes or performance drops is crucial. For instance, Clément pauses as soon as he feels dizziness or loses focus, preventing accidents or slowdowns caused by excessive fatigue.

2. Stay flexible with your strategy

• Adapt to race conditions: Clément emphasizes the importance of flexibility, being ready to adjust your strategy based on race conditions. Competitors’ actions may require a different response than initially planned. He advises against rigid plans and encourages reacting to other cyclists’ progress in real-time.
• Use the tracker to adjust effort: Monitoring competitors’ positions with the race tracker is an effective tactic. Clément uses it to plan breaks, adjust his pace, or make strategic decisions based on the gap between him and key challengers.

3. Focus on power and strength development

• Prioritize power and endurance: Clément considers power and strength critical in ultracycling. He emphasizes training these areas to improve muscle strength and pedaling power, which are essential for maintaining a steady pace over long durations.
• Limit sleep-deprivation training: Instead of training to ride without sleep, which can exhaust the body, Clément recommends focusing on enhancing physical and endurance capacities. Sleep deprivation affects daily life and recovery, so he opts for workouts that build physiology and sustained effort without unnecessary risks.

4. Know and test your fatigue limits

• Experience fatigue management: Clément advises learning to manage fatigue through experience. Knowing your fatigue threshold before the race helps avoid surprises during tough moments. He recommends training sessions to test and manage this threshold without compromising performance or safety.
• Respect your limits: Understand your recovery capacity and adapt your pace accordingly, especially during nighttime phases when fatigue intensifies. For example, Clément takes a break at the first signs of exhaustion, even if it means temporarily slowing down.

5. Maintain a personal and steady pace

• Avoid following others’ rhythms: To prevent overexertion, Clément recommends staying focused on your own pace rather than matching other riders. This is particularly important at the start of a race when excitement can lead to excessive energy expenditure. Maintaining a comfortable cadence increases the chances of sustaining performance throughout the event.
• Use a heart rate monitor: Clément uses a heart rate monitor to keep track of his effort, especially during climbs where the temptation to push harder arises. This method helps him stay within a controlled effort zone, avoiding premature fatigue.

6. Use performance data wisely

• Balance data and intuition: While performance tracking tools (heart rate, cadence, etc.) are helpful, Clément stresses the importance of paying attention to bodily sensations. Technology provides valuable insights but shouldn’t replace the signals from your body. In case of equipment failure, being able to assess your effort intuitively is critical.
• Focus on key metrics: For beginners, Clément advises focusing on essential data like heart rate and power. Too many metrics can be overwhelming, whereas monitoring hydration and nutrition needs is more impactful for maintaining rhythm.

7. Rigorously manage nutrition and hydration

• Constantly monitor intake: Clément emphasizes staying attentive to hydration and nutrition throughout the race. Properly planning refueling stops and adjusting intake based on effort levels is crucial. Failing to eat regularly can lead to energy drops that jeopardize performance.
• Plan short refueling breaks: Instead of eating and drinking while riding, Clément prefers short, regular stops for hydration and nutrition. This approach supports better digestion and allows for more efficient restarts.

8. Strategically manage competitors

• Handle pressure and psychological impact: Monitoring other cyclists is a strategy, but Clément warns against letting it dominate your focus. The stress of competitors gaining ground can be unsettling, so he advises concentrating on your race. Adapting to others’ moves can disrupt your rhythm, increasing the risk of mistakes.
• Use the tracker wisely: While tracking competitors’ positions is useful, it shouldn’t distract you from your needs. The goal is to control your strategy while keeping an eye on others without losing focus.

9. Stay calm and focused

• Resist early-race excitement: Clément notes that many beginners start too energetically, neglecting to manage endurance from the outset. He advises staying calm and sticking to your plan, even if it means starting slower to conserve energy for the final stages.
• Follow a structured race plan: In addition to technical tips, Clément recommends building a race plan that includes recovery moments, refueling stops, and a gradual effort distribution. This structure helps maintain focus and stay aligned with your performance goals.

These 9 tips from Clément Clisson serve as a comprehensive roadmap for managing the physical, mental, and strategic challenges of an ultracycling race. They provide every cyclist with the tools to maximize their chances of success.

So, are you ready to take on the challenge?

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