AN- LI KACHELHOFFER BECOME AN ESCAPE ARTIST
Career Highlights: Road Champ SA National
take-home message: think outside the bunch, and do the things no- one else is prepared to do.
To break away, you need explosive power, and the ability to time-trial – and that you can achieve by training very hard. I love my indoor trainer, and I focus on intervals. If you can time trial and if your weight is right – you can go. I come from a duathlon/ triathlon background, and running made me mentally strong.
don’t sit in the bunch. Ride away before the sprint, and have the confidence to do the unexpected. Be courageous, and think outside the box. That courage gives riders the edge.
Also, it’s important to monitor your form. I have a test to establish a baseline, and using a power meter, I can compare my form. My test is a five-second sprint, then one minute flat-out effort, five minutes as hard as I can go, then two eight-minutes at max, with 10 minutes rest between efforts. Use that to build a profile, and repeat the test every two months to check where you are.
I’m an analysing freak. I love data – everyone ahould add some science to their training. I prefer shorter, more intensive rides. An exercise I used before SA champs is ‘40:20’. Go hard for 40 seconds, then recover for 20; hard for 40, recover for 20. Do 10 in a row – that’s a set. With 10 minutes between sets, do four to six sets. Six sets, in a race situation, is 60 attacks. Get to know your body, and what wattage you’re capable of pushing.
Above all, do the uncomfortable efforts that no-one wants to do – that’s how you improve.
W what do the olympics mean to you?
It’s been a dream from when I was a young girl. It’s a dream come true.
W what has the road to rio been like?
It’s been tough to be away from my family and friends for so long. It’s been challenging. It’s been a hard fight.
“DON’T SIT IN THE BUNCH. RIDE AWAY BEFORE THE SPRINT, AND HAVE THE CONFIDENCE TO DO THE UNEXPECTED. BE COURAGEOUS, AND THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX.”
W your olympic hopes?
I think it’s fair to say Ashleigh will be the team captain and the main rider, so my goal is to be the best racehorse and
for her – to be the best helper I can be.