Austrian women’s speed team adds weight training to Cyprus camp

Austrian women’s speed team ready to ride. Austrian Ski/Malzer

Just in time for the cool and wet weather conditions in their Austrian homeland, the athletes of the women’s speed group fled to the warmth of Larnaca on the island of Cyprus. Anna Fenninger, Elisabeth Goergl and the rest of the team have found ideal training conditions for a weeklong fitness camp to prepare for next season.

“By the end of the week, we will have biked around 450 kilometers in the hilly terrain of the island,” said Fenninger. “In addition to promoting basic endurance, the two conditioning coaches, Juergen Kerschbaummayr and Kurt Kothbauer, have placed a further emphasis on strength training sessions.”

Many teams use spring cycling trips to build an endurance base for summer conditioning, but the Austrian women’s speed team has departed from its plan in the past. Although the athletes enjoy getting out on their bikes, weight training has started earlier for the ladies than previously and has emerged as an integral part of the camp.

“To bring more variety into the fitness training from the outset, we decided this year on the first intensive block not only cycling, but to begin weight training earlier,” remarked Kerschbaummayr. “The infrastructure that presents itself here in Cyprus is optimal. Today we train with barbells and free weights.”

All that training makes for long days for the athletes, who spend five to six hours working out each day of the conditioning camp. In early August, the team will travel to Chile to start their on-snow preparation period for the 2014-15 World Cup season.

Release courtesy of OSV