For Elia Viviani Olympics as a protagonist and he prepares himself in this way

The challenge is near, the wait is great. From the July 23 to August 9 these Olympic Games postponed for Covid will open. Elia Viviani he is an athlete Technogym, official supplier company of the Olympics and is preparing with the determination of the champion. Double emotion for him who has in his wall many medals between gold, silver, bronze and a precious stone set in the history of blue sport: success on the track in the latest edition of the Games. Informed during the Tour of Italy, in the 12th stage from Siena to Bagno di Romagna, who would also have been the standard-bearer of Italy at the Tokyo Olympics, with Jessica Rossi, he has already received the blue flag to take to the Games. The 32-year-old champion from Isola della Scala in the province of Verona gives us suggestions and advice.

Elia, how many kilometers do you cycle a year?

“My record in a full season between road and track, and of 30.000 kilometres. In a normal season, however, we go by 22,000 to 24,000 / 25,000 kilometers per year “.

How do you avoid the typical cyclist overload problems? Do you do compensatory exercises?

“The overload it is a problem of many athletes, in many sports: the key lies in the know your body, understand when you are crossing the line, stop. I got close, but I never got over it, and I never had an overload experience in my career. The problem is likely to be avoided monitoring your workouts well. In cycling, we check power, recovery, resting heart rate, great signs for overload: if the beats do not subside, it means that you have not recovered from the previous day’s training, a signal to be taken quickly to avoid giving your body a load again. Other exercises range from stretchingal massage, to therapies such as tecartherapy. The more time you spend on recovery, the lower the risk of getting caught in the overload problem ”.

Does perfect posture on a bike help?

“It helps but doesn’t solve the overload problem”.

How important is “dry” strength training for a sprinter like you?

Work out in the gym it matters a lot as well as work on a bike, shorts and explosives, those make a difference. I insert a minimum of two sessions in the gym per week and a maximum of four, perhaps in a period of winter preparation, where I am far from competitions. Dry work for us cyclists is heavily muscled, it is something that we then feel on the bike and that we do not do when approaching the races ”.

What are the fundamental exercises in dry training?

“Unmissable squats, the bridge and free squat, not with very high loads: I prefer to do the maxima on the leg press, where you do a specific job. And then the steps, the leaps to train explosiveness and reactivity. Without ever neglecting the heating dry pre-operation, generally on the Skill bike or with the rollers, an exercise of warm up and a break-up between one repeated and the other done in the gym “.

The transition from the track to the road seems like an easy thing for you: is it really that or more complex?

“The transition from track to road and from road to track is always the pedaling gesture, but totally different: on the track, the gesture is much more restricted, explosive, intense. On the road it is much longer, it lasts more hours, it is much less intense or intense only in a final race. We can compare the road to the track only in the final kilometers of a flat sprint finish: the last 10-15-20 kilometers I can be, in intensity, compared to the track. The track is much more technical, it is fixed gear, without brakes, it is muscularly heavier, it is more fun. The road is history, it is great victories, the Giro d’Italia, the Tour de France. However, at the level of physical effort, when I switch from one specialty to another I have to refine myself. And that’s what I’m doing for the next Olympic Games ”.

A tip for the amateur: lots of volume, lots of kilometers or is it better to focus on intensity?

“For an amateur I think it’s better to focus on intensity. I don’t think they have to spend 6-7 hours by bike. Three are enough: with some specific work and greater intensity ”

What is the role of indoor training in the modern preparation of the cyclist?

“It is fundamental as in all sports, but in modern cycling it makes a difference. Until a few years ago, the cyclist got on his bike and trained from winter to summer without doing anything else. In new training concept, includes the concept of “core stability”, the whole central part of the body, abdominalsincluded, the strengthening in the gym it is important for us sprinters, for climbers even if in different ways of exercising “.

Follow us on our social channels!