Adventure
The Durango native became the first American to win a Tour de France stage in 10 years last month. Before he showed his climbing prowess again at La Vuelta in Spain, we asked his childhood trainer how he learned to climb hills.
Chad Cheeney remembers the moment he knew Sepp Kuss was different.
Kuss was competing in a junior mountain bike world championship, and Cheeney, along with other members of Durango Devo, a nonprofit mountain biking program he started in 2006, followed Kuss’s progress on a computer. They couldn’t see any visuals of Kuss pedaling, but they saw his number assigned on the tracking website drop from 150th place – his starting position – to somewhere in the top 50, methodically overtaking by other bikers what seemed like every few seconds.
“He was at the back of the pack, but his lap times were among the top 15 guys in the race,†said Cheeney. “We were all like saints… this kid is a climber. “
Kuss, however, was to become more than just a good climber. He is now one of the best in the world at lifting massive mountains, which he has dramatically proven by becoming the first American to win a Tour de France stage in a decade. The 26-year-old’s victory came last month on a mountain trek that ended in Andorra.
The performance left Cheeney in tears. “I was at another event. I just started crying behind my sunglasses when I heard it, â€he says. “It’s so great that this kid is such a great human – and he won.”
Coach Durango Devo was one of the first people to train Kuss on a bike, starting in grade six. Kuss’s dad, Dolph, was the coach of the US Nordic ski team, but mountain biking has become his son’s favorite sport, with Cheeney at the helm and a group of other youngsters on two-wheelers. in and around the city.
The burgeoning star would go on to win three national collegiate mountain bike titles at the University of Colorado at Boulder before officially swapping out his mountain bike for a road bike around 2016. After winning a stage at the Redlands Classic the same year he signed a pro contract. The continued success of the United States National Team in Europe has caught the attention of the best teams in the world, including the team he currently rides for, Jumbo-Visma.
But even after mastering and ultimately finding fame on a lean, tired bike, Kuss’s roots of success lie in the hills of Colorado. Ahead of his appearance at La Vuelta, a major international race, which takes place in Spain from August 14, we asked Cheeney for his top tips for climbing the highest peaks like Kuss whether you’re mountain biking or road biking. .
Hill Hunting
For starters, Cheeney suggests finding a huge hill or trail near you to see what your base skill level is. It can even be a stretch down a city street that you walk up and down a few times just to get a feel for your bike, as well as your level of strength and endurance. Cheeney says part of the fun of getting into rock climbing – and biking in general – is researching these routes. “You can find a good workout outside of the normal routes,†he says. “You just have to spend a little more time exploring it on your GPS or on the Internet. “
Interval training
If you’re looking to take things to the next level, Cheeney says start doing eight-minute intervals. “Start with a 10-minute warm-up,†he says. “Then spend eight minutes at the most, like full. Then spend some time recovering until you can talk, tell a friend a story. Over time, you can shorten this recovery and work to go faster. “
Make it a game
When Kuss arrived in the Durango Devo program, Cheeney preferred that the team’s training be based on competition. “Instead of looking at a stopwatch and giving them laps, we could have these little mini-competitions to do around town,†says Cheeney. “Even segments of a minute or less add fun and make things less painful.” You can liven up your own workout by inviting friends over for a good-humored rivalry and creating challenges that will help you overcome tough climbs, and make each of you better.
Find strength on the bike
Cheeney says the one thing many hardcore bikers forget to do is work non-cycling muscle groups. He recommends working in activities that involve lateral movement, such as tennis, basketball, or volleyball. “I ride a bike all the time,†he says, “and it just gives me that linear muscle strength. This is how you get hunchbacks and all kinds of [knee and thigh tissue] problems.”
