ALB EXTREM Training Plan & Preparation

Course & Elevation

The Alb-easy loop covers 113 kilometres through the rise and fall of the Swabian Alb — a circuit that honestly reflects the landscape's character: about a quarter flat, the rest a steady alternation of climbs and descents.

The climbing starts early: at kilometre 2.2 the first ascent works up the Alb escarpment for three kilometres at six percent, and at kilometre 15.7 follows the longest climb of the loop — 3.8 kilometres at 7.2 percent and 270 metres of gain, ramps up to 13 percent included.

The middle section rolls easier before the final third gets serious again: at kilometres 76.2 and 87.8 two climbs of around 185 metres at six-and-a-half to seven-and-a-half percent await, and at kilometre 105.7 a last ascent at close to five percent stands in the finale. The descents are quick but not extreme — typical Alb escarpment terrain. ALB EXTREM is a long-standing Radtourenfahrt in late June; there is no official timing, but the field rides with sporting intent.

Pacing Strategy

On the Alb-easy loop the 2,000 metres of climbing split into five clearly defined ascents — and the two hardest come early. The climb at kilometre 15.7 with 270 metres of gain and 13-percent ramps is the longest effort of the day: ride it like a KOM sprint on fresh legs and you feel it twice at kilometre 76.

Ride the first two climbs deliberately one notch below what would be possible, and use the rolling middle section to eat and drink in the group. The decisive part — in terms of your personal goal — is the final third: the double test at kilometres 76.2 and 87.8 hits tired legs, and there your pacing shows.

The classic RTF trap is the group game: fast groups form on the flat links between climbs and their pace seduces. Better to drop back to a fitting group than to roll along above your sustainable power — over five climbs the Alb collects on every excess. The last ascent at kilometre 105.7 is shallower than the rest; if you can still push there, you got it right.

12-Week Preparation

Plan four to six hours of riding for the Alb-easy loop depending on level. The character is classic low-mountain-range cycling: five climbs of two to four kilometres at five to seven percent, connected by rolling and flat sections.

The base is rides of three to four hours, progressed over eight weeks, ideally in hilly terrain with 1,000 to 1,500 metres of climbing. The Alb's climbs are efforts of eight to 15 minutes — train exactly that duration with threshold climbing intervals: three to four efforts of ten to 15 minutes uphill, descents as recovery.

Because the hardest climbs of the final third come after more than 75 kilometres, climbing on pre-fatigued legs belongs in the programme: place the climbs deliberately in the second half of longer rides.

If you plan to ride in groups, practise drafting and steady pulls — an RTF lives on group dynamics, and mastering them saves real energy on the linking sections. In race week: reduce volume, two short activations, and prepare fuelling for four to six hours.