Winter-Season Encounters
Winter season: the time of year where you escape the dark from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and you see daylight only for lack of a better word. It’s grey, cold, and rainy outside, and it seemingly lasts forever. But it’s not offseason, as the training done during these (endless) months lays the foundation for the season ahead.
Sometimes, I think I’m solar-powered.
A typical day in winter season looks like this: I get up at 6 a.m.; it’s dark outside. I head to school; it’s dark outside. I head to training at 10 a.m.; it’s grey outside and raining. I head back to school; it’s still raining but warmer now. I get back home at 4 p.m.; it’s dark outside again.
I enjoy a beautifully sunny ride on my bike through the city to get to training and feel reenergized. Just kidding—it’s still dark outside, raining, and I do not look forward to the ride through town. I get home… you get it. It sucks!
It’s a time of grinding, sleeping through school, and waiting for summer. One thing that got me through it is switching bikes. Swimming in winter is pretty much the same as in summer, and running works fine if there’s no snow outside, but riding can be hard in winter. So, apart from still plenty of wet, cold, and long road rides, I decided to have some fun in the mud. I raced mountain bike races in late fall and then moved to cyclocross for the winter.
It’s a different kind of racing and training. Short efforts and lactate pouring out of your ears make you forget about the bad weather. The races last about an hour and serve as a great training session on the weekend.
The second thing that made winter easier: training camp. I find the period from fall through December bearable, but with Christmas usually comes the sunlight for me. This year, the first training camp was in Italy, mostly to catch up on road miles and enjoy good food. I spent some great days in the saddle and came home healthy (which is often the most important outcome of a training camp), happy, and sporting the beginnings of the usual awkward tan lines. Then it was off to St. Moritz for another kind of sun, reflected by the snow. After some solid training at altitude, it was back to Italy for the Winter Triathlon World Championships. The race consisted of running, mountain biking, and cross-country skiing, completed twice for a total of 18 kilometers, earning me 4th place. It was a hard but fun race and a perfect addition to my “different-races-to-make-winter-interesting” series.
As I near the start of the new season, with the annual Engadin XC Ski Marathon as the opener, I want to share two stories that reflect on my winter.
Story 1: The Tobacco Farm Encounter
Early in the winter, during my MTB/CX campaign, we headed out to the 4th or 5th race of the series, close to Lucerne in central Switzerland. It was raining as we drove through what felt like the smallest town imaginable, followed by another 30-minute drive on winding country “roads” to reach the race venue. These events are organized by local cycling clubs, and they do an incredible job.
When we arrived, I did a couple of laps around the course for recon—getting a feel for tire choice, pressure, and pacing. Afterward, I went back to the car, grabbed a quick bite, changed, loosened up, and headed out for a proper warm-up on the road. That’s when the rain picked up, turning into a heavy downpour with strong winds.
I decided to wait out the storm and looked for shelter. I spotted a barn in the middle of nowhere and hurried over. As I stood shivering by the door, an old man opened it, looked around, and said, “Come in!” Who could decline such a warm invitation?
Inside, I found a tobacco farm. The man was drying and hanging tobacco leaves, with a heater and a radio playing in the background, all while smoking his cigars. We started chatting, and soon his brother joined us. They told me about their days racing bikes when they were young, about military service, and the victories they’d achieved.
After 15 minutes, I had to head back out to finish my warm-up—partly because of time and partly because the cigar smoke was triggering my asthma. As I raced, the two brothers showed up to cheer me on, providing just the mental boost I needed to keep going and avoid throwing up during the laps!
a few months later; albenga, northern italy, training camp in january. we swam in the morning at 8am. afterwards, we went to the nearest bar to get coffee and breakfast as is usual in italy. i walked through the doors of the bar and saw an old man behind me slowly walking up to the door as well.
i waited and held it open. that caused a smile big enough to half his “walking” speed, but i was happy to wait. i got up to the bar and ordered my coffee, which by the way traditionally was the most stable commodity at precisely 1€ in italy (now we’re up to about 1.20€). bear with me - it is sort of crucial to the story. when the guy finally caught up and reached the bar, he smiled at me and said: “prendi il caffè con me?” - wanna take the coffee with me? i agreed and he proceeded to ask me what i was doing here and so on. same story - he details how he too used to ride bikes. he had a shop that sold leather goods and he produced bike saddles. he went on to talk about the time he visited switzerland and his kids and he told me that he was 87 (he was very well dressed by the way and i could only guess his age by his walking speed). he finally laid some coins on the table; said he couldn’t see how much it was anymore but that he would pay for my coffee as well. then he said he wouldn’t want to disturb me any longer but that i should have fun on the bike. i thanked him, got up, back home and on the bike.
the point
during the day on the bike i kept thinking about the old man. he reminded me very much of the guys i saw in the barn in switzerland. contrary to popular belief, switzerland also has some cities, like where i live for example, and so i don’t come across these peculiar characters very often. but a couple of weeks later i can say they taught me some things which sum up my winter quite well.
firstly: listen to the old guys every once in a while, not least because they are hugely grateful for it but also because they might have the occasional insight or experience that is helpful or interesting.
secondly: the places a bike takes you - literally as well as metaphorically. this winter season took me from the remotest towns of switzerland through the small villages of liguria to st. moritz and sestriere. i’m very grateful for the places i get to see and the experiences that go along with that.
engadin xc ski marathon
this weekend i will race the xc ski marathon through the engadin like i did for the last couple of years. it marks my “chalandamarz” so to say. it’s the festival that the locals in the engadin celebrate on the first of march to chase away the winter and welcome the spring.
so, looking back i am happy with my winter. i made it through without injuries or major problems, apart from falling off my bike on christmas eve, and laid a solid foundation for the months ahead. i’ve made many new experiences and learned a lot. this is perhaps the foremost thing to take away from these couple of months: if you go through the world with both eyes and ears open and ready to take an opportunity when it arises, quite a few doors will open which you perhaps wouldn’t have expected.
“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.”
looking forward
the winter felt like having gone by quite “quickly”, although i’m definitely ready for summer to come. it will be a new season with new possibilities, new opportunities and new challenges. i’ll approach it step by step, focusing on the moment with the big goal in mind. and who knows? if this winter has taught me anything it is to keep and eye and an ear open. you never know who might suddenly show up to cheer you on around the next corner!