IF YOU CAN STAND THE HEAT...

Smart preparation for a hot race helped Anna Kiesenhofer reap the ultimate reward in Tokyo. What can we learn from her example? Dr Mark Burnley explains

- Dr Mark Burnley

Just over two weeks ago, rank outsider Anna Kiesenhofer attacked in the first few seconds of the women’s road race at the Tokyo Olympics. On paper, the 30-year-old stood almost no chance of even escaping, let alone winning, against a peloton packed with medal contenders. But Kiesenhofer produced the kind of gun-to-tape performance not even a movie scriptwriter could have dreamed up.

The Austrian was so far ahead that the favourites seemed to have almost forgotten about her. When Annemiek van Vleuten crossed the line she thought she’d won gold. But the day belonged to Kiesenhofer, and in the aftermath of victory, it became clear that she had done a lot of homework during the build-up – specifically in relation to how she would deal with the Tokyo heat. What can we learn from her example, bearing in mind that climate change is making high temperatures a more frequent feature of our riding, and the draw of foreign riding in hotter climes when travel is back on the agenda.

“I got on the turbo in my winter kit and did sessions overdressed”

Kiesenhofer surged away from her breakaway companions 40km from the finish. In post-race interviews, she admitted that she had never before emptied herself so absolutely. The 140km race took Kiesenhofer almost four hours to complete in temperatures over 30ºC and with humidity above 60 per cent.