Touching the void

We’re led to believe that the more we ride, the faster and longer we’ll go. But what if training efforts are no longer paying off? What if our motivation is waning, we’re succumbing to illness more often and riding our bikes feels more of a chore than a pleasure? Training improvement isn’t always a linear process, but when overtraining syndrome (OTS) strikes, performance can fall off a cliff.

OTS is tricky to diagnose and has sparked debate among performance specialists as to its definition before they even get started on the symptoms, causes and potential cures.

“Overtraining syndrome is commonly reported to occur in around 10 to 20 per cent of elite endurance athletes and affects up to 65 per cent of long-distance cyclists at some point during their athletic career. It’s not a marginal problem,” explains Federico Fontana, an exercise physiologist and sport scientist whose work includes looking after Team Novo Nordisk’s unique group of male pro riders, all of whom have Type 1 diabetes.

Before you can identify the signs of overtraining syndrome you need to differentiate what it is – and what it is not. Well before a diagnosis of OTS, you may be overreaching