JAKUB PIENIAZEK

ALTITUDE · SUMMER CYCLING · UAE & QATAR

Livigno Altitude Training for UAE and Qatar Cyclists: Planning Your Summer

By Jakub Pieniazek ·

Over the past five years, I have spent time in Livigno with a professional cycling team. Every summer, I see riders from the UAE and Qatar arriving for a similar reason: the opportunity to leave the Gulf heat behind and enjoy longer rides in the mountains.

For some, it is a cycling holiday. For others, it is a longer stay with a performance goal.

Both can benefit from preparation. Choosing Livigno is the beginning; the important part is deciding how to use your time there.

Why Livigno works for a summer cycling stay

Livigno sits at approximately 1,816 metres, with access to Alpine roads and climbs including the Eira, Foscagno and Forcola passes. The riding offers a very different challenge from familiar training routes in the Gulf. Official Livigno information, road cycling around Livigno

The attraction is easy to understand: mountain scenery, climbing and the opportunity to organise daily life around riding and recovery.

However, a beautiful route is not automatically the right training session. A ride that looks manageable on a map may include substantial climbing, long descents and limited opportunities for genuinely easy riding.

I prefer to choose the route around the purpose of the day, rather than fit a training session into the most famous route.

Start preparing before you travel

Before planning the first week, I want to understand:

Training-file analysis helps establish a realistic starting point. It can show whether your endurance rides are controlled, whether you complete your intervals consistently and how you respond to longer days.

It also helps answer an important question: are your training zones based on current ability, or on a number you are trying to defend?

That distinction becomes particularly useful when you arrive at altitude.

Give yourself time to adapt

The first mistake is often trying to make every holiday day count by training hard immediately.

Altitude introduces a different physiological demand. Responses vary between riders, and aerobic performance can be affected even at moderate elevations. Your first successful session should not be judged solely against your best sea-level watts. Research on individual responses to altitude

For a first-time visitor, I would normally begin with manageable riding and assess the response before adding demanding sessions. Sleep, breathing, appetite, perceived effort and recovery all help inform the next decision.

Acclimatisation is a process, not a deadline. Feeling comfortable after a few days does not mean every aspect of adaptation is complete. A longer stay gives us more flexibility to adjust training instead of rushing through a fixed programme. IOC guidance on altitude preparation

Adjust the training targets—not your confidence

A lower power output at altitude does not automatically mean you have lost fitness.

My approach is to compare power with heart rate, perceived effort and the quality of execution. I do not apply one universal percentage reduction to everyone’s FTP or move every heart-rate zone by the same number of beats.

We may use temporary altitude-specific targets while retaining your sea-level reference separately.

For endurance riding, the priority is keeping the effort appropriate to the session. For intervals, it is completing useful work with control and recovering well enough for the following days.

There is little value in forcing sea-level numbers if the cost compromises the rest of the stay.

Can an altitude tent help before Livigno?

For selected riders planning a longer altitude stay, preparation using a hypoxic tent may be worth discussing.

It is an optional tool, not a requirement for enjoying or training in Livigno. The exposure, equipment, sleep response and wider training programme all need consideration.

Evidence for pre-acclimatisation depends on the method and exposure used. A tent should not be presented as a guarantee of adaptation, or as a substitute for adjusting after arrival. Wilderness Medical Society guidance on pre-acclimatisation

I would assess whether it serves a clear purpose for the individual before building it into preparation.

Testing and lactate: information that guides training

For riders seeking a more detailed assessment, endurance testing in Italy—including lactate testing—can be explored by arrangement, subject to suitable facilities and availability.

Testing should answer a practical question: how should we train?

I would interpret the results alongside recent files, the testing protocol, elevation, fatigue and the rider’s response. A lactate result should not become an isolated number used to dictate every session.

The aim is to establish useful training targets and understand how those targets may need to change during the stay.

What should Gulf riders pack?

Do not pack only for the temperature in town. Think about the conditions you may encounter on a climb, a summit and a long descent.

My practical checklist includes:

Check the forecast and current road conditions before choosing each route. Pass access can change, and cross-border rides need additional planning. Official road and pass information

Plan the return home as well

The programme should include what happens after Livigno.

Your return date, travel, Gulf conditions and next event all influence the following training block. I do not promise one perfect day when every rider will perform best after altitude.

The objective is to return with useful training completed and enough recovery to benefit from it.

Make the trip work for you

My experience with professional teams informs the decisions, but your programme should reflect your training background, available time and goals.

For riders from the UAE, Qatar and the wider Gulf, support can begin before departure: reviewing files, preparing the training, discussing equipment and clothing, and adjusting the plan as you adapt.

Planning a summer cycling stay in Livigno? Contact me on WhatsApp with your proposed dates, recent training and goals. We can discuss the preparation and support appropriate for your trip.

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