INTERVIEW - She is faster than all men in the toughest cycling race in the world, he is her husband and coach: "She can be a bitch, I can't"

Isa Pulver, what do you appreciate most about your husband and coach?

Isa Pulver: The trust, the honesty, the being there for one another.

Mr. Pulver, how is it with you?

Daniel Pulver: Isa's tenacity, her discipline, and her ability to immediately regain focus, no matter what happens. I don't just appreciate that, I admire it.

What annoys you about the other person?

Isa Pulver: Nothing, really. Except when my training plan gets turned upside down because Daniel has a crazy idea. But that's peanuts.

Daniel Pulver: What I said before has a negative component. I sometimes wish Isa would let go. She worries a lot when I cancel a workout. Sometimes it annoys me that she can't just say, "Okay, no workout." I have to explain it to her a thousand times.

Does she only react like this when you cross something out?

She doesn't like painting at all; I think it makes her feel insecure.

For whom is the Race Across America harder?

Isa Pulver: For the crew!

That came quickly.

I know both sides of the coin, having twice worked with solo athletes as a physiotherapist. In 2015, I competed in a race myself for the first time. That's when it became clear to me that it's much easier. You just have to ride a bike!

Just cycling, almost 5,000 kilometers away...

For the coaches, it's always about what the athlete wants. They have to think about so much, do everything for the athlete. Now everyone is doing everything for me.

How is the RAAM for you, Mr. Pulver?

Daniel Pulver: For me, the race is more complicated in two ways. I've been visually impaired since birth and am a pain patient. A race like this requires a lot of effort. As a coach, I'm close to Isa; we talk on the phone for hours when she's on her bike. Ensuring that the nine-person crew works well together with me and the team leader, and ensuring that everything runs smoothly logistically – that's a huge challenge. Looking after Isa is the easiest thing of all. We're always together. I can tell when she needs something. The crew doesn't know each other. It's exhausting.

You're a married couple, an athlete, and a coach. How difficult is it to separate these roles?

As soon as we board the plane, I'm no longer her husband. That wouldn't work. As her husband, I don't want to see her suffer.

But you see it.

I see it as a coach.

Isa Pulver: We had to learn to separate ourselves. Even in the 2015 race, it would have been out of the question for me to take my husband with me. I don't want him to see me in such a miserable situation.

What made you change your mind?

He started creating my training plans, and I realized how useful that was. We worked together more and more closely. In 2019, I said, "It would be cool if you were there—but only to send me off at the start and meet me at the finish." By 2023, we had progressed to the point where I no longer felt like I was having a husband with me, but rather a coach. He's absolutely vital in this role.

Daniel Pulver: We had to train to be mentally and emotionally ready for this. It doesn't happen right away. We're where we are today because we took a step-by-step approach.

How did you train for that?

One step was Isa having the courage to say, "I can't cope with you being a man." And I wasn't allowed to be offended. Talking things through was the active part. But feeling it was also important: asking myself what this was doing to me. Letting her go, putting her in other hands.

What does this separation between coach and husband look like in concrete terms?

Daniel Pulver: On the plane to RAAM, the role of husband ends. That's when I let go. Only at the finish line do I become the partner again.

Do you have rituals for this transformation?

We have rules. Depending on our roles, our interactions on WhatsApp, for example, vary. The choice of words and emojis are different when I write to her as a coach. As a coach, I'm more likely to use a bicycle, while as a husband, I'm more likely to use a heart. This way of interacting has become second nature to us.

Isa Pulver: When I go to a competition, I'm already in a tunnel during preparation. And there's no room for a husband in that tunnel. I need a crew; he's one of them.

Is the closeness and familiarity you have as a couple still an advantage in the race?

That's an advantage because he also knows me personally. But we only communicate on the sports side.

Daniel Pulver: You can tell that I know her better during the sleep breaks. I know how she sleeps, the others don't. I sense which strategy makes the most sense. A typical husband intervention would be me getting her off her bike because I couldn't stand looking at it anymore. But as a coach, I can still see strategies for how she can continue.

Do you need time at the finish to become a married couple again?

Isa Pulver: In the last race, the time was stopped about ten miles from the finish. The rest was neutralized. That was the moment when we lay in each other's arms as a couple. That's what I'm looking forward to: having my husband back.

Do you miss each other during the race?

Daniel Pulver: No. I'm fully immersed in my role. I don't have time. You have to imagine that Isa is becoming increasingly sensitive. Every word can go in the wrong direction. I'm so focused that I don't say anything wrong.

What happens if you say the wrong word?

Isa Pulver: A former coach tried to encourage me by constantly repeating: "Pull! Push!" I thought: "But I've been doing that for five days! Don't you see?" In such a case, the team leader has to intervene, and the coach has to leave immediately. I can't have that person around me anymore. They don't motivate me. And I'm only concerned with that—not with driving. Even if someone comes along and says: "It's hot, isn't it?" Of course it's hot in the desert! I need people to push me forward. Pity is good sometimes, but it gets me nowhere.

Daniel Pulver: If I were to offer a word of sympathy, I would change roles. And Isa must never feel that. And I don't want to feel any pity for her in this situation either.

You talked about strategies that can motivate Isa to continue. What do you mean by that?

We have a list that we work through item by item when she gets tired. It might include the ABC game from SRF, for example. Or engaging her in conversation, provoking an adrenaline rush. Making her a little angry will wake her up. Music is a topic, but only her music.

She's passing on the playlist?

It's short: Trauffer. When we've worked through the list, we say, "Okay, Isa, now it's time for a break." We've won when she herself says, "Now's the best time for a nap." My goal is always to get her on board in such a way that we succeed. This is important because we're all overtired and thin-skinned. She can be a bitch, but I can't.

What does the Race Across America mean to you?

Isa Pulver: A lot. Things like the RAAM are feasible. I would never have thought that twelve or thirteen years ago. And Daniel can be there.

Daniel Pulver: I'm very grateful. I've enjoyed working as a trainer everywhere. But RAAM is a step up. And that has to do with our relationship. The intensity is different.

Is this feeling what compels you to participate for the fourth time? You've achieved everything, won twice, and were even faster than the men in 2023, but the world record is out of reach...

Isa Pulver: Which record are you referring to? The time record or the speed record? The time record is out of reach at this event because the course is longer. But the speed record is a concern.

Daniel Pulver: We're athletically driven. We both work with people with disabilities. There, too, I'm interested in the question of where the limits really lie. In everyday life, I can tell many people that the limits aren't where they think they are. Try one more step – and it'll work. But you only learn that by trying to optimize everything. We see potential for optimization in the RAAM. We're now testing whether it really exists. That appeals to me.

A year before RAAM 2023, Isa suffered a cerebral hemorrhage, recently had to undergo shoulder surgery, and a few weeks ago she was hospitalized after a car collision. How do you deal with such problems?

Isa clearly draws strength from overcoming difficulties. I find it exciting to see whether we can stay stuck in such setbacks or break free from them.

Has it always been the case that you take something positive from setbacks?

Isa Pulver: Over time, I've learned that I can decide for myself how to deal with a problem. Do I resist it? Or do I accept it and try to find a solution? Daniel and I choose the second option.

Were there any formative moments that led to this attitude?

The 2012 Tortour, my first ultra-race, was a turning point . It took me around Switzerland. I had disagreements with the support team and wanted to quit. In that situation, I listened to music that a para-athlete had chosen for me. He is severely disabled and uses a wheelchair. When he gave me the USB stick with the songs, he said to me: "If I could ride a bike, I would win the Tour de France with this music." That's when I realized I couldn't give up.

Can this attitude be applied to everyday life?

When I face a difficult task in my job, I tell myself, "Hey, I'm a RAAM winner, I was faster than all the men. I can't stand in front of this problem now and not find a solution."

You're not using a mental coach. Why?

I thought long and hard about whether I needed this for my first RAAM in 2015. I was worried that working with a mental coach might confuse or unsettle me. I've discovered that I have many puzzle pieces in my life that motivate me.

How do you motivate yourself?

Songs mean a lot to me. At RAAM 2023, I listened to "Chum uf mini Insle" by Trauffer before the starting line. I told myself that I would now travel to my "RAAM island" and only take the people I wanted with me. I also sing a lot on my bike. It's not good and it's not nice. But the louder, the better. I need my facial muscles for this, which are otherwise the first to go numb when I get tired.

How do you deal with problems, Daniel Pulver?

Daniel Pulver: For me, it's a trough. For a long time, I didn't accept my disability. The limitations shape my everyday life. I'm not a consistently positive person. However, Isa taught me that it's always possible, with the help of all the wealth of experience. These have become true treasures for me. All the moments I can recall in everyday life and realize how unimportant a problem is. RAAM has made me grateful and humble.

You both work with people with disabilities. That seems to inspire you. What's the connection between your job and ultracycling?

Isa Pulver: I have a client who was dependent on an electric wheelchair for years. Now she walks with crutches. When she tells me in therapy that it's too much and she needs a break, I tell her: "There's your finish line." And then we run another ten meters. While I'm doing that, I tell her about my last finish at the RAAM. That way, we push each other.

What do you mean?

She sends me WhatsApp messages during the race, writing how she felt when she completed the ten meters. And then I think, "She did it, I have to too." We're letting go of the idea that something is impossible, both at work and in sports. As a supervisor at RAAM, I thought it was impossible to complete this race. Now, thanks to our experience, we're finding the courage to try something and believe we can do it.

What happens when the “real borders” come?

What limits?

Aren't they always there?

Of course. There are muscular limits: My legs can't go any further. There are mental limits, of course. But we try to play with these limits, accept them, and work with them. If I ignored them, I'd soon be done.

How should we imagine this game?

I always wonder if my legs are tired of going on or if it's my head. I once rode up a hill 24 times in a row during training. Each time, I climbed 500 meters. After seven hours, my legs were heavy, and I didn't feel like it anymore. A quadriplegic I work with was standing by the side of the road. She cheered me on, and I thought, "She doesn't feel her legs at all; I feel mine a bit too much. Which do I prefer?" The heavy legs that were tired of going on were already a positive thing: at least I could feel them.

Is there ever a time in your life when sports aren't involved?

Of course, for example on our 20th wedding anniversary.

Daniel Pulver: It's the 25th. You're already in athlete mode.

What do you do then?

Everything except sports. Spain is our favorite country: good food, enjoyment, living in the moment. The most important decision is which fish to buy for dinner at the market. It's still possible to switch off. That calms us down.

What moment are you most looking forward to at RAAM?

Isa Pulver: "Tage wie diese," the song by the Toten Hosen. That's always my starting command.

Daniel Pulver: I'm also looking forward to the starting line. We've invested a lot of time in preparation, testing and optimizing everything. Now I want to know if our plan is working.

Isa Pulver: And then I look forward to the big tub of chocolate ice cream that I get to eat every day.

Do you spend 22 hours a day on your bike and eat chocolate ice cream?

I usually only eat liquids. But I really enjoy ice cream as a change. And my calorie balance is perfect, which makes my coach happy.

Have you thought about what would happen if one of you wanted to quit?

I didn't think about it that way. After my first RAAM in 2015, I thought it would be my last race. I know of a few partnerships that have broken up because of ultracycling. I don't want that to happen. But in 2015, Daniel came up with the idea of ​​continuing. If he said I needed to find another coach, I would consider retiring.

So you can't do sports without each other?

I know it's a luxury that Daniel is so supportive. We both have the weekend off, but my training schedule includes six hours of cycling on Saturday and eight on Sunday. And he's alone during that time.

That’s his “fault,” he writes the training plans.

That's why I don't feel guilty about him sending me to training.

Daniel Pulver: Imagine if a third party were to schedule Isa's training sessions like that on the weekend. That would be much more difficult for me. I trust that we'll find a solution that works for both of us.

Isa Pulver: I think so too.