A Tour de France force to contend with
What it takes for cyclists to tackle this beast of a race
Three thousand, five hundred and forty kilometres in a span of 21 days, through four countries, 635 cities and over five mountains with a punishing finish that demands riders complete 222.5 km on Day 19, is park of what makes the Tour de France such a beast of a race.
Who are the 198 cyclists who on most days spend four to six hours on their bikes posting speeds of 45-60 kilometres per hour on the flats and 20 km/h climbing mountains so high and steep even the average car labours to reach the summit?
The all-male contingent is predominately Caucasian with an average age of 29 years.
Known for their aerobic endurance, cyclists in the Tour post VO2 max scores between 70-80 mL/kilograms/minute (the more oxygen your body delivers to the working muscles, the more power it can produce), which puts them alongside cross-country skiers as the athletes with the most impressive measures of aerobic power. Compare that with the average male couch potato with a VO2 max around 45 mL/kg/min and a fit recreational cyclist who boasts about his VO2 max score of 60 mL/kg/min and you get a feel for the aerobic fitness of most elite cyclists.
But not all Tour riders are created equal, with some excelling on the flats and others on the climbs. Climbers have the highest VO2 max scores, which are closer to 80 mL/kg/min, considered the minimum needed to win the Tour. Chris Froome, winner of the Tour de France three times in the past four years, has a VO2 max that ranges from 80-88 mL/kg/min (depending on his weight).
Riders at the front of the pack during the time trial stages of the race have powerful bodies built for speed.
Winners of the coveted green jersey, given to the best sprinter, typically weigh 70-75 kg (155-165 pounds), are 180-185 cm (around six feet) tall and have a BMI of 22. Climbers are leaner and about three inches shorter — 175-180 cm in height, 60-66 kg (132-145 lbs) on the scale with a BMI of 19-20, which helps them sustain their speed during tough ascents that typically last 35 to 40 minutes. Going uphill demands an exceptional power to weight ratio, which means winners of the red polkadot jersey, the so-called King of the Mountain, have a lean body that produces impressive amounts of power for an extended period of time.
Most cyclists in the Tour try to find the perfect balance between being powerful enough to compete on the flats and light enough to excel at climbing, but at the end of the day speed specialists are more likely to claim the yellow jersey.
Aerobic power isn’t the only measure of a Tour cyclist. The rate that energy is burned is also an important indicator of who’s going to claim the title. Affected by weight (a heavier rider burns more energy than a lighter rider given the same conditions), watts is the favoured measure of how hard cyclists are working.
Most of the top 10 riders reach 7-7.7 watts per kilogram of body weight (500-550 watts) compared with a competitive recreational cyclist whose power output is closer to four watts per kilogram of body weight.
How tough is the 3,540-km route on the men who spend 21 days in the saddle? Riders tackle the course, which is broken up into 21 stages, cruising the flats as part of a pack (peloton), powering up mountains or racing in time trials. The intensity of each stage varies and is broken down into zones, with Zone 1 representing 70 per cent of VO2 max, Zone 2, 70-90 per cent of VO2 max and Zone 3 representing an intensity greater than 90 per cent of VO2 max.
On the flats, riders spend four to five hours in the saddle, spending 70 per cent of their time in Zone 1, pedalling at a cadence of about 90 r.p.m. with power outputs at 200250 watts (the average recreational cyclist can sustain power outputs of 50-150 watts).
The mountain stages last five to six hours and demand extended climbs of up to 10 km in length with grades of five to 10 per cent. During these uphill stages, riders spend about 35 minutes in Zone 3, reaching a power output of 322385 watts.
As for the speedy time trial stages, this year’s Tour started with a 14-km sprint on Day 1 and is followed by a 22.5-km race on Day 20 when fatigue is at its peak. While sprinting, pedalling cadence can reach 100 r.p.m. with a power output of 400 watts for up to 60 minutes.
Data from previous Tours suggest that the top cyclists are able to maintain a staggering 430 watts for 26 minutes in the individual time trials and 20 minutes for team time trials.
How do they keep their energy stores sufficient enough to fuel such staggering aerobic feats over the course of three long and gruelling weeks?
Tour de France cyclists eat 6,0008,000 calories a day (840 grams of carbohydrate, 200 grams of protein and 158 grams of fat) at least three times the suggested number of calories the average Joe or Jill consumes daily.
With stats such as these to reflect upon as this year’s Tour, which began on July 1, fans can now appreciate what it takes to be part of the world’s most elite pack of cyclists all vying to earn the coveted yellow jersey.