HOW TO RECOVER GROUND LIKE... CHRIS FROOME

Take some tips from the four-time Tour de France winner on how to get back in the game

Chris Froome recovered from a flat tyre during Stage 15 of 2017’s Tour de France and somehow managed to hang on to the yellow jersey. It’s all down to his powers of recovery – specifically recovering lost ground. He’ll be the first to point out that in events like the Tour it’s not solely down to some Forrest Gump-like solo effort to tear back into the lead after being barged out of the race, he has teammates to help him rejoin the pack. You may not, but that doesn’t mean you can’t take a leaf out of the pro’s book and become a comeback king or queen… Are you a sprinter, 1 pursuiter, time triallist or an all-rounder? Understanding what you are good at should determine how you respond to different situations. If you are a strong, steady-state rider you don’t need to panic about a surprise break or a strong attack. Be confident that unless you are already riding on the rivet, you will be able to reel other riders back in by upping your current power slightly. We all have a limited 2 amount of anaerobic energy and understanding how to spend those reserves is important. The majority of older riders we see have very limited reserves of anaerobic power so going after every break or chasing down every village sign to keep up with your mates will soon result in fatigue. Choose your moments to go hard and spend your energy wisely. If you’re riding on local 3 roads you’ll know how long the climbs are and where the Strava segments are, if that’s what you’re after on a ride. If you are racing somewhere you don’t know do some homework beforehand to form an idea of where attacks might happen and how you might respond. Visualising scenarios and planning responses is a powerful tool that will help you keep calm and not panic. Knowing how to pace a 4 ride, race or climb is a vital skill that will keep your head cool when others around you are losing theirs. You see it in every mountainous European gran fondo. On the first climb you get passed by a high number of, mainly young, riders smashing their way up like it is their local 10-mile time trial. Then 40 minutes in they look incredulously as you glide past them breathing steadily and looking relatively fresh. The climb is all about the last third, not the first third, so pace accordingly. Build pace as you get a feel for the climb and how your body is feeling on the day. If your mates all want to smash it from the off then let them and keep your discipline.

CHOOSE YOUR MOMENTS TO GO HARD AND SPEND YOUR ENERGY WISELY

I have all my riders work 5 on technique sessions throughout the season. Top of my list are cadence sessions. I don’t think you should ride around everywhere at a very high cadence, it is more that the ability to ride at high cadence gives you options should you need to change pace quickly. You are on a climb and the break goes, you don’t panic and continue to ride steadily at 90rpm in your easiest gear. You make a decision to reel them back in and need to increase cadence to 95-100rpm to do so. If you have never ridden 6 at more than 90rpm you are going to find increasing to 100rpm difficult to sustain. If you have repeatedly trained in say 20-minute blocks at 115rpm with 30-second bursts to 130rpm your legs and brain will have adapted to this high rpm, making 100rpm seem relatively easy.