Men of the Dragon
As they make their final preparations for L’Étape du Tour, our Team Alpecin riders tackle one of the UK’s most iconic events
Les Pegler Training pays off
After completing the tough 80-mile Tour de Yorkshire Ride in May (issue 342) I was back on the bike the next day and back to normal training by Thursday. I was surprised how quickly I recovered, which shows that the training plan devised by coach Florian Geyer in Germany is working.
That feeling was confirmed a week later when I climbed my favourite hill – Stanway near Winchcombe in Gloucestershire – and without really pushing it rode my best time for three years. I’m now a huge fan of following a training plan, I’m converted to training in heart rate zones as I can tell that I’m fitter, stronger, recover faster and have more endurance.
Come the Dragon Ride L’Étape Wales, Murray and myself rode the 223km Gran Fondo with a friend of his, Jez. Laura had to withdraw due to illness unfortunately. We agreed to start steadily so that we would – hopefully – have something in reserve at the end. My legs felt good and as the ride progressed I didn’t feel stretched. There were some steep climbs, but there was plenty of encouragement from other riders and the public.
Our Katusha team kit and Canyon bikes attracted interest – I think there may be more applicants for next year! I did lose touch with Murray and Jez at about 210km as my feet swelled up due to the heat, and unfortunately there were no other groups that I could latch on to – I’ve never been so glad to see the industrial area of Port Talbot!
Completing L’Étape Wales has given me even more confidence for L’Étape du Tour. It’s going to be tough, but I have the ability to dig deep when required and I know I won’t get another opportunity.
Being part of Team Alpecin is a privilege. We’ve got a WhatsApp group where we work together and share ideas and if someone has an issue, the whole team is there to support and encourage.
Murray Cox Putting in miles
After being blasé going into the Tour de Yorkshire I went to the other extreme for the Dragon Ride L’Étape Wales and had ‘The Fear’ big time. Some 223km and about 3500m of climbing meant I approached the ride with trepidation, as it is up there with the biggest rides I’ve ever done.
I had a mantra playing in my head – go slow to go far. And I did! I rode with Les, and my friend Jez who is famed for being a) really fit and b) a monster on the turbo trainer. We rode as a trio and then in the last 15km I had enough left for a (relative) turn of speed and finished fractionally ahead of them. I was delighted!
The route was spectacular, and I’d recommend adding it to your bucket list of rides. When I read the organisers’ blurb and saw they were describing it as being ‘Alpine like’ I admit I scoffed, but having ground my way over the hills I think it was actually a pretty fair description.
I finished in around nine-and-ahalf riding hours, which I was pretty happy with as I still felt fresh. There’s something in not flogging yourself in the early stages of the ride – I hope I remember that come L’Étape…
My performance in the Dragon Ride has given me confidence to take into L’Étape and I’m looking forward to it. I’m fitter than I’ve been in years, and I don’t think I could have given much more to the training.
As I write this my Strava total for the year is approaching the 3500km mark, which was what I managed in the whole of last year. There is a big difference in the way that Zwift and Sufferfest indoor rides count towards the total, and shamefully I’m now chasing the kilometres as much as possible, so using the “easier” Zwift more as a result, especially as we’ve just taken delivery of new Tacx Flux smart trainers!
I’m able to fit more in my day than I ever believed possible, but it does help to have a meaningful goal and an accountability mechanism. I don’t want to report back in the coming weeks that I couldn’t finish L’Étape or that I got a disappointing time because I just didn’t have the legs.
The route was spectacular, and I’d recommend adding it to your bucket list of rides
Before Team Alpecin the maximum I’d do on the turbo on a work day was an hour, but I’ve now managed quite a few two-hour sessions before heading to the office. The surprising benefit has been better energy at the office. I’m tired, but it’s not that horrible fatigue I had when I was unfit.
As we’re getting closer to L’Étape, the competition within Team Alpecin has been hotting up – some of the mileage totals our European teammates are posting are incredible. When we catch up I’m going to dig into the reasons why – is it the British long hours culture (although we as a nation have famously low productivity), is it the better weather and likely better cycle routes or do they simply have differing domestic arrangements?
With the miles I’ve managed this year around work and life, I’ve managed to shed about 6kg without making big food changes. I’m on the way to resembling a racing snake, and I hope that will pay a dividend in the Alps. Although in the last couple of weeks I’ve been getting in circa 300km and my appetite has exploded, so I’ll need to be careful not to stack it all back on!
Laura Cook
Training with power
I have a lot to thank Team Alpecin for. As a newbie to cycling I’ve improved 100 per cent since the beginning of this journey. I’m much more confident on the bike, I’ve learnt so many new skills that help me every time I ride – how to look after the bike, the importance of being fitted correctly and what a difference all the equipment can make to your riding experience.
As for technique? Well, I don’t think I could claim to have had any at all at the start, so I’ve come a long way since then. A major learning has been understanding how to use power to train. Knowing my threshold means that on longer, more challenging rides I know what my wattage needs to be so that I can ride stronger for longer.
I love the nitty gritty of learning about how the body works and getting the most out of where you are at. Training using all this data is something I will continue to do to build on my strength because it’s worked for me. That said, once we’ve completed L’Étape it’ll be nice to just go out and ride however I want to and not be told off for riding too hard!
It’s been interesting to see what other team members have been doing on Strava and I’ve gained a few more followers since joining the team. I do find it encouraging and it’s always nice to receive Kudos. Arne Hulstein from the Netherlands and I are regularly in touch with each other as we’re on a similar level. It’s nice to know that we’re feeling very much the same toward the L’Étape – nervous about the climbing, but we will tackle it at our own pace and just aim to finish... before midnight!
I’m determined to enjoy the experience and I’m going to give it 100 per cent, because who gets the opportunity to ride L’Étape du Tour after only nine months of cycling.
Thanks to Human Race Events. Next year’s Dragon Ride L’Étape Wales is on Sunday 9 June. Register your interest in taking part here: letapeuk.co.uk/wales/ letape-wales/