Getting to a French roadside to watch this year’s Tour de France might be trickier than usual – most of us will be staying at home. All the more reason, then, to use the Tour as inspiration to spice up your training. To that end, we have devised 21 Tour-themed suggestions – one for each stage – to help take your cycling to the next level over the course of this year’s race.
With the help of former and current Tour riders and coaches, we’ve conjured up a wide array of daily challenges and ideas. Need to sharpen your speed? Covered. Craving a climbing challenge? Plenty of options. Want to ride long? Read on. Fancy eating like the peloton? Tuck in.
You don’t have to do them in any particular order or tick off everyone. Simply choose the ones you fancy as and when you have the time and inclination. That way, when the Tour rolls into Paris on 18 July, you’ll feel fully justified joining the pros in their celebratory drinks (see 21).
1 SPRINT AT HIGH CADENCE
As many as eight stages will fall the way of sprinters in this year’s Tour, so it’s important that you fine-tune your speed too. Scott Thwaites, who rode the race in 2017, recommends this training drill:
“Sprinting in an easier gear really helped me when it came to racing. Try sticking with an easier gear during some sprints in training – as the low cadence becomes a high one, hang on and just try to maintain that cadence for around 10 seconds. It’s not for out-and-out power, but it’s great for leg speed and acceleration.”
2 ESCAPE! GRIND A BIG GEAR
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة June 24, 2021 من CYCLING WEEKLY.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة June 24, 2021 من CYCLING WEEKLY.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
CLASSIC BIKE - JOHNNY BERRY
Johnny be good at making beautiful lightweight bikes
UK SCENE - WUNDERKIND HUDSON WINS YORKSHIRE CX
Newly crowned junior hill-climb champ shows his versatility by winning round seven on the mud
WATT WORKS FOR ME TADEJ POGAČAR
The man himself - subject of this special issue - explains the key performance changes behind his record-breaking year
11 WAYS TO POG-UP YOUR PLAN
Tadej Pocačar's performance is out of reach but you can adapt his training to raise your game. Chris Marshall-Bell consults the experts to find out how
Why do modern aero bikes look less aero?
Are today's aero bikes really faster, or is marketing just getting better? Joe Baker investigates...
REVIEW OF THE YEAR
An Olympic year is always special and the cycling season once again delivered a year of highs and lows, from Pogi's triple to Katie Archibald's pre-Olympic trip
MEET THE PARENTS
What made Tadej Pogačar the phenomenon he is today? Chris Marshall-Bell went to Slovenia to meet his mum and dad, Mirko and Marjeta
HALF MAN HALF GOAT
Tadej Pogačar may have had a phenomenal season, but has he done enough to cement his status as the greatest of all time? Chris Marshall-Bell weighs the arguments for and against
Lefevere cashes in his chips and leaves cycling management
The news that Patrick Lefevere will step down as Quick Step boss marks the end of an era, after 22 years in charge
Mathieu van der Poel weighs up skipping Tour de France
Dutchman hints at missing Tour in favour of mtb Worlds bid, reports Tom Thewlis from Dénia, Spain