If the weather is really warm, then keeping as cool as possible can help you ride much,
much faster. When choosing your kit, if you are buying anything specific, look for a full
zip jersey. This allows you to open it up while climbing, and it can keep you significantly
cooler. Some riders like to wear a hat under your helmet, check the forecast the night
before and make your kit selection then. This will reduce those pre race nerves.
Think layers. The weather can change during the day, so small things removing your gloves
or cap on Tourmalet, will help disperse heat more rapidly. The same goes for cold conditions,
you can put these items on.
While each of these points will make a small difference, the more of them you can adopt
into your tactics or approach to the L Étape, the greater your advantage. Just remember,
you can make it much, much easier if you use your head as well as your legs.
It's a well used phrase, riding behind someone can save you up to 30% of the effort of being
in the wind. This isn't an exaggeration, so why not make the etape 30% easier?
It's not quite as straightforward of course, not much is going to make the Hautacam 30%
easier, but everywhere you can, think about sheltering and working with other riders.
This is the kind of skill that takes practice, so if you can, go and ride with a group before
hand.
Ideally, your front wheel will be about a metre from the wheel of the rider in front
of you. Don't get too close, you don't know if you can trust them not to make a mistake
after all, but tuck in behind and go with it.
Sheltering from the wind doesn't mean just sitting directly behind the rider in front
though. If the wind is coming from the side, to get the full advantage, you need to be
sat off to the sheltered side of the rider in front.
Always look to be aware of the wind direction. The more experienced you are on a bike, the
more this becomes instinctive, but if you are new to riding with others, keep this in
the forefront of your mind.
Losing 5 minutes in the first hour may save you half an hour on the Hautacam.
Cycling is a tough old sport, and those riders who make it to the top of the sport, are often
the ones that know how to use their effort wisely. Part of that is slipstreaming, but
a large part of it is pacing. For example, don't ride alone. It's quite
likely that on the day of the LÉtape you might find yourself separated from your fellow
riders.
on the climbs of the Tourmalet and the Hautacam, you will clearly need to pace yourself. You
need to avoid pushing it too hard, too early, always think about conserving your energy
stores. If the Tourmalet is going to take you two hours to ride up, you must try and
ride at an intensity that allows you to burn some fat as well as carbohydrate. This means
in practice that you can still breath comfortably and even sing to yourself if you really wanted
too.
You've got to use due caution of course, but descents are a fantastic time to help with
recovery. Use the opportunity of taking a break from pedalling and drink plenty, eat
some solid food, and generally concentrate on looking after yourself. This is particularly
key on the descent of the Tourmalet, It's going to take a long time, so if you eat something
at the top, it's likely that the nutrients from it will be entering your bloodstream
by the bottom.
At this point, you might benefit from getting out of the saddle and changing your position
a bit, arch your back perhaps and give it a bit of a stretch. Use your brain though
and don't do all of this at 50mph, take it easy.
The descent might seem like a good opportunity to make up some time, but with the road covered
with other cyclists, it's a risky proposition so keep it in check.
Making sure your bike is working perfectly can actually make a significant difference.
There's some research that says even the type of lubricant you put on your chain can make
a few tenths of a percent difference to your power output. Now while I'm not suggesting
you could ever use your lube as an excuse for a poor performance, but it does go to
show that small things can add up to make significant gains.
So when it comes to your bike, make sure your gears are spotlessly clean and well indexed
and your tyres are inflated appropriately, if in doubt put 100psi in, or 90 if it's wet.
If you're really pushing the pace, take lessons from the pros and try and get aero. While
the climbers in the Tour de France will only look to be lightweight, you will be spending
much more time in the wind, and so looking to make a few aerodynamic savings could make
a difference if you're looking to post a really competitive time.
Try to minimize your frontal area whenever you're on the front at speeds of over 20 mph.
An aero jersey can save a few watts if you're buying anything for the event, and always
zip it up when going quickly.