- Have you ever sat at home watching the Tour de France,
and gone how on Earth do those riders climb so fast?
- I have, certainly.
Luckily we also have a little experience to share with you.
- Ooh, yes we do.
(relaxed electronic music)
- If you want to climb like a Tour de France mountain goat,
you have to live every second of every day
with one bit of focus in your mind.
Going uphill, fast.
- Yeah, you have to be accountable
for every bit of food you take in.
You can't sit down in February and tuck in
to a massive bar of chocolate like we all like to do
and then want to go uphill fast come July.
I guess, to an extent, a sprinter,
someone who's less focused on going uphill fast,
could get away with this behavior.
But if you want to go fast come July
at the Tour de France, then you have to be accountable
for every morsel that crosses your lips.
- And the same goes for every action
that you take as well.
Every action has a cumulative effect
on the human body.
Imagine, for example, that you live
on the third floor of a block of apartments
and you go up and down at least twice every day.
That's 28800 steps before you've even made it
to the Tour de France.
Would you therefore be better taking the elevator
after those tough seven hour training rides?
It's a real world consideration
for a Tour de France pro.
And speaking of food, I once had a teammate
that, in the lead up to big hill-y races,
for two weeks would only eat oats and water.
So unhealthy to have such a restricted diet,
but he did go uphill pretty quick.
- Oats and water?
- Yeah, grim. - Sounds horrendous.
As Chris and I are climbing the Col Madeleine,
we're going into altitude.
So it's probably a good time
to tell you a bit about altitude training.
Altitude training has gained mass popularity
over recent years.
To the extent that most World Tour pros
have experimented with some sort
of altitude camp or altitude training
at some point over their career.
- Now the premise is to sleep high and to train low.
Essentially what happens when sleeping at altitude,
is whilst we're breathing the oxygen reduced air,
our body is forced to adapt
by producing more red blood cells
which then transport the oxygen to our muscles
which is the mainstay of aerobic performance.
And yes, you could get the same adaptations
from the comfort of your own home
by using a hyperbaric chamber, an altitude tent,
there is much more emphasis placed
on actually traveling to these remote locations.
And this is because there are generally speaking,
fewer distractions for the athlete
meaning they can focus on the task at hand.
- It is hard at altitude, isn't it?
- It is at this speed.
- [James] Training at altitude isn't for everyone
and can certainly take a while to adapt to
but riders have been quoted saying that
it boosts their sustainable power up to 10%.
Which could normally take two years or more to achieve.
These are high responders, though,
and unlike regular fitness gains
these do not last forever.
As little as 10 to 20 days, meaning another trip
to altitude is needed.
- No matter how fit you are as an amateur cyclist,
it's simply unrealistic to expect to climb
as fast as a Tour de France pro for one simple reason.
They will have a leadout.
- Yeah, aerodynamics are at play
at even speeds of around 20 kilometers per hour.
So this can also help when you're climbing.
Not only does it help with your pacing,
but it also helps with increasing the speed
going up the climb.
As each rider pulls off, the speed gets faster
and your rider at the back
will be able to stay in the wheels as long as possible.
Alright, cheers mate!
- Now, you might be wondering,
surely everyone sat on a wheel is getting benefit.
But this just isn't true.
For one reason, mountains are often twisty and technical.
Meaning that the first rider goes through the corner,
accelerates ever so slightly,
and that effect is amplified back through the group.
Meaning that by the time rider number 10 leaves the corner,
they're either going to be sprinting
to catch the wheel or the elastic'll snap
and they'll let the wheel go.
- You've trained your entire life,
eating correctly and taking care
of all your tactics and positioned yourself
just perfectly going into the race.
But, there's still something that holds you back.
- And that's your genetics!
Some riders are just genetic freaks.
Capable of processing more oxygen
whilst producing more power and all whilst doing so
more efficiently that the rest of us.
- And these guys are the complete package.
They have the mental fortitude
and physical capability of backing it up too.
It's just unfair.
- Might as well go home now, I reckon.
- Yeah.
- No matter what any media outlet or your mates down the pub
will have you believe, cycling these days
is actually a much cleaner sport
than it was 20 years ago.
Back then, the speeds that they could ride
on the bikes that they had to ride was frankly phenomenal.
- The reason for this was simply down to doping.
I guess if you wanted to climb
like a Tour de France pro back 20 years ago,
then you'd have to get charged off your chops
on a cocktail of stimulants and blood boosters.
And this is something we obviously don't recommend.
And studies have shown
that you can't change a donkey into a racehorse.
And so, I guess I wouldn't waste your time.
- There you have it, a little insight
on just how to climb like a Tour de France pro.
- If you liked this video then give it a big thumbs up.
For more how-tos, click on my lovely Orbea.
Is there a reason you're stood up the hill?
- Make me look taller.
(James sighing)