By Adam Tranter
It’s the professional event for amateurs. This year’s London-Paris Cycle Tour includes features such as rolling road closures and mechanical support that is usually only provided to the pros. It's now available to everyone, but that won't stop the leanest and meanest riders making the legs hurt. Nothing ever changes there.
It’s hard to know what to expect when covering 600km over three days. We all share the sense of satisfaction through achievement, it’s in our nature, but dealing with fatigue day-after-day, especially when the going gets tough is something most of us aren’t programmed for.
It may be a difficult challenge but riders just keep coming back for more. Whether it’s your first time or you’re back once again on the long road to Paris, we have some tips from the top to help you get through.
Professional women’s cyclist and Commonwealth medallist, Emma Davies Jones has been providing her expertise to rider’s on the L2P training camps. Jones has just returned from the Het Volk classic and shares a few tips for the Tour with Adam Tranter.
With 185km, 210km and 201km stages, how can riders prepare for the fatigue that is to be expected in the actual event?
There is no amount of training that can prepare you for the type of distances that you ride in L2P. It’s really the same as the London Marathon, many people train as much as possible but there is nothing that prepares them for the actual event.
Riders just have to follow a simple training programme and try and fit in as much training as possible. If you can survive a weekend of two 4.5hr rides then you should be at a reasonable level. Remember that L2P actually run training runs weeks before the event so that you can find your level for the event itself.
To help with the fatigue that is going to happen, riders should make sure that they are always well fuelled up. If the body starts to run low on energy then you will feel the fatigue quicker. Keep the body hydrated and fuelled up as much as possible before, during and after riding.
Day two brings a real test for the riders as the Tour heads toward the cobbled area near cycling’s ‘Hell of the North’ – Being a regular rider on Belgium’s cobbled areas, do you have any tips for the competitors?
To ride cobbles well there is a definite technique but in some riders it is inbuilt and some it isn’t and they struggle. You should never ride too big a gear. Some people hear the theory that you should ride a big gear and just put it in the biggest gear possible. That’s a mistake and they end up loosing momentum then just bounce on the cobbles. So remember to use a gear that will keep your revs around 90-100rpm.
Also never grip your bars too tight. You end up trying to steer the bike and that never works. You should hold the bars on the top and loosely, just let the bike go where it wants to. Steer from your shoulders as you look ahead to find the easiest path.
The next truth is that don’t always think that riding in the gutter where there may be smooth tarmac is not always the easiest option. This is where most people crash as they try and get on and off the cobbles and pick up punctures. The easiest and best sections are usually straight down the middle of the cobbles!
What tips could you take from your stage-racing experience to pass onto the London-Paris riders when they’re off the bike?
Do as little as possible! Try and stay off your feet and rest and relax. Also keep your energy levels up by eating little but often. Also recently I have found that ‘SKINS’ are great as they really help get rid of the lactic acid, and get rid of that heavy leg feeling the day after.
And what's this about Flanders?
I've had an easy week off the bike while I've been working for Eurosport at the World Track Championships. I'm picking it back up now and looking forward to seeing how it pans out when I race at the women's Tour of Flanders with my team, Swift Racing. It starts in my home town of Oudenaarde, so it will be very exciting! There's no rest as I'm riding the route again as part of my Cobbled Classics cycle tour shortly after.