It is that time of year again: Grand Tours are back. After a cracking Spring Classics season, the Giro d’Italia started last week, and the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España are only weeks away.
There are many reasons why Grand Tours are so exciting, but it all lies in the demanding aspect of them: three weeks of daily stages, covering all types of terrain, with only two to three rest days. On top of the physical side of the race, it is key for riders to deal with the mental demands, too.
So how do cyclists get through this gruelling race? Our performance psychologists explain what it takes…
Although only one rider can wear each jersey at the end, it’s the team effort that makes a winner. Without support from the team, the coaches, the domestiques, the soigneurs and everyone else behind the scenes, the riders would not be successful.
Each rider has a job in the team, and to be successful, each rider must embrace it. With only one overall contender, the team has to learn to put their pride aside and do the job they’ve been set to do. For highly competitive and performant athletes, this is harder than it sounds! They have to recognise that they will personally not win this Grand Tour, but they have to work hard and put their skills forward for someone else.
This is also true of teams who aren’t aiming for a spot on the General Classification. With such a variation in terrain throughout the race, to have a shot at stage wins or other jerseys, each rider is going to need to know when to take the lead and when to work for others.
It’s a race full of sacrifice and knowing when to step up and when to step back. Experts say that having your team members riding in front of you to cut the wind can save between 20-40% of energy – sometimes, a stage is won only because that energy was saved throughout the previous week, and victorious riders have their teammates to thank for it.
But how do you really embrace your role?
Like any major sports event, teams can’t approach a Grand Tour without knowing what their goal is.
Some are aiming to lead the General Classification, whilst others may just be hoping to win certain stages, or have their eye on the sprinters and king of the mountain jerseys. Goals can also include the Combativity Award (where a rider has shown a fighting spirit) and Team Classification (the collective time of the three highest-placed riders from each squad), or even simply getting in as many breakaways as possible.
With teams having such different goals, it’s important to know what success looks like for your team, so you know when to expend effort, and when to save it for a key moment. This will also decide how to train for the event months in advance, so getting it right is important.
How can you do goal setting right?
Over the 21 days of a Grand Tour, so much can happen that will require teams to change their goals. A great example of that is the surprise abandon from Miguel Ángel López, one of the pre-race favourites, on Stage 4 of this Giro, requiring his team to completely shift their plan.
Having a goal requires the ability to adapt adapt it throughout the race. Just as we tell our athletes: goals must be flexible. Being able to monitor, tweak and amend your goals is the hallmark of a mature learner and leader and of a successful team. This will also help maintain motivation within the team over the training period and the three weeks of the race.
This can also happen in much shorter time frames, such as having to deal with crashes up ahead or staying updated on the time gap to the breakaway. Whether through the ear piece, on the bike or on the team bus, communication between the team manager, DSs and riders or among riders themselves is key to adapting effectively.
How can you adapt your goals?
Studies have revealed that cyclists hit endurance limit in multi-day races such as the Tour de France. These cyclists have to work beyond the point of comfort, pushing their legs to carry on pedalling and fighting the desire to stop.
In endurance events such as these, the athlete’s mind has to ignore the body’s pleas and continue sending signals to keep working at that same level of effort. The mind is the key component to being able to carry on, and it’s critical to any success you can achieve.
So how can you develop that mindset?
The cyclists in the Grand Tours are like no other, fighting with their minds to keep going for 21 days. They fight for their team and for their leader, working together to push each other to be the best.
Here at InnerDrive, we respect each and every one of the athletes that ride in the Grand Tours, pushing their bodies to the limit and making the ultimate sacrifice for their leaders.
Want to develop that mindset to help you push through endurance events? Get in touch with our team of sport and performance psychologists to chat about how we can help.