What The Hell Was That? (Final Tour De France Wrap Up!)

Get Fast Podcast, Ep 49, with Gerard and Jordan Donnelly

A race leader with 59 seconds in hand lost the Tour de France in the final time trial, and the lessons apply to any cyclist or triathlete. Ride your own race, warm up properly and use your numbers to set up your best effort. Train your threshold, and keep going when things go wrong.

How can a leader lose a race in one time trial?

Gerard's answer is "it's never just one thing". A 21-year-old in second place had nothing to lose and took 10 to 15 seconds in the first 5km. The leader rode too hard at the start trying to stop the gap growing, and was in the red zone before the climb. He lost a minute 20 on the hill.

A poor warm-up and the pressure of being one stage from winning added to it.

Should you chase someone who is taking time off you?

Gerard's coaching advice is to ride your own race. Defending a lead is a tough call, but he wouldn't risk the whole event chasing a young rider who could blow up on the climb.

The better example was Richie Porte. He rode to his numbers, went second fastest up the hill, and reckoned it was the best time trial he'd executed.

If people ride past you at the start of an Ironman bike leg, let them go. You'll see them again at 140km, while you hold the same pace. He says he has been "the biggest fool" at this himself.

How should you warm up for a time trial?

Finish with at least five minutes before your start. Gerard was "horrified" to see the leader still on the trainer with less than two minutes to go, at 26 degrees, with his helmet on. Your head is one of the places you lose heat.

Gerard writes the gap into TriVelo programs. Stop, stand up and walk around so the blood moves. When you get back on the bike, you'll feel fresh.

You can't blame the result on the warm-up alone, but it all adds up.

Should you ride your best effort without a power meter?

Use the numbers to get there first. The winner rode to his numbers until the climb, then rode the hill all out without a power meter. Gerard's view is that the power meter is what let him go full gas from the bottom.

Jordan's point is that numbers can limit you mentally, because you can look down and decide you can't hold it. Gerard's answer is that on a personal best day, "you want to see new numbers".

Why train threshold if you never race a time trial?

Because time trialling is "the bread and butter of triathlon". In a club race, you want to be able to attack your bunch and ride solo for five minutes. Without threshold work, Gerard says, you'll last a minute 30 and blow up.

One Tour rider countered in a breakaway of 10 strong riders, all on their limit. He said it was a weak attack, but they hesitated and he won solo.

Keep it balanced. You also need endurance, speed, sprinting and bunch riding. Work on your weaknesses, but not at the expense of what's going well.

Should you pull out if you can't win?

Gerard isn't a big advocate of it. He has kept going in races when he was out of contention, out of respect for the event and his sport. It can cost you, because you may go deeper than you wanted to, especially in an Ironman. A crash is a fair reason to stop.

The precedent is what worries him: "if I can't win I'm not going to finish". Riding flat out for 50km of a 120km race and then stopping won't get you used to the distance.

What if your race has already gone wrong?

Keep going. "It's never over until it's over." Richie Porte lost a minute 30 on a crosswind day and had punctures, including one on gravel when rivals attacked. He rode his way back and finished third. Jordan notes he's only the second Australian to reach the Tour podium.

Related

• How we coach cyclists
• How we coach triathletes
• How we coach Ironman athletes
• Real athlete results
• Apply for coaching