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I was driving the Tour de France to explore its influence on the human body – that’s what I learned
Jul
Tour de France It is often called the largest annual sports event in the world. Every July to 12 million people compensate for their stay, while a cumulative television audience TOP 3 billion viewers in 190 countries.
In 2025, 184 riders will compete In eight teams, a 3500 km penalty route races with almost 50,000 meters of climbing – more or less Mount Everest height six times. At 21 stages The riders deal with time trials, flat sprints and brutal pass through the Alps, Pyreneje and Massif Central.
Professional cyclists have extraordinary strength and are able to generate high output power overnight. However, despite much less training and support, in recent years many amateur cyclists began to ride a few days before professionals. Route 21 It is one of such efforts and offers cyclists a chance to follow traces of elite tires while collecting money.
In 2021 I joined 19 others to drive a full route, supporting Healwith the common goal of gathering 1 million pounds for blood cancer research. As blood cancer Survivor diagnosed at the age of 16, this challenge combined my love to ride a bicycle, my experience in learning and a deep desire to give the community that helped me save my life. It was also a unique opportunity to examine how amateur cyclists deal with one of the most demanding endurance events in the world.
Research results were published in Journal of Science and Cyclingrun down from 2025 Big start (Official beginning of the race) in Lille.
Training for the impossible
Originally planned study included laboratory physiological assessments of amateur cyclists undertaking the Tour de France route, but Pandemia Covid-19 forced us to adapt and rely on data from training diaries. This gave us an insight into how much (or miniature) training moved to the ride and how riders managed the physical and mental load during the event itself.
While professional cyclists usually train 20-25 hours a week at height, with adapted coaching and racing schedules-a group of amateurs had a full-time job, was usually 15-20 years older than professionals and trained about seven to ten hours a week.
Our preparation was far from the perfect, on average 47 km for ride and 350 meters of climbing; A fraction of what the trip requires. In fact, it was less than 10% of the required climbing at mountain stages.
After starting driving, the contrast between training and reality was clear. A group of an average of almost seven hours a day, which is an raise of 300% compared to a regular routine. During four days, signs of overtraining began to appear: the riders were no longer able to raise their heart rate, the classic marker of the tiredness of the central nervous system and excessive physical stress.
As the days passed, the performance indicators continued to decrease: heart drops, power dropped, and the mood results deteriorated. Cumulative fatigue was undeniable.
Surprising when we compared our amateur data to Indexes of professional ridersWe found that although professionals ride at much higher power, amateurs were subject to greater relative stress. On some days they spent almost twice time in the saddle, which meant that they acted closer to their physical borders, much less time for recovery – and often not optimal sleep and nutrition.
Last week, many riders could no longer produce the same power they had during the first few days. In some cases, the heart rate would not raise above 100 beats per minute – a clear sign of accumulated fatigue and physiological overload.
How to prepare for the Ultra-Tach challenge
If you plan to take a vast endurance event – regardless of whether it is about cycling, running or wandering – these are some lessons from the road:
1. Train to the event specially
Your training should primarily reflect the challenge. For the route, this meant preparation for a long, one after the second day with significant climbing. Imitate the intensity, volume and area as close as possible.
2. Understand how quickly he builds fatigue
For many days, fatigue not only accumulates – it is related. Listen to your body, adapt your plan and attach a lot of recovery.
3. Priority nutrition and recovery
These two factors can perform or overcome performance. You need to consume enough energy to drive your effort, but avoid excessive consumption, which leads to unnecessary weight gain. Recovery – through sleep, rest and refueling – is equally necessary.
4. Work with an experienced trainer
More than fancy bikes or technologically advanced equipment, a good coach is the best investment. They can support adapt your training plan, track progress and adapt the strategy if necessary. Do not underestimate this support.
Driving to remember
Completing the Tour de France route is a monumental achievement for every cyclist – amateur or pro. In 2021, our team not only traveled a full route, but also collected over 1 million pounds for leukemia. For me it was a deeply personal milestone in my cancer journey.
During these 21 days I often thought about physical and emotional battles that I met during treatment; Moments when I didn’t know if I would survive, let alone driving in France. This experience gave me resistance to continuation, even when my body shouted to stop.
Driving on the route taught me that we are capable of much more than we are, especially when we go with the goal.
