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The Power Behind a Tour de France Sprint Win: The Champs-Élysées

In the 2023 Tour de France, Jasper Philipsen, riding for the INSCYD partner Alpecin-Deceuninck team, has demonstrated his sprinting prowess by securing four stage wins and six podium finishes. Philipsen’s victories don’t stop there. He has been utterly dominant in the 2023 Tour de France, especially in the bunch sprints. Here’s what it takes to win these historical stages of a 3-week bike race.

In addition to his stage victories and podium finishes, Philipsen was the winner of the points classification, making him the holder of the green jersey. He was the strongest figure in the bunch, taking a clean sweep of the green jersey competition. Standing on the podium in the green jersey was an amazing feeling for him.

The Alpecin-Deceuninck team has a unique approach to preparing for key races like the Tour de France. They leverage the power of INSCYD’s performance analysis to understand the physiological capabilities of their riders, like Jasper Philipsen, and tailor their training programs accordingly. 

Coaches, are you interested in understanding how INSCYD can help improve your athletes’ training programs? Book a free call with the INSCYD team to learn more.

This preparation is crucial in achieving victories in such demanding stages. Watch the virtual lecture about how Alpecin-Deceuninck preparation strategy in INSCYD College.

Despite his impressive performance, Philipsen did not win the sprint finish on the Champs-Élysées in 2023. The sprint was won by Meeus, with Philipsen, Dylan Groenewegen, and Mads Pedersen following. So let’s dive into the insights of winning cycling’s most prestigious sprint.

Before you can even participate in the Tour de France sprint on the Champs-Élysées, you need to survive 20 other stages that include long days in the saddle and hard, steep climbs. Obviously, this is not something pure sprinters eat for breakfast. But once arrived on the Champs-Élysées, the sprint is all that matters.

Let’s gain a unique INSCYD into the energetics of winning cycling’s most prestigious sprint…

Up to 1900 watts of maximum power , or Tour de France sprint watts, is what sprinters like Jasper Philipsen need to produce to win a sprint. How can this be done?  How do those top athletes produce this high power output?

Thanks to being the secret weapon in the arsenal of high performance sports organizations in the past decade,  INSCYD  has exclusive access to data of worlds best sporting performances.

Today we’re going to dive deeper into the sprint of the Tour de France 2016. André Greipel allowed us to share his data of his winning performance on this final stage.

To recap the sprint, here’s a short video:

The sprint power numbers are as follows:

Before the actual sprint

In the final 4 minutes before the sprint, André Greipel averages 424 Watt. More important then the average value are the many spikes of power. For a few seconds, he had to push up to 920 Watt to fight for his position and accelerate out of corners.

The actual sprint itself

A first push of 1000W can be seen before André turns off behind the man in front of him and starts his own sprint. André uses a double punch technique: his 1st acceleration sees him reaching 1510 Watt. The 2nd punch follows 4 sec later and shows a massive 1700 Watt of peak power.

How can an endurance athlete produce such high power numbers?

Lets have a closer look into Andrés muscle energetics during the last sprint of the Tour de France. 

Energetics before the sprint:

424 Watt is an effort that is covered mostly be aerobic energy supply. At 80kg of body weight and a VO2max of approx. 78 ml/min/kg , Andrés aerobic power equals approximately 525 Watt.

The 424 Watt during the final 4 min before the sprint start, accounts for approx. 81 % of his aerobic capacity (424 ÷ 525 x 100%).

The frequently occurring spikes of  high power  are covered mostly by the use of creatine phosphate. Only a small amount of energy is covered by glycolysis and thereby lactate production.

Here’s how to determine the best training intensity to increase your (athlete’s) VO2max

Measuring VO2max is not confined to the lab. With the right approach, it can be calculated outside the lab, providing valuable insights into an athlete’s aerobic fitness. This information is crucial for athletes like Jasper Philipsen, who need to maintain high levels of endurance throughout the Tour de France. Discover how to measure VO2max outside the lab here .

Energetics during the sprint

During the first 4 sec of the sprint, the usage of creatine phosphate still contributes to 30% of the power output. However the energy supply from glycolysis rapidly increase, contributing to 60% of the power output by the end of the sprint.

Here are 5 tips to increase your (athlete’s) glycolytic energy system

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How fit are Tour de France riders?

What does it really take to race, finish, and even win the world's toughest endurance sport event?

Words: Nick Busca

Photos: Getty Images

To cycle 3,328 km in 21 days (with only two days of rest), you need to be incredibly fit. What's more, you need to be even fitter to cycle that length at an average speed of 40kph. And to survive the 48,859 metres of vertical elevation spread along the course, you must be in the best shape of your life.

But how fit do professional riders need to be if they want to ride the Grande Boucle and finish it, let alone win it?

Have they done it before?

"The first, most obvious step is knowing if a rider can race a three-week stage race because that's quite a unique physical demand, and they need to get through that in a good way," explains Dajo Sanders, sport scientist and coach for the DSM pro cycling team. 

Related: How fast is the Tour de France?

If a rider has already completed a Grand Tour or a shorter stage race, that is a suitable starting parameter. But what about other riders who have not completed one yet? And what is the demand, in general?

Aerobic powerhouse

But then, within the peloton, we know there are different types of riders: GC contenders, breakaway specialists, time triallists, and sprinters. Do they all need to match the same requirements? Yes and no.

Related: One kilo a day. What riders eat on hard, Alpine stages at the Giro

"We look at a multitude of metrics, but how we interpret those numbers depends a lot on what their main role is," explains Sanders.

And, also very importantly, all types of riders need to produce their best power outputs in a race scenario because it's pretty different to do it when they're fresh and when there's the onset of fatigue. As Sanders and other researchers  showed last year with this study , what separates the best riders from the rest of the peloton is the ability to maintain a high power output after accumulating high workloads.

Different physiology, different metrics

In training, if a rider has not completed a Grand Tour, or if they have and are still fighting for the spot in the team, Sanders and his colleagues look at several metrics. For example, for sprinters, they look at their ability to perform well aerobically for several hours, but also at their max 10-15 sec power output at the end of long training rides.

Related: The hardest climbs of the Tour de France

But to win a Tour de France, a rider needs to be complete and perform well in time trials, too. "To have this information we look at the power they're able to produce for long durations in relation to their aerodynamic drag," explains Sanders.

The data and numbers

Although being chosen is a process that takes into account the practical knowledge of the rider and their specialisation, there is certainly a lot of data analysis behind the selection of Tour de France riders, too.

Related: High-tech training and racing. A round up of the best software for metabolic testing

"A basic but good first gauge to get an idea about someone's ability to tolerate a high workload, like within a Grand Tour, is their annual training volume -  the number of hours they have trained in a year and for several years,"  he says. And that's why coaches are quite cautious of launching juniors into a Grand Tour.

Related: What is FTP and how can you improve it?

"We also look at individuals' fresh power profile, their ability to produce power across various durations, and the profile after previously accumulating workload," he says. "Then we add these to the training hours and have a good idea if someone's ready  to be competitive within a GT."

VO2max and thresholds

Although it's hard to determine whether someone is fit for a GT from a VO2max value or lactate threshold alone, Sanders still points out a range of values he has seen over the years in his career, which has been reported in the scientific literature too.

"There's  a study on Chris Froome  showing a relative VO2max of 84 millilitres per kilogram per minute, or 5.9 litres per minute absolute," he says. "And there's  another study  on Tour de France riders, showing them ranging between 79 and 86. A study that came out last week showed that top-five Giro riders had VO2max ranging between 80 and 82. So from that perspective, the suggestion is that if you want to win the Tour de France, you need to have a VO2max of a minimum of 80 millilitres per kilogram per minute."

Related: What is VO2max, why is it important and how can you improve it?

It is a little more challenging to talk about watts per kilo, as riders tend to obsess about this metric, which can lead to other issues or question marks around some performances. Plus, metrics are always contextual, as heat, fatigue, and freshness can drastically change these values.

Related: Recover and race smart. High Carty on how to beat fatigue in a Grand Tour

Once again, though, previous studies can give a better overview – although still a limited one. In this case, it was a study on  Tom Dumoulin's best years as a GT contender .

Related: Tour de France 2022, stages and route

Finally, calculating power outputs from other values without having the actual power profile would be a massive generalisation and would not provide enough context for a rider's performance.

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You versus a Tour de France cyclist: Why power measurement is important?

Power is the rate at which energy is used (energy over time) and is measured in watts.

In cycling, energy is expressed in terms of work. It’s a constant snapshot of your work rate at any given moment. It’s the building block from which all power-based training flows.

A watt is a watt, whether on a bike or powering your home. So when Marcel Kittel unleashes 1,900 watts in a sprint, he could essentially power two houses at normal consumption level. Another comparison: 1 horsepower is 746 watts.

For decades, cyclists measured their performance by looking at miles per hour or heart rate. In the 1990s, elite cyclists switched to measuring their power output in watts. Since the late 1980s, companies including SRM, Powertap and Ergomo have made these devices, which measure the deflection of the crank arm using minuscule gauges or in some cases employ a specialized wheel hub.

A handlebar computer displays and stores the data. Whereas an average cyclist can produce 100 watts, a pro cyclist can average 400 watts over the final hour of a Tour de France stage.

Training intensity is the toughest variable to measure. Speed is a poor measure, as it relates more to terrain and wind. Heart rates provide a rough gauge, but they vary in response to temperature, humidity, altitude, hydration, fatigue, caffeine intake and exercise duration.

Energy delivered to the pedals and measured in watts measures the intensity of your work. Measuring power allows you to monitor your training, characterize your practice course, assess your aerodynamic sleekness and drag, and assist in pacing.

Wattage figures measure the work of applying energy to the pedals but not the total physiological energy expended to perform the task. Cyclists are about 21 to 24 percent efficient in converting chemical energy to mechanical energy during cycling, so a cyclist riding at 250 watts is expending metabolic energy at a rate of nearly 1,000 watts, or 1 horsepower.

The advantage of power monitoring is that “watts don’t lie,” writes Selene Yeager in “Every Woman’s Guide to Cycling.” Wattage figures stay exact, unlike heart rate. If you ride your standard circuit and average 160 watts where before you only managed 125, you have gotten stronger, she indicates.

To measure your wattage, you warm up and ride for 20 minutes at the highest power you can maintain. You reduce that number by 5 percent to arrive at your lactate threshold power, which is the wattage you can maintain for about an hour. With your coach, you then set up training zones of varying duration and watts.

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How to Analyze a Tour de France Power File

TrainingPeaks co-founder and power expert Dirk Friel shares the secrets of how he analyzes a Tour de France power file.

It wasn’t long ago that race fans didn’t have any insight into what the data of professional cyclists in the Tour de France looked like. As a major cycling fan and data geek myself, I always wondered what kind of numbers the Tour riders were putting out. Today, through the efforts of power meters and software companies like TrainingPeaks, we have a very clear picture of what it takes to compete in the world’s biggest bike race.

At TrainingPeaks, we have been longtime advocates for making cycling more transparent, but many of the riders themselves are also starting to question why race data has been held so secretive for so for long. Several riders in the peloton have taken it upon themselves to freely share their race data, sometimes within minutes of crossing the finish line.

Race analysis is also starting to evolve as cycling fans become more sophisticated and knowledgeable about how to watch bike races. To the inexperienced eye, cycling may look like a boring or confusing sport, but to the avid fan, it’s a chess match on wheels with endless variables that can disrupt the best of strategies—or the strongest of riders.

How Power Data Helps to Tell the Story

Race data can give us an inside view into the results as well as foreshadow the next day’s events. The numbers give depth to the story and can reveal the reasons a team’s plans were disrupted. This shows up as peak power values set early in the stage, which creates a dark and dismal final hour of racing. Likewise, a power file can reveal a hero, such as when a teammate comes to the rescue and takes on the workload to help their leader save energy for the finishing climb. What did it take for our hero to save the day? Was it their hardest effort of the race? Could they have gone even harder? These are questions and answers that can only be revealed through the numbers.

I liken race data and the ability it gives us to create richer post-race analysis to the kind of game day coverage we’ve become accustomed to within the big three American sports: football, basketball and baseball. These sports track stats and dive into the numbers during and after each game. Halftime is a time to analyze the stats of the star players and make second-half predictions. Post-game shows summarize the stats and reveal an extra layer that wasn’t evident during the game itself. What was the quarterback rating? Who had the most assists?

As you come across race-day files from the pros during this year’s Tour de France, you can do your own analysis as if you were the expert cycling commentator. Take a look at the stats and see what conclusions you come to. There’s no exact science when it comes to analyzing power files, but here are a few things I’ve picked up over the years that may help you make sense of this year’s power data from the Tour.

TSS ® and IF ®

Duration and the Training Stress Score ® (TSS ® ) of the race is one of the first things I look at. This helps me determine how hard the race was. 100 TSS denotes an all-out, 100 percent effort for 60 minutes. As a rule of thumb, you can’t accumulate more than 100 TSS points an hour. TSS also tells me a little about the rider’s Functional Threshold Power (FTP) settings.

The TSS accumulated within the stage can show how hard it will be to recover from the day. As a general rule, Joe Friel calls 150 TSS the threshold for a “hard workout.” Anything over 300 TSS will be tough to recover from and certainly be felt for days to come. You can also look at the Intensity Factor ® (IF ® ) of the race to determine how intense this athlete’s effort was the day, relative to their FTP. A very hard race will have an Intensity Factor of .75 or higher.

One great example of a 300+ TSS day and a race that produced an IF of higher than .75 is former Tinkoff rider Michael Rogers’ stage 16 victory at the 2014 Tour. His amazing effort brought him a big win on a very tough day in the saddle.

Peak 20-minute Power

By taking a quick look at the rider’s Peak 20-minute Power value of the day, you can get a sense of how intense the rider raced. We choose 20 minutes because riders rarely ever race 100 percent for 60 minutes, but they do race at 95 to 100 percent for 20 minutes on climbs. So you can get a good indication of FTP by looking at their peak 20-minute power output.

For their peak 20-minutes, I look at both their watts and watts/kg, a measure of their power to weight ratio. Don’t get fooled into looking at the absolute watts value, as two riders may produce the same watts but that may mean dramatically different watts per kilogram (w/kg). Your w/kg determines your speed as all else being equal, the higher the watts or the lower the weight, the faster the rider will go.

A quick look at peak 20-minute watts/kg can tell you how hard the rider went on the climbs. Quite a few top climbers in the Tour de France can ride right at or slightly above 6.0w/kg for 20 minutes. If their peak 20 minutes was less than 5.5 w/kg, they were well within their limit.

Power Trends

How does the power trend look within the file? This can tell you if the rider raced hard in the first half of the race (maybe trying to get into a breakaway) or in the last quarter of the race. On the big, important stages the team leaders will ramp up their intensity so they are going harder at the end than they are at the beginning in an effort to stay with, or get away from their rivals. Riders going for a stage victory or who help protect their team leaders tend to put out their max power values in the first half of the stage and then just ride to get to the finish line. This can be different on sprint days, where max values for almost everyone are found near the end as the peloton stays together for the sprint finish and the average speeds ramp up at the end with attacks.

For a time trial, I usually start by comparing average and Normalized Power ® (NP ® ) for the first versus the second half. I may also do this sometimes for long, key climbs. I also look for segments with obvious surges or “burnt matches” (significant efforts over threshold) that could denote attacks from the peloton or a rider trying to make a break.

The Role of the Rider

The role the rider plays within the team determines a lot when it comes to analyzing the data. I take a look at when Peak Power values occur in the file to see when the rider was working hardest. As mentioned earlier, a team leader will tend to put out higher power values near the end of the stage as they race for precious seconds, while team domestiques (helpers) may put out their peak power values well before the finish line in an effort to help their team leaders.

When you see a domestique cranking out over 10 w/kg to lead out their team leader for a potential win, and then see the power drop as they “pull the plug” and roll into the finish once their job is done, it really becomes apparent just how much of a team sport cycling is. An example of this can be seen in Lotto-Belisol rider Greg Henderson’s file from Stage 4 of the 2012 Tour, when he cranked out 9.5 w/kg in the final minute to bring Andre Greipel across the line for the win.

Flat tires and bad luck can also sometimes be viewed within a file as a rider may have to chase back on after a crash or a flat. Instances like these can zap their energy and can cause time loss near the end if a chase created too much fatigue.

Variability Index

Variability Index (VI) is primarily a metric you may want to take a look at when analyzing time trials. Variability Index indicates how smooth the rider paced their effort. The more evenly they produced power, the closer to 1.0 their VI will be. This is very evident in uphill time trials where there isn’t a lot of variation between the peak power outputs and the average watts. In fact, the formula for calculating VI is simply NP divided by average power. NP is an estimate of the power you could’ve maintained for the same physiological “cost” if your power output had been perfectly constant, and it provides a better measure of the true physiological demands of an effort by taking into account any power surges.

You will see a higher VI if a time trial is flat and has a lot of corners which demands a lot of power spikes as the rider negotiates turns and powers back up to speed. In general, the lower the VI the better job the rider has done in pacing their time trial. However, a team time trial would invariably have a large VI since the riders are taking turns on the front where they have huge power spikes alternated by lower power values when sitting in the draft.

Now it’s Your Turn

Just as every stage in the Tour will be different, no two power analyses are the same, and different people can look at the same file and see different points to highlight. This is just a quick primer on some of the numbers I typically look at, but it should provide a basis for starting to look at pro power files and drawing your own interesting observations about “the story of the day.”

Ultimate Century Training Guide

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This guide is designed to be used as you train for a century, with in-depth information on every part of the process. Each chapter is packed with tips, workouts, and insights from expert cycling coaches, to give you all the tools you need to succeed.

Dirk Friel is co-founder and Chief Evangelist of TrainingPeaks and Peaksware. Dirk has been helping age-group athletes, Olympians and World Champions track, analyze and plan their training for more than 20 years.

How Does a Tour de France Sprint Work?​

​Your guide to the organized chaos that is a Tour de France sprint finish

(For more cycling tips and secrets explained, subscribe to Bicycling magazine today!)

Catching the Break

We have a whole separate piece on the breakaway , but we’ll recap shortly here: primary responsibility for holding a steady gap to a breakaway lies with the race leader’s team. But protocol, sportsmanship, whatever you want to call it, holds that on days that are likely sprint finishes, sprinters’ teams also contribute a rider each to the chase. They may contribute more than one as the race goes on, particularly if the break is proving more unruly than expected and harder to catch.

The riders who perform this thankless task are as essential as they are invisible –sturdy rouleurs like Lotto-Soudal’s Adam Hansen, who can put out dependably high power for hours on end.

RELATED:  How to Watch the Tour de France

The 2017 Tour is the first in history to have all stages broadcast start to finish; typically, broadcasts would show only the final two or so hours, meaning that the yeoman’s work of holding a steady gap takes place entirely outside the TV audience’s view. When you see riders from teams like Lotto-Soudal, Quick Step and Katusha finishing far down the standings in the “grupetto” even on flat stages , remember: they’re not out of shape or sick; they just did a lot of work early in the race that you didn’t see.

As the race gets closer to the finish, the pace creeps up. An ideal catch comes with roughly 10-20 km to go. Once the catch is made, the sprinters’ teams will keep the pace very high, to discourage counterattacks from developing. At this point, the race will be traveling at about 50 kilometers an hour.

Catching a Train

With about 10km to go, you'll see the team “trains” start to form. These are four-to-six rider pacelines that move to the front of the peloton and lift the pace even higher. There are three goals: discourage breakaways by holding a pace so fast that solo riders can’t get clear; keep their team’s designated sprinter protected up front, where there’s less risk of crashes; and keep that sprinter in good position for the final showdown.

RELATED: Peter Sagan Disqualified from Tour de France After Crash with Mark Cavendish

Early on in a train, the sprinter’s teammates will rotate through a paceline, trading pulls, but from 10km down to about 1km to go is a chaotic time in the race. One team will hit the front hard with five riders, and things will briefly organize behind them. Then another team’s train will come forward and overhaul the first. Or the first train will somehow disintegrate as one or more riders discovers that they don’t actually have the legs that day to produce the supra-threshold efforts they need to.

Power files, which you’ll sometimes see posted to training sites like Strava or TrainingPeaks or SRM, can be fascinating ways to understand this crucial point in the race. In 2016, SRM analyzed Stage 1 power for Christophe LaPorte, the leadout man for Cofidis who became the team’s sprinter when Nacer Bouhanni didn’t start; LaPorte’s mean power for the last three kilometers was 499 watts, with an average speed of 68 kph. In the last 2km, it jumps to a massive 607 watts— and keep in mind that as a leadout rider those values are largely before the final, frenzied 30-second bunch sprint.

RELATED: Every Stage of the 2017 Tour de France Analyzed  

Catch the Right Wheel

As these trains duel, crashes are a constant risk as riders jostle and bump for position. Remember that one of the roles of a train is to keep a sprinter in protected position, especially in the final two kilometers, when the train leads out the sprint. A leadout works like a single-pull paceline, where each rider in line does a max-effort pull and then swerves off and fades back into the pack— kind of like segments coming off of a launching rocket when their fuel is spent. At the end of the line is the sprinter, who will sit relatively protected from the wind until the final 200 meters, when he opens his own sprint. (Again, protection from the wind is relative here, as you can see from LaPorte’s power numbers the last few minutes of the race.)

RELATED: The 2017 Tour de France's Green Jersey Competition Is Wide Open

Leadout trains can seem like fine-tuned machines, but there’s a lot that can go wrong. A sprinter can get bumped off the wheel of his teammate and lose contact with his train. He can get squeezed and have to brake, and lose precious position in the pack (sprinters want to be in the top 20 or so riders entering the final kilometer). Or the train itself may lose momentum if even one rider is tired and can’t sustain quite the same pace. And of course, there’s also usually a fight to get on the back wheel of whichever sprinter is thought to have the best form or chance that day.

Trains can form and fall apart in the matter of seconds, even as the race shifts and morphs all around like a murmuration of starlings. Complicating things is that not all sprinters have leadout trains. You’ll see BMC’s Greg Van Avermaet , for example, mixing it up in some sprint finishes, but his team is focused on protecting overall contender Richie Porte , not delivering him to the front.

RELATED: Stage 5 Daily Dish: Why Was BMC on the Front?

When the television coverage switches to an overhead shot, particularly right after the finish when they show a slow-motion replay, watch for the green jersey as he looks for the right wheels to follow and tries not to get boxed in between two slower riders, or between a rider and the barriers. Watch also for the way that these riders fight to defend a position, or take it from another rider. Live and at full speed, it’s easy to miss; it’s often easier to see during the replay. But the little nudges with the head, dropping an elbow over another rider’s elbow to assert position, or shouldering past another rider are, as much as raw power, the stuff of which great sprinting is made. Sprinters' bike-handling skills are literally marvelous.

Catch a Win

Into the last 500 meters, typically the trains have been reduced to maybe one teammate, in the throes of a final, desperate, hypoxic lunge. This is the leadout rider. The leadout is a decent sprinter (like LaPorte, or Dimension Data’s peerless Mark Renshaw), but their value lies in producing an acceleration that is almost as high as their teammate can muster. At the last possible moment, the sprinter slingshots out of the draft and goes around the leadout for the win. That’s the theory, anyway. If everything in your leadout train goes perfectly to plan, you might win 30 percent of the time (that’s according to Rolf Aldag, a former leadout man who’s now a director at Dimension). That’s what riders like Quick Step’s Marcel Kittel look for; Kittel in particular benefits from a textbook leadout; his team has one of the best and when it’s clicking, he’s tough to beat. (So is Lotto-Soudal’s Andre Greipel.)

RELATED: Marcel Kittel Wins 2017 Tour de France Stage 7 in Photo Finish

But leadout riders aren’t robots, and all sprints are different. Sometimes the train fizzles too far from the line, leaving a sprinter exposed to the wind. Or the sprinter mis-times his or her jump, going to early and flaming out, or going too late running out of real estate before the finish line comes. That’s when things get messy. Stages that finish on slight climbs , or into headwinds, are notorious for messy sprints. At that moment, it’s every sprinter for himself, and that’s where riders like Sagan and Cavendish excel.

The winning margins in sprints are sometimes so small that photo-finish cameras must be used to determine a winner. Stages have been won and lost by less than the width of a tire, which is why in the final few meters, you’ll see the riders throw their bikes forward toward the finish line.

Sprint stages overall aren’t always the most exciting to watch; sometimes the action can seem static, the tactics inscrutable. But there’s little in sports that surpasses the thrill of those last few frenzied kilometers: the catch, the leadouts and the final dash to the line.

RELATED: 14 Questions You've Always Had About the Tour de France

Sprint Trivia

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What is VO2 Max? Explaining Chris Froome's physiological testing data

How pros differ from Joes, how it can be improved and how it matters

This article first appeared on BikeRadar

LeMond: Froome 'within the realm of human performance' at Tour de France

Brailsford: Froome for the 2016 Tour de France and Landa for the Giro d'Italia

Wiggins doubts release of Froome's physiological data will change anything

Chris Froome: You can win the biggest bike races in the world clean

In light of Chris Froome releasing some of his physiological-testing data , many cycling fans are wondering what the VO2 Max metric actually refers to. Simply put, VO2 Max is a measurement of how much oxygen your body can use at maximal sustained output.

“The more oxygen your body can absorb the more power output it can make. Simple as that,” said professional cycling coach Frank Overton.

The range of VO2 Max, from Tour pro to average Joe

VO2 Max numbers range roughly from 40-90, with that number being milliliters of oxygen per kilogram of body weight per minute, or ml/kg/min.

Froome ’s claimed VO2 max numbers have ranged from 80.2-88.2, accounting for changes in weight.

“VO2 is both genetic and trainable and varies individually,” said Overton, who worked with the US national team before founding his own coaching business. “It is also affected by altitude, age and gender. The best riders have high VO2s genetically plus are able to push it higher with training. Us mere mortals have VO2s in the 50s, and our VO2 doesn't improve much with training.”

“Research says VO2 is about 80% genetic and the other 20% is trainable,” Overton said. “So if you have a VO2 of 50 off the couch, you probably shouldn't hold your breath for [Team Sky general manager Dave] Brailsford's call."

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>>   LeMond: Froome 'within the realm of human performance' at Tour de France >>  Vayer says Froome's supposed Ventoux data was leaked, not hacked >> Team Sky releases Froome's power data >> Lance Armstrong: Tour de France doping questions about Froome are ‘my fault’

How much can VO2 be altered by training?

To understand how VO2 can be improved — or not — it helps to understand what oxygen consumption means.

“Think of VO2 Max as a supply-and-demand of oxygen, transporting it from the lungs to working muscles,” said cycling coach Jeff Winkler. “Things that affect that are how well your lungs function at moving oxygen from the air into the blood, the stroke rate and volume of your heart, and capillary density. The demand is the rate that your muscles call for oxygen, a mitochondrial process.”

For untrained people, VO2 Max can be elevated by getting fit. For those who are already fit, VO2 Max gains are much harder to come by.

"An unfit person can improve stroke volume of their heart,” Winkler said. “As they exercise their heart gets bigger, stronger, and you have essentially improved part of the supply chain. You can move more blood and get more oxygen to the muscles. But every person has an innate limit.”

In the blood-doping heyday, EPO raised the VO2 Max of users because it increased the transport capacity of their blood.

For amateur riders new to the sport, cycling coach John Verhuel says people could see 10% gains going from untrained to trained.

“Keep in mind though that body weight is part of the equation, so if you maintain the same ability to process oxygen, but lose some weight, your VO2 Max measurement will increase,” Verheul said. “But there's certainly a genetic ceiling, thus the old #1 rule of success in endurance sports: Pick your parents correctly.”

VO2 Max isn’t the sole determiner of cycling success

Power-to-weight ratio is in most cases more crucial than vo2 max, part of the reason why power meters such as this stages unit are so crucial for training:

The measurement of maximal oxygen consumption is only part of the picture in cycling performance. For Tour de France winners like Froome, the key metric is the power-to-weight ratio over various durations, typically expressed as watts per kilogram. (Power-to-drag is also important, particularly in time trials.)

That's because to get up and over the mountains they must be able to sustain that power. It comes down to how long your fire can burn for, not how bright. Further, a high VO2 Max doesn’t necessarily mean high power-to-weight.

“The effort or power output at VO2 Max is something that you can’t sustain; it’s not fully aerobic,” Winkler said. “But as the percentage of your FTP [functional threshold power] creeps up closer to VO2, that’s where the story is. For example, take someone with a VO2 Max of 75 who can only do 60% of that at FTP, versus someone with a VO2 Max of 70 who can do 75%. That latter person will outperform the former consistently.”

Elite riders like Froome possess both extraordinarily high VO2 Max numbers and high aerobically sustainable power outputs. How to improve VO2 max through training

As Winkler illustrates above, just getting fit can improve the VO2 Max for most people as their cardiovascular conditioning improves. Once fit, VO2 Max training gets a lot harder.

“Pretty much any aerobic training, even just riding at zone two [roughly 60-74% of threshold power] will help train VO2 Max,” Verheul said. “Ideally, though, the most effective thing is probably to do intervals at an intensity that elicits VO2 Max. That is to say, go hard enough that your body hits the point where it is processing as much oxygen as it can, and then stay at that point for as much time as possible.”

Verheul recommends the following classic VO2 Max workout:

6 x 5 minutes @110-120% FTP w/ 3-4 minutes recovery

“The limited recovery time means you don't recover completely, and thus get more time at VO2 Max. In that workout, it will generally take about two minutes of the first interval to reach VO2 Max, meaning you're getting three minutes at VO2 Max. But subsequent intervals will only take 90s or less to reach that state, so more of the interval is spent at VO2 Max,” said Verheul, warning that such workouts are hard mentally and physically, and should be done sparingly. 

Other riders to release their data:

>> Bradley Wiggins (2009) >> Lance Armstrong (2009) >> Tom Dumoulin (2015)

Does the VO2 Max number matter?

Winkler remembers going to Spain as an athlete more than two decades ago, well before power meters were ubiquitous among the pro ranks.

“One of the first things I was directed to do was go into a lab and do a VO2 Max test,” Winkler said. “Directors made important decisions for the whole year of racing based on that single metric.”

In recent years, cycling stars like Mark Cavendish have demonstrated that such numbers aren’t everything .

Now, Winkler serves as the head coach of the University of Colorado’s cycling team, as well as a private coach for amateur athletes. In these positions, testing for VO2 Max doesn’t serve much purpose.

“If I was a national team coach, maybe, because a part of my job would be talent identification,” Winkler said. “But my role now, just to make someone better, not really. It could be a number to look at for progression purposes, okay. But in and of itself it doesn’t mean much.”  

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Tour de France

Tour de france power analysis: wet time trials and 40mph leadouts, an in-depth look at the data from mathieu van der poel, alexander kristoff, and quinn simmons..

Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! >","name":"in-content-cta","type":"link"}}'>Download the app .

In this column, we look at the power numbers of Mathieu van der Poel, Alexander Kristoff, and Quinn Simmons at the Tour de France .

The Danish grand depart was many years in the making, but the fans came out in force for the first three stages of this year’s race. Hundreds of thousands of fans lined the rain-soaked roads of Copenhagen during the stage 1 time trial and even more cheered the riders along from one day to the next.

There was a shock winner at the end of stage 1 with Yves Lampaert (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team) taking the win in favorable weather conditions, whereas a host of favorites trusted the misleading weather forecast. Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) was one of those favorites, and the Dutchman blasted down the start ramp faster than any rider I’ve ever seen.

• How to watch the Tour de France: Online, streaming, and on television
• Tour de France route map
• Tour de France essential race preview: Who will win the yellow jersey?
• Tour de France stage-by-stage guide

Most cyclists start their time trial with a measured effort – a hard sprint, but nothing close to their maximum. Van der Poel hit 1,200w with his first pedal stroke of the Tour de France and averaged over 1,000w for the first six seconds of his time trial.

Van der Poel – TT Start Time: 1:49 Average Power: 504w (6.7w/kg) Sprint down the starting ramp: 1043w (13.9w/kg) for six seconds Max Power: 1236w (16.5w/kg)

Stage 1 of the Tour de France was unique for its technicality in an individual time trial. In 13.2km, you could count somewhere between 22 and 28 corners through the city streets of Copenhagen – streets that are often covered in traffic markings and painted crosswalks. Each and every corner was treacherous.

Van der Poel made it safely around the course and finished in a time of 15 minutes and 30 seconds, which put him in the provisional hot seat. The Dutchman’s power file shows us that this was no ordinary TT – he has to coast for nearly every corner, which meant that he had to sprint back up to speed and settle back into his aero bars.

With this amount of corners in just 13.2km, there was hardly any time to settle in, and Van der Poel’s longest steady effort was just one minute and seven seconds before he had to slow down for a corner. I can count 15 spikes above 600w throughout Van der Poel’s time trial, which is the punchiest TT effort I have ever seen. In between corners, Van der Poel rode a very steady pace of 500w in the aero bars. However, he did start to fade in the more technical second half of the TT which most likely cost him the win.

Van der Poel – Stage 1 TT Time: 15:30 Average Power: 427w (5.7w/kg) First half: 457w (6.1w/kg) Second half: 416w (5.5w/kg)

Lampaert wore the yellow jersey for stage 2 which was billed as a crosswind spectacular on the 18km Great Belt bridge. Unfortunately, a stiff headwind stopped any attacks or splits, and instead, we saw one of the easiest sprint lead-ins in the Tour de France. That made for a messy leadout which Quinn Simmons (Trek-Segafredo) tried to take control of for Mads Pedersen.

Simmons brought the Trek-Segafredo team to the front and put his nose in the wind at nearly 600w. If you’ve ever wondered how hard these riders are going in the front of a leadout train, here is the context.

Simmons – stage 2 leadout Time: 11:54 Average Power: 314w (4.4w/kg) Normalized Power: 396w (5.5w/kg) Final pull: 526w (7.3w/kg) for three minutes

Inside 3km to go, Alexander Kristoff (Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux) was one of the sprinters fighting for the wheel of Wout van Aert, who would go on to finish second. The Norwegian hit 1,303w coming out of the final corner, but we can see from his power file how messy it is to sprint into a headwind. With the 25kph winds hitting the peloton smack in the face, every sprinter tries to leave it as late as possible. This means that riders were sitting up at 220m to go rather than sprinting, and we can see just how many times Kristoff has to check his sprint in the final few hundred meters.

Kristoff – stage 2 sprint Time: 2:59 Average Power: 464w (5.7w/kg) Final 500m: 749w (9.3w/kg) Max Power: 1303w (16.1w/kg)

In truth, Kristoff never got to fully open up his sprint as he simply had nowhere to go. This pattern would repeat itself the following day when Caleb Ewan was nearly pushed into the barriers in the final sprint. After Fabio Jakobsen (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team) won stage 2 with a brilliant final sprint, Ewan would be looking to make quick amends.

The Australian looked to have the speed to win stage 3 of the Tour de France, but a questionable deviation from Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) closed the door on Peter Sagan (TotalEnergies) who thus closed the door on Ewan.

Stage 3 of the Tour de France was one of the easiest Tour stages we’ve seen in years. The peloton let the polka dot jersey, Magnus Cort (EF-Education EasyPost), go in a solo breakaway, and that was all that happened for 180km. In the final sprint, we saw more traditional leadout trains in Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team, Jumbo-Visma, Lotto Soudal, and Alpecin-Deceuninck led by Mathieu van der Poel. The Dutchman’s final pull was 43 seconds at 590w (7.9w/kg) and an average speed of 60.8kph. After that, the real sprint began.

Stage 2 winner Jakobsen botched the final corner and slid out of contention with a few hundred meters to go. Christophe Laporte (Jumbo-Visma) awkwardly opened up his sprint alongside Van Aert who began drifting right in front of Sagan. Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) came charging up the outside, but through the middle came Dylan Groenewegen (Team BikeExchange-Jayco) who beat Van Aert by a centimeter on the line.

Kristoff crossed the line in 11th, and though we don’t have the power numbers from the top-5 sprinters, we can confidently say that they’re doing upwards of 1,200-1,500w for 10-15 seconds and hitting speeds of over 70kph.

Kristoff – stage 3 sprint Time: 40 seconds Average Power: 805w (9.9w/kg) Max Power: 1435w (17.7w/kg)

Power Analysis data courtesy of  Strava

Strava  sauce  extension

• Mathieu van der Poel
• Quinn Simmons
• Alexander Kristoff

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bikes is set to release a new race road bike and gravel bike. wait, what","url":"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-gear\/haro-buzzard-rivette-road-gravel\/","markup":" \n \n\n\n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-gear\/haro-buzzard-rivette-road-gravel\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"haro bikes is set to release a new race road bike and gravel bike. wait, what\"}}\u0027>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-gear\/haro-buzzard-rivette-road-gravel\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"haro bikes is set to release a new race road bike and gravel bike. wait, what\"}}\u0027>\n haro bikes is set to release a new race road bike and gravel bike. wait, what\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n "},{"title":"\u2018cycling sucks sometimes\u2019: what poga\u010dar, van der poel and pidcock said before li\u00e8ge-bastogne-li\u00e8ge","url":"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-racing\/cycling-sucks-sometimes-what-pogacar-van-der-poel-and-pidcock-said-before-liege-bastogne-liege\/","markup":" \n \n\n\n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-racing\/cycling-sucks-sometimes-what-pogacar-van-der-poel-and-pidcock-said-before-liege-bastogne-liege\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"\u2018cycling sucks sometimes\u2019: what poga\u010dar, van der poel and pidcock said before li\u00e8ge-bastogne-li\u00e8ge\"}}\u0027>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-racing\/cycling-sucks-sometimes-what-pogacar-van-der-poel-and-pidcock-said-before-liege-bastogne-liege\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"\u2018cycling sucks sometimes\u2019: what poga\u010dar, van der poel and pidcock said before li\u00e8ge-bastogne-li\u00e8ge\"}}\u0027>\n \u2018cycling sucks sometimes\u2019: what poga\u010dar, van der poel and pidcock said before li\u00e8ge-bastogne-li\u00e8ge\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n "},{"title":"sea otter randoms: riser handlebars, nifty racks, and tubes aren\u2019t dead","url":"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/news\/sea-otter-randoms-riser-handlebars-nifty-racks-and-tubes-arent-dead\/","markup":" \n \n\n\n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/news\/sea-otter-randoms-riser-handlebars-nifty-racks-and-tubes-arent-dead\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"sea otter randoms: riser handlebars, nifty racks, and tubes aren\u2019t dead\"}}\u0027>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/news\/sea-otter-randoms-riser-handlebars-nifty-racks-and-tubes-arent-dead\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"sea otter randoms: riser handlebars, nifty racks, and tubes aren\u2019t dead\"}}\u0027>\n sea otter randoms: riser handlebars, nifty racks, and tubes aren\u2019t dead\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n "},{"title":"the thesis n1 wants to be your sole drop bar bike for everything","url":"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/gravel\/gravel-gear\/thesis-n1-do-everything-drop-bar-bike\/","markup":" \n \n\n\n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/gravel\/gravel-gear\/thesis-n1-do-everything-drop-bar-bike\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"the thesis n1 wants to be your sole drop bar bike for everything\"}}\u0027>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/gravel\/gravel-gear\/thesis-n1-do-everything-drop-bar-bike\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"the thesis n1 wants to be your sole drop bar bike for everything\"}}\u0027>\n the thesis n1 wants to be your sole drop bar bike for everything\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n "},{"title":"xpedo\u2019s new power meter pedals are ready for the spotlight","url":"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-gear\/xpedo-new-power-sonik-omni-and-thrust-omni-meter-pedals-sea-otter-classic\/","markup":" \n \n\n\n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-gear\/xpedo-new-power-sonik-omni-and-thrust-omni-meter-pedals-sea-otter-classic\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"xpedo\u2019s new power meter pedals are ready for the spotlight\"}}\u0027>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-gear\/xpedo-new-power-sonik-omni-and-thrust-omni-meter-pedals-sea-otter-classic\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"xpedo\u2019s new power meter pedals are ready for the spotlight\"}}\u0027>\n xpedo\u2019s new power meter pedals are ready for the spotlight\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n "},{"title":"mathieu van der poel realistic about quest for monument sweep: \u2018even with roubaix legs i cannot follow poga\u010dar\u2019","url":"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-racing\/mathieu-van-der-poel-realistic-about-quest-for-fourth-monument-even-with-roubaix-legs-i-cannot-follow-pogacar-here\/","markup":" \n \n\n\n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-racing\/mathieu-van-der-poel-realistic-about-quest-for-fourth-monument-even-with-roubaix-legs-i-cannot-follow-pogacar-here\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"mathieu van der poel realistic about quest for monument sweep: \u2018even with roubaix legs i cannot follow poga\u010dar\u2019\"}}\u0027>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-racing\/mathieu-van-der-poel-realistic-about-quest-for-fourth-monument-even-with-roubaix-legs-i-cannot-follow-pogacar-here\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"mathieu van der poel realistic about quest for monument sweep: \u2018even with roubaix legs i cannot follow poga\u010dar\u2019\"}}\u0027>\n mathieu van der poel realistic about quest for monument sweep: \u2018even with roubaix legs i cannot follow poga\u010dar\u2019\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n "},{"title":"results: keegan swenson and sofia gomez villafa\u00f1e win the fuego xl at sea otter classic","url":"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/news\/fuego-xl-sea-otter-results\/","markup":" \n \n\n\n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/news\/fuego-xl-sea-otter-results\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"results: keegan swenson and sofia gomez villafa\u00f1e win the fuego xl at sea otter classic\"}}\u0027>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/news\/fuego-xl-sea-otter-results\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"results: keegan swenson and sofia gomez villafa\u00f1e win the fuego xl at sea otter classic\"}}\u0027>\n results: keegan swenson and sofia gomez villafa\u00f1e win the fuego xl at sea otter classic\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n "},{"title":"ride the rockies canceled for 2024, future uncertain","url":"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/news\/ride-the-rockies-canceled-due-to-low-registration-future-uncertain\/","markup":" \n \n\n\n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/news\/ride-the-rockies-canceled-due-to-low-registration-future-uncertain\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"ride the rockies canceled for 2024, future uncertain\"}}\u0027>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/news\/ride-the-rockies-canceled-due-to-low-registration-future-uncertain\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"ride the rockies canceled for 2024, future uncertain\"}}\u0027>\n ride the rockies canceled for 2024, future uncertain\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n "},{"title":"the cadex race integrated bar is as light as it is good looking","url":"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-gear\/cadex-race-integrated-bar-first-look\/","markup":" \n \n\n\n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-gear\/cadex-race-integrated-bar-first-look\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"the cadex race integrated bar is as light as it is good looking\"}}\u0027>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-gear\/cadex-race-integrated-bar-first-look\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"the cadex race integrated bar is as light as it is good looking\"}}\u0027>\n the cadex race integrated bar is as light as it is good looking\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n "},{"title":"time to plan your next trip: 5 companies with new bike bags at sea otter","url":"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/gravel\/gravel-gear\/new-bike-bags-at-this-years-sea-otter\/","markup":" \n \n\n\n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/gravel\/gravel-gear\/new-bike-bags-at-this-years-sea-otter\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"time to plan your next trip: 5 companies with new bike bags at sea otter\"}}\u0027>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/gravel\/gravel-gear\/new-bike-bags-at-this-years-sea-otter\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"time to plan your next trip: 5 companies with new bike bags at sea otter\"}}\u0027>\n time to plan your next trip: 5 companies with new bike bags at sea otter\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n "},{"title":"highbar wants to revolutionize your helmet straps","url":"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/news\/highbar-wants-to-revolutionize-your-helmet-straps\/","markup":" \n \n\n\n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/news\/highbar-wants-to-revolutionize-your-helmet-straps\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"highbar wants to revolutionize your helmet straps\"}}\u0027>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n >\", \"path\": \"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/news\/highbar-wants-to-revolutionize-your-helmet-straps\/\", \"listing_type\": \"recirc\", \"location\": \"list\", \"title\": \"highbar wants to revolutionize your helmet straps\"}}\u0027>\n highbar wants to revolutionize your helmet straps\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n "}]' > >", "name": "footer-menu", "type": 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10 Tour de France top tips to sprint like a pro

First Published Jul 23, 2023

Going fast is what attracts many people to cycling with the feeling of speed being addictive. Tour de France sprinters are a unique type of rider and they not only possess tremendous speed but are also willing to take some big risks. But, what can you learn from the sprinters at the Tour de France about how to get really fast and how to set up your bike for pure speed?

Pic above: Zac Williams SWpix.com

Sprinters are capable of generating explosive speed over short distances but having the best sprint at the end of a road race is about more than just having the highest peak power. 

Tour de France sprinters must also have the endurance to climb the high mountains and complete every stage if they want to be in with a chance of winning on the Champs-Élysées.  

Your bike setup, positioning and tactics all have a part to play so here are 10 top tips to sprint like a pro and get you the win at that next town sign sprint. 

1. Gears that work properly 

> All the gear? Check out the gearing choices of the pros at the Tour de France

First and foremost, to be able to unleash the best sprint you can you're going to need to trust your drivetrain. A drivetrain that's in good working order should shift seamlessly with silky-smooth pedalling. 

However, this isn't always the case because your chainrings, cassette and chain can all wear which leads to poor shifting and lost efficiency. If you find your chain skipping a gear this could also be because your gears aren't indexed properly. 

You need to be able to trust your drivetrain fully so that when you decide to put the power down, you can 100% go for it. 

Even the pros sometimes have problems. On Stage 7 of this year's Tour de France, Mark Cavendish reported that he had a problem with his gears while sprinting, eventually finishing second to Jasper Philipsen.

2. Choose the right gear for the job

> Should you run a 1x set-up on your road bike?

After ensuring your gears are working properly, you're going to want to choose the right gear for the job. When you're coming into the final few hundred metres of a road race you'll often hear people changing down their gears which is a good indication they could be about to launch something. 

Sometimes it's better to choose a gear sooner rather than later so that you have time to react and can start putting the power down as soon as possible. The gear you choose should have enough resistance in the drivetrain to allow for the burst but you will likely have to shift down the cassette once you get on top of the gear. 

Many recreational riders will have a 50x11 or 52x11 as their largest gear ratio, (it'll depend on the brand of groupset used as well as the individual's preference) but the pros these days normally ride with a 54-tooth outer chainring with the sprinters often going for something even larger.

3. Decide where the wind is coming from 

> Beat the wind on your bike: 7 route planning hacks to increase average speed and make windy rides more enjoyable

Wind conditions can significantly affect sprinting performance, and adapting accordingly is vital. Sprinters at the Tour de France will employ strategies to navigate windy conditions during sprints and are fortunate in that they often have a team around them who they can draft. 

If, like most of us, you don't have a team around you, you'll need to decide where the wind is coming from before you start your sprint. If there's a headwind you should leave your sprint late and if there's a tailwind you can risk going earlier.  

4. Get yourself a Van der Poel 

> Canyon unveils Mathieu van der Poel edition Aeroad CFR

Jasper Philipsen has been powering to stage victories at this year's Tour de France, but this wouldn't have been possible without his lead-out man Mathieu van der Poel. 

Speaking of lead-outs, getting yourself a sprint train is a great way to go faster. Rope in a few friends and set them to the task. They might not be too keen at first, but you can usually bribe them with cake.

Doing some lead-outs with friends is great fun with each person’s turn getting shorter and faster until you finish it off with a glorious dash to a random sign on the edge of town.

5. Deep wheels 

> Are expensive carbon wheels worth it? Testing deep carbon rims vs classic aluminium

Switching to deeper wheels isn't always necessary but Tour de France sprints happen at speeds of over 60km/h so aerodynamics are exponentially more important and the margins of victory are small. 

If you take a look at a photo finish image from a sprint stage, you’re unlikely to see any wheels under 40mm deep in the top 10.

Using deeper wheels can be more aero, making it easier to hold onto speed. Deep wheels can also be far stiffer than shallower-section wheels, and that comes in handy when bikes are getting thrown around in a sprint finish.

6. Get low at the front

The easiest way to make yourself faster and bring up your speed is to get more of yourself out of the wind. The most aero bike on the planet isn't going to help a great deal if your body – which is responsible for the vast majority of drag – is acting like a giant sail to hold you back.

Sprinters often have long and low front-end setups that allow them to get head low when going for the line. Mark Cavendish (who has crashed out of the Tour this year) has a lower peak power than some of his sprint rivals, but he is able to tuck himself down very low to reduce resistance.

Be careful with going low. You might be far faster for 100m, but throwing your back out just to reach the drops won't do you any good. If you are moving your position, take things slowly with incremental changes.

7. Tighten up your shoes 

> Check out the best road cycling shoes 2023 

Many riders have rituals and something you see many sprinters doing is turning the dials on their shoes a few clicks before a big sprint. 

This isn't necessarily the most comfortable for a full day in the saddle, but a more secure shoe is favoured at higher power outputs.

8. Grippy bar tape

> Check out the best bar tapes for cycling 2023 

Grippy bar tape provides a secure and firm hold on the handlebars, improving the control and handling of the bike which is essential for Tour de France sprinters when they're manoeuvring through non-existent gaps at high speeds. 

A stable grip on the handlebars also facilitates efficient power transfer and so grippy bar tape allows you to exert force without worrying about your hands slipping. 

9. Specific training

> Can you get fit by cramming all of your riding into the weekend?

You can also do efforts on and off the bike to increase your peak power. On the bike, work can consist of a mix of high-speed sprints with a fast cadence and standing starts where you power a big gear up from almost stationary to top speed. Throw in a few sprints for town signs and you've got yourself a basic training session.

Off the bike, you can head to the gym to pump some iron. You can walk past all the big boys doing bicep curls and head straight for the squat rack and leg press machines.

Seeing as most of us are rather useless at lifting weights, you'll want to work on technique first to avoid injury before building the weight slowly.

10. Momentum is your friend 

A sprint can come down to millimetres so it might seem crazy to hear that leaving a gap between you and the rider in front could be exactly what you need to win a sprint. 

Whilst there's a time and a place for sitting tight on the wheel in front to hide from the wind, there are also times when it's good to leave a gap, often referred to as 'rushing the gap' or 'a slingshot'. 

A gap between you and the person in front gives you the opportunity to launch your sprint while still in their draft and by the time you need to come out of the wind to go past them, you will have reached a far greater speed and likely be moving too fast to be caught. 

Which tips will you be using to help you win your next town sign sprint? Let us know in the comments section below... 

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Without doubt, the best way to make my bike go faster in a sprint is to get someone else to ride it.

This also applies to climbing and, indeed, any other type of cycling or terrain.

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Jasper Philipsen secures 4th sprint win at Tour de France. Vingegaard keeps yellow jersey

Belgium’s Jasper Philipsen celebrates his fourth stage victory as he crosses the finish line ahead of Netherlands’ Dylan Groenewegen, just behind Philipsen, and Germany’s Phil Bauhaus, left, as he crosses the finish line to win the eleventh stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 180 kilometers (112 miles) with start in Clermont-Ferrand and finish in Moulins, France, Wednesday, July 12, 2023. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Belgium’s Jasper Philipsen celebrates after crossing the finish to win the eleventh stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 180 kilometers (112 miles) with start in Clermont-Ferrand and finish in Moulins, France, Wednesday, July 12, 2023 (Marco Bertorello/Pool Photo via AP)

The pack rides during the eleventh stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 180 kilometers (112 miles) with start in Clermont-Ferrand and finish in Moulins, France, Wednesday, July 12, 2023. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)

Spectators wave the French flag, left, and the flag of the Clermont-Ferrand Rugby team during the eleventh stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 180 kilometers (112 miles) with start in Clermont-Ferrand and finish in Moulins, France, Wednesday, July 12, 2023. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)

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MOULINS, France (AP) — Jasper Philipsen is in a class of his own when it comes to sprinting at the Tour de France. He is so strong that even when the teammate in charge of setting him up is not there, he still wins in the end.

The Belgian sprinter posted his fourth stage win at this year’s Tour de France on Wednesday, taking his career tally to six.

“It’s been an incredible Tour so far,” Philipsen said after outclassing the field. “I can’t realize how good it is all going, so I’m super proud and really happy with my shape. And also, to get through the final without problems is also a big challenge, and we managed to do it four times, so I’m super happy.”

There were no major changes in the general classification: Jonas Vingegaard kept his 17-second lead over two-time champion Tadej Pogacar. Jai Hindley remained in third place, 2 minutes, 40 seconds off the pace.

Philipsen, who rides for Alpecin–Deceuninck, had been perfectly guided by his leadout man Mathieu van der Poel in his three previous stage wins. Left on his own this time, he perfectly timed his move and once again proved strongest in the frenetic last kilometer of the 180-kilometer (112 miles) Stage 11 from Clermont-Ferrand to Moulins in central France.

Philipsen has lost just one of the five mass sprints that took place at this year’s Tour when Mad Pedersen won Stage 8 .

With van der Poel not taking part in Wednesday’s sprint, Philipsen navigated his way through traffic at an average speed of 65.6 kmh (40.8 mph) in the last kilometer to join Mark Cavendish as the only active rider with at least four stage wins in a single Tour edition. Cavendish crashed out of the race last week.

“I can also win without (van der Poel), but of course, he makes it more easy,” Philipsen said.

After Alexander Kristoff launched the sprint, Dylan Groenewegen countered with Philipsen on his wheel. The Belgian’s power was too much to handle for Groenewegen, who had to be content with a runner-up finish. Phil Bauhaus completed the stage podium.

“I had to find my wheel a little bit, and it’s also finding the space, and it’s hectic and dangerous for crashing, but I’m happy I could find a good wheel — Groenewegen — in the end, he opened up early, and I could go over,” Philipsen summed up.

Following a day of furious racing in hot weather that took a toll on the peloton, Andrey Amador moved to the front immediately after the start of the stage but quickly noticed there were not a lot of riders interested in jumping into a break.

Amador for a while rode only a few meters ahead of the bunch before Matis Louvel and Daniel Oss joined his effort as they broke away without facing resistance from the peloton.

With only three riders in the lead group, the breakaway was doomed to failure and the sprinters’ team did not react, well aware that they would catch the trio further down the road. The main bunch was happy to sit back for a while, riding at an easy pace on long stretches of flat roads bordered by sunflowers and fields.

But amid crosswinds that made the teams of contenders nervous about possible splits, the chase started quite early, with the three-man lead dropping to just 30 seconds with some 75 kilometers left.

Louvel was the first to sit up, before Amador gave up too. Oss kept fighting alone at the front a bit longer and managed to regain some time.

A heavy downpour with 30 kilometers left didn’t slow the peloton, which swallowed up Amador some 14 kilometers from the finish.

Thursday’s 169-kilometer (105 miles) Stage 12 from Roanne to Belleville-en-Beaujolais will take riders on a hilly route that could favor a breakaway. The battle for the yellow jersey is expected to resume on Friday with the ascent of the Grand Colombier, a mammoth climb concluding the stage.

AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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Jasper Philipsen lays down Tour de France marker in stage three sprint win

• Belgian cyclist wins chaotic bunch sprint in Bayonne
• Adam Yates stays in yellow, tacks cause more punctures

Jasper Philipsen of Belgium, riding for the Alpecin Deceuninck team, won the 193.5km third stage of the Tour de France , after a hectic bunch sprint finish in Bayonne was painstakingly scrutinised by the race jury.

For some time after the riders crossed the line, Philipsen’s win looked in doubt after he appeared to switch across the finishing straight and block the progress of rival Wout Van Aert, of the Jumbo-Visma team.

There was a long and anxious wait for Philipsen, who watched multiple replays of the sprint on a phone with friend and former teammate Tadej Pogacar alongside him, also craning his neck to study the intricacies of the sprint.

Meanwhile Adam Yates, the overnight race leader and Pogacar’s UAE Team Emirates colleague, retained the yellow jersey, after safely negotiating the first bunch sprint of this year’s Tour.

Eventually, Philipsen’s win was confirmed. “It was tense, but it’s the Tour de France and there are no presents,” he said. “Everybody goes all in and I think I can be really happy with our team performance today.”

The 25-year-old, winner of two stages in last year’s Tour, took his sixth win in Grand Tour racing ahead of Phil Bauhaus, riding for Bahrain Victorious, and Australian Caleb Ewan, of Lotto Dstny.

Mark Cavendish, in what was the first opportunity for him to become the record stage winner in the Tour, finished sixth. The wait for the record-breaking stage win continues.

Philipsen, was indebted to his team mates and in particular to Matthieu van der Poel, whose virtuoso lead-out paved the way for Philipsen’s success. “Mathieu did a fantastic job,” he acknowledged. “For sure he has the speed. You know that no other lead out will pass it.”

For Van Aert, who enjoyed such success in last year’s Tour and clearly felt his momentum had been checked by Philipsen, it was another frustrating day. Asked whether he thought the sprint had been fair, Van Aert responded: “It’s hard to say. It’s not up to me to judge.”

In Sunday’s stage finish in San Sebastian, he had hurled his bottle to the floor in disgust after being outsmarted by last-minute French breakaway artist, Victor Lafay. There was said to be some bike throwing and door slamming too, when he returned to his Jumbo-Visma team bus.

Van Aert’s team mate, Jonas Vingegaard, the Tour’s defending champion, was also criticised by the Belgian public and media for not supporting Van Aert more in the pursuit of Lafay during the closing moments of Sunday’s finale.

“If anyone made a mistake on Sunday, you can blame me,” the team’s sports director, Grischa Niermann said. “We didn’t reckon on an attack from Lafay in the last kilometre. And it’s not PlayStation ...”

The Tour’s third stage, mostly a humdrum affair, exited the Basque Country and headed for the French border, on the largely flat route from Amorebieta-Etxano to Bayonne.

Fittingly, the emphasis went from pintxos to Pichon, with the Arkea-Samsic team’s Laurent Pichon, alone at the front and leading the peloton through the border, as the Tour crossed into France for the first time in 2023.

The veteran French rider had been accompanied in his attack by Neilson Powless, of the EF Education EasyPost team, but the American, having bagged more points in the King of the Mountains classification, then dropped back into the peloton, leaving Pichon ahead, ploughing a lonely furrow. The 36-year-old Breton was finally reeled in by the peloton with a little over 40kms to race.

Earlier, a second tack attack, replicating the vandalism of Sunday’s stage when thumbtacks had caused multiple punctures in the final half of the stage, slowed the peloton again as the race exited San Sebastian. But on an otherwise mundane stage, the only real drama came beyond the finish line, after endless replays of what had looked to most to be a fair sprint.

The manner of Philipsen’s acceleration however, suggests that he will be the man to beat in the flat stages of this year’s Tour.

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'I am really sick of this': Tour de France sprinters despondent after Jasper Philipsen continues dominance

Sprinters all express disgruntlement but retain some hope

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The Tour de France peloton is getting a little bit fed up. Jasper Philipsen keeps winning bunch sprints and no-one seems to know how to stop him.

On stage 11 the Alpecin-Deceuninck rider won yet again to make it four wins this July and extend his Tour bunch sprint record on flat run-ins to six in six when the final two sprint stages of the 2022 editions are taken into account. Although Mads Pedersen beat him in Limoges on stage eight, the finish was uphill as opposed to pan-flat.

Can he be beaten? Jayco-AlUla’s Dylan Groenewegen was second in Moulins and as he came back to his team’s bus, he screamed angrily as he walked up the steps. A few minutes later, he told Dutch media that “I am really sick of this. I would rather finish 10th than second. Our patience is now being tested.”

Reverting to English, he added: “We have to keep trying. That’s all we can do. I think there are two or three more [potential sprint] stages and we will fight until Paris.”

In third place was Phil Bauhaus, the third time that the Bahrain-Victorious rider has finished on the podium in his debut Tour de France. “If you win four out of four bunch sprints, you have to say he’s the fastest,” the German said of Philipsen, stating that the only thing he needed to beat the Belgian was “more speed in the final.”

He continued: “I think everybody is missing a bit of speed to beat him. I have been on the podium three times, I was one of the fastest, but maybe I missed those few hundred watts that Jasper had.”

Philipsen is the first sprinter to win four stages of the Tour since Mark Cavendish two years ago, and veteran Alexander Kristoff of Uno-X cast doubt on whether any other fast man will better the 25-year-old. 

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“He won again. Yeah, it’s going to be difficult,” Kristoff said. “He’s the fastest so when he also has the best team you know it’s going to be tricky. 

“You never know what’s going to happen though: suddenly there’s a crash or something and you get a chance. We hope he gets tired, but he’s good on climbs so I don’t think so.”

At the start of the race it was assumed that Fabio Jakobsen of Soudal-QuickStep would be one of Philipsen’s principal rivals, but a stage four crashed has left the Dutchman battered and bruised.

He hinted at the end of stage 10 that he might be headed towards an early exit in this year’s Tour, and his leadout man Michael Mørkøv was evidently upset by Jakobsen’s failure to contest the finale in Moulins; Jakobsen finished 16th.

“It’s not frustrating that Philipsen wins - it’s frustrating that we didn’t contest for the sprint,” Mørkøv said. “Jasper has now won four out of four, which is nice for him, but I’m more concerned about ourselves. 

“I believe he can be beaten. He was beaten before. But as we see sometimes with a sprinter who is on a roll and has the confidence, he becomes even stronger.”

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A freelance sports journalist and podcaster, you'll mostly find Chris's byline attached to news scoops, profile interviews and feature writing across a variety of different publications. He has been writing regularly for Cycling Weekly since 2013.

Previously a ski, hiking and cycling guide in a number of places, but mostly in the Canadian Rockies and Spanish Pyrenees, he almost certainly holds the record for the most number of interviews conducted from snowy mountains.

He lives in Valencia, Spain.

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Jasper Philipsen secures 4th sprint win at Tour de France. Vingegaard keeps yellow jersey

MOULINS, France (AP) — Jasper Philipsen is in a class of his own when it comes to sprinting at the Tour de France. He is so strong that even when the teammate in charge of setting him up is not there, he still wins in the end.

The Belgian sprinter posted his fourth stage win at this year's Tour de France on Wednesday, taking his career tally to six.

“It’s been an incredible Tour so far," Philipsen said after outclassing the field. “I can’t realize how good it is all going, so I’m super proud and really happy with my shape. And also, to get through the final without problems is also a big challenge, and we managed to do it four times, so I’m super happy.”

There were no major changes in the general classification: Jonas Vingegaard kept his 17-second lead over two-time champion Tadej Pogacar. Jai Hindley remained in third place, 2 minutes, 40 seconds off the pace.

Philipsen, who rides for Alpecin–Deceuninck, had been perfectly guided by his leadout man Mathieu van der Poel in his three previous stage wins. Left on his own this time, he perfectly timed his move and once again proved strongest in the frenetic last kilometer of the 180-kilometer (112 miles) Stage 11 from Clermont-Ferrand to Moulins in central France.

Philipsen has lost just one of the five mass sprints that took place at this year's Tour when Mad Pedersen won Stage 8 .

With van der Poel not taking part in Wednesday's sprint, Philipsen navigated his way through traffic at an average speed of 65.6 kmh (40.8 mph) in the last kilometer to join Mark Cavendish as the only active rider with at least four stage wins in a single Tour edition. Cavendish crashed out of the race last week.

“I can also win without (van der Poel), but of course, he makes it more easy,” Philipsen said.

After Alexander Kristoff launched the sprint, Dylan Groenewegen countered with Philipsen on his wheel. The Belgian's power was too much to handle for Groenewegen, who had to be content with a runner-up finish. Phil Bauhaus completed the stage podium.

“I had to find my wheel a little bit, and it’s also finding the space, and it’s hectic and dangerous for crashing, but I’m happy I could find a good wheel — Groenewegen — in the end, he opened up early, and I could go over,” Philipsen summed up.

Following a day of furious racing in hot weather that took a toll on the peloton, Andrey Amador moved to the front immediately after the start of the stage but quickly noticed there were not a lot of riders interested in jumping into a break.

Amador for a while rode only a few meters ahead of the bunch before Matis Louvel and Daniel Oss joined his effort as they broke away without facing resistance from the peloton.

With only three riders in the lead group, the breakaway was doomed to failure and the sprinters’ team did not react, well aware that they would catch the trio further down the road. The main bunch was happy to sit back for a while, riding at an easy pace on long stretches of flat roads bordered by sunflowers and fields.

But amid crosswinds that made the teams of contenders nervous about possible splits, the chase started quite early, with the three-man lead dropping to just 30 seconds with some 75 kilometers left.

Louvel was the first to sit up, before Amador gave up too. Oss kept fighting alone at the front a bit longer and managed to regain some time.

A heavy downpour with 30 kilometers left didn't slow the peloton, which swallowed up Amador some 14 kilometers from the finish.

Thursday’s 169-kilometer (105 miles) Stage 12 from Roanne to Belleville-en-Beaujolais will take riders on a hilly route that could favor a breakaway. The battle for the yellow jersey is expected to resume on Friday with the ascent of the Grand Colombier, a mammoth climb concluding the stage.

AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports