Vive la France. The Tour has reached its final stop in Paris, and we are still reeling from the drama of the past three weeks. In reflection, here are three of the biggest takeaways from this year's Tour.
I have three takeaways to share with you from this year's Tour, because most people miss something about this race. The Tour is arguably the hardest endurance event in the world, a proving ground for human potential. But what these super elite athletes figured out over 21 stages will help us regular folks even more than it helps the pros.
Takeaway #1: Fuel on a timer.
This is the simplest thing any of us can do. The riders fuel like a metronome. When a reporter asked Tadej if he was hungry after a stage, he shot back: "I'm not hungry, I had a gel every 30 minutes."
That's the whole protocol. Don't make it more complicated. Here's how to copy it:
10 minutes before your workout: take a gel
30 minutes in: another gel or chews
60 minutes: one more
Keep going, every 30 minutes
Watch the clock, that's all you have to do. Don't skip a reminder because you're feeling good; feeling good is the fueling working.
Two brands dominated this year's Tour.
Enervit, with the Mango Sodium Gel that Tadej personally formulated. I've been using it in every workout and I don't think there is a better combo than the Mango with the extra sodium.
And Amacx from the Netherlands, fueling EF and Visma. The way Carapaz conquered the final week (two stage wins, including yesterday on Alpe d'Huez, and the polka dot jersey) tells you their fueling works.
Takeaway #2: The best performance combo at the Tour.
The top performance hack at the Tour is easy for you to do at home. I've personally been doing it for the last 6 weeks and swear by it.
You're pushing up a climb (running or riding), and you get that feeling you can just keep going. Your legs keep firing, and the only thing holding you back is your breathing. That's the feeling I get when I drink Nomio 3 hours before a workout. I'm not alone. Mads Pedersen was an early adopter, and it worked for him. I'm sure he felt it in the sprints, but I'm convinced he really felt it on all those climbs where he was the only sprinter who could get over them. That's exactly where I feel it too.
Without getting too deep in the science: each bottle packs the equivalent of 6 lbs of broccoli sprouts, and it triggers a reaction in your body, almost a shock to the system, that reduces how much lactic acid you produce. Less lactic acid, less burning in your legs, and you can hold a harder pace longer.
Now flip it. If your limiter is your breathing (getting oxygen to your working muscles) the simplest thing you can do is take two SwissRX Nitric Oxide capsules each morning. You can take them independently of Nomio, but together they compound each other. Personally, I feel like Superman on this combination. Every training ride feels better. My fitness has improved much faster. Even my recovery is better.
Takeaway #3: The pros are still drinking Cherry Juice.
At the finish of every stage, riders were downing tart cherry, a trend that's only grown over the past 3 years. We carry both: the ready-to-drink from Amacx and the powder you mix from Enervit. Both are great. And Amacx just launched something new mid-Tour: they've turned their drink into a post-workout Cherry Gummy. It's delicious, with the same anthocyanins — the anti-inflammatory compounds that give cherries their color.
Those are my three biggest takeaways from the fueling and performance game in this year's Tour.
