TDF Stage 17 Pyrénées 2012

2012 Tour de France Stage 17 Bagnères de Luchon to Peyragudes

Profile created by Jennifer Sage, Master Instructor, Indoor Cycling Association

Welcome to the Pyrénées! We are going to catch up with the stage today right around the feed zone and focus most of this ride on the last 3 climbs (well, more like 2.5 climbs). During the warm-up, you’ll explain what has gone on during the first half of the stage, as if you just turned on the television and are watching the second half. Similar to my Alpe d’Huez ride, you will address the class as if they are one rider, the protagonist of this story. I was inspired to create this particular “story” after watching one of the stages of this year’s Tour in the Alpes. Also since you’ll be starting at the feed zone, it is a great opportunity to give your class some of the interesting facts about riders in a Grand Tour. (For fun, see the final page of this profile for a list of what a rider might consume on a very challenging stage. Copy it for your class if they are interested in how much a Tour de France rider consumes. Tease them that they must promise to not try to simulate the diet of a TDF rider—just the stage!)

2012 Tour de France Stage 17 Bagnères de Luchon to Peyragudes

Intensity The first song you will keep the intensity manageable, high-end aerobic, with a few attacks sprinkled in. The final two climbs, which are 15 minutes and 6 minutes, will become hard to very hard. It will be one rider with one purpose in mind, to win the stage. The second song of the second climb, as well as the final climb, will essentially be a time trial effort to the top. Not attacks like some of the other stages we’ve done, but consistently hard to very hard efforts, using the power of the mind to overcome the discomfort. Suffering will reign on the final climb!

Stage 17 Bagnères-de-Lushon to Peyragudes Song 1 (warm-up) Tour de France (Original Club Mix), Dream Chaser 5:52 As you warm up, you can tell the following introduction to the stage. While introducing the ride, keep checking on your riders, making sure they gradually add a little more resistance over the 6-minute warm-up, letting their legs take on little bits at a time.

First, a little background. The riders are very tired by this 17th stage; it’s the final big mountain stage of the Tour. And a BIG one it is, finishing with three monstrous climbs. We join the riders about halfway through the stage, with 75 km of road already covered. You had one steep climb early on, then some rollers and two other short climbs. At the moment you are at the feed zone, gathering up your musette from one of your team soigneurs (team caretakers, whose tasks include giving massages and doing almost anything else riders need. Pronounced “swanyur”). They stand on the side of the road at a designated spot and hand out the musettes, or feed bags, which you will swing over your shoulder and pull your meal out of as you ride. This is cycling’s version of takeout food! Most of the musettes all contain the same things, such as sandwiches, energy bars, and fruit. If a certain rider has a specific dietary need, such as an allergy, he knows to go to a specific soigneur and grab the musette with his name. There is one vegetarian rider in the Tour de France (that I know of), a top American cyclist named David Zabriskie, so you can imagine the extra work his soigneurs must do to plan his meals. Being a vegetarian (a vegan no less) in the pro peloton is most likely a challenging existence!

Cyclists try to eat 300 calories an hour during an average 180 km stage. Longer or harder mountain stages will require more. It can be really challenging to get that many calories ingested, especially if it’s a particularly hard stage with a lot of climbing. But the danger of not eating enough far outweighs the discomfort of eating when you don’t want to. You will plain and simply run out of gas. So you MUST eat whenever you get a chance. The musettes aren’t your only source of food—you’ve had gels and energy bars in your pockets in the first half, and can always get more from your team car.

Song 2: Menhir (2010 Mix), E-Mantra 7:48 160 bpm The first climb, on the lower (easier) slopes of the Port de Balès As soon as the rhythm of the song is established, get your riders pedaling to the beat. It’s a great cadence of 80 rpm to ease out of the feed zone and onto the lower slopes of the next climb. Fortunately, the beginning of this climb is very gradual. You can use this as an extension of the warm-up, adding little increases of resistance over the 8-minute song. By halfway into the song, intensity should be a solid middle-aerobic zone. Continue setting up the story…

You? (point to your class) You are a young rider who just yesterday has taken the white jersey. That means you are the highest-placed rider under 25 years old in the General Classification. You are 15th on the GC, not enough to be a threat to the yellow jersey, so the Heads of State will probably not care what you do Copyright © 2012 by Jennifer Sage and the Indoor Cycling Association. All Rights Reserved 2

2012 Tour de France Stage 17 Bagnères de Luchon to Peyragudes

today—they’re too busy protecting their own position and minimizing any potential for losses. The white jersey competition mirrors the yellow jersey competition—basically it’s the youngest rider with the lowest overall time. It’s very prestigious, can mean very attractive contracts in the future, and often signifies a rider to watch in the future, perhaps even one who will win the yellow jersey one day.

This is your first day in the white jersey—the previous wearer has been defending it hard through the Alpes and the Pyrénées, but during yesterday’s stage his fatigue got the best of him and he lost a lot of time. He is now 2 minutes behind you—close enough to surpass you if you fail today. Will you do the jersey proud? Do you deserve it? Will you take it to Paris? You’ve never won a stage, but you’ve been a very strong domestique for your team leader and have finished consistently in the first or second group on most of the stages of this Tour—essentially you have served notice to the cycling world that you are there and you mean business! Your team leader has no chance to be on the podium; he is now in 10th place about 12 minutes back, so your allegiance to protecting him has been released and you can do whatever you need to do to protect your lead in this white jersey. This means your team has placed their faith in you. Can you handle it?

There is an interesting scenario playing out on these Pyrénéan mountains. You are in a breakaway of seven riders, including one of your teammates, and also including the two riders battling it out for the KOM jersey. That tells you there will be a battle at the top of each climb. The Heads of State back in the peloton are protecting their place in the GC by staying close to each other. The yellow jersey feels pretty secure in his lead, so he does not want to take chances. That’s why they didn’t hunt down the breakaway when it managed to increase their gap to 5 minutes. So for now you find yourself in a comfortable lead.

However, that may not be the case in the second half. They don’t want to give away too much time—there is an important time trial in two days, and then the final day into Paris. Too much can happen in a time trial, so at this point, there are no gifts.

By now it’s about 4 minutes into the song. Continue to stay seated, but announce that the road is beginning to rise a little more steeply. From here on in, it won’t get any easier until the descent down the other side.

Get ready for an arduous ride into treacherous territory. These mountains are like the cathedrals of climbs. At the other side, the truth will reveal itself! Today, your truth of who you are, and who you will be in the future, will be made apparent. That’s some tough pressure to bear!

The riders in this break will need to bring their suitcases of courage today; there are several mean climbs ahead, with a promise of a lot of action on this final day in the Pyrénées. Since the finish in Paris is only three days away, there aren’t many more opportunities for stage wins. Everyone in this break has a goal to win this stage, so don’t be fooled into thinking this will be easy. You are the lucky one—the only one with a teammate to help you. The others? It’s each man for himself. Don’t expect them to work for you.

Song 3: Oui (Extended Mix), In-grid. 5:17 130 bpm The climb gets steeper You are on the increasingly steep grades of the Port de Balès. This is a long, hard HC climb, with an average grade of 7.7%. It is remote and narrow, with expansive views—that is, if you can see through the heavy mist that is forming at the summits. As soon as the song starts, grab the slower beat (65 rpm) and turn up the hill.

The two men battling it out for the KOM points are trying to establish their place. One is currently wearing the polka-dot jersey, the other is only a handful of points away from taking it from him. They don’t have an entourage like the Heads of State; their teams don’t have yellow jersey ambitions. They just dream of red polka dots and a potential stage win. But you also know that the battle they’ve already been fighting in these

2012 Tour de France Stage 17 Bagnères de Luchon to Peyragudes

high mountains has taken a very heavy toll on their legs. Do they have what they need in their engines to hold out to the finish?

Up to now, the group of seven has been staying in a nice disciplined pack. But one rider decides to attack— and you all grab his wheel and reel him in…

Stand up and push for 30–40 seconds, then settle back into the pace you had. Over the course of this 5-minute song, there are 2 or 3 similar attacks. But no one manages to succeed in pulling away…yet.

Song 4: Alors On Dance, Stromae (Extended Mix), 4:18 128 bpm The summit of the Port de Balès The climb gets even steeper, your cadence slows slightly. But your teammate indicates to you to stay close to his wheel, and he almost imperceptibly lifts the tempo. You hold on, and so do the others. This climb is becoming a leg breaker. You’re praying for the summit to come as quickly as possible.

Add resistance, and lift the intensity to just below threshold. Sit as much as you can, but let them stand every now and then to stretch the legs.

With 40 seconds left, the two KOM contenders take off—they want those points. You don’t care about the polka-dot jersey—you only care about white—but you can’t let them get far away from you. So you and your teammate stand up and stay with them as they battle it out.

Song 5: C’est Ton Destin, Generation 90, 96 bpm The descent Roll over the top, then let the legs spin quickly as you descend, using the time to recover.

At the bottom of the hill, the riders in the break are dismayed to learn that the peloton has gained on them a bit, and are now only about 4 minutes back—that’s not much of an advantage, especially when the peloton seems to have the power of all the riders multiplied by two.

Song 6: Romance (Max Moroldo vs Paul & Luke Reloaded Mix), Fluxx & Lola, 6:50 128 bpm The next climb, the Col de Peyresourde

The steepness isn’t as much as the Port de Balès, but the issue is these other five riders! Your teammate has an idea, and he whispers it to you when the others cannot hear. He tells you that when he indicates, you need to grab his wheel at all costs. And do not let go or let anything hold you back.

The song has violin and voices for the first 2 minutes. This is when your teammate tells you to grab his wheel. Then at 1:52 you stand up and lift the intensity just slightly. Still sub-threshold… It’s not an attack per se, but he has an intention to keep up this higher pace for the length of the climb.

At 3:30 when the violins and voices come back, describe how you are rising up higher into the mist that has been shrouding the high peaks all day. You are now in the midst of the mist. Stand up during this lull in the music…

Then at 4:24, when the beat comes back, sit and hold a higher resistance at this 64 rpm. Intensity right below threshold. A little uncomfortable, but doable.

2012 Tour de France Stage 17 Bagnères de Luchon to Peyragudes

Song 7: Breathless (Original Mix), SBP, 8:22 65 rpm (Note: The song has a long fade at the end—you can cut it off at 8:00 using iTunes or MixMeister; otherwise it leaves a large empty gap, which you can also use for effect if you want)

This song represents the steepest part of the Peyresourde; it’s going to prove to be the point of no return for the other riders with you. The elements of the song represent the pain you will feel. There’s no mistaking it, it will get shrill as it builds. There is no better song (in my opinion) to represent the intense work of the riders. As soon it starts, the beat will grab on to you. Tell your riders that this pitch of the climb may be the hardest—tell them that they are forewarned! Build your excitement as the climb progresses. Use the beat to establish the cadence, describing their commitment to not letting anything get in their way. Your teammate has indicated that he plans on leading you to a stage win, and he won’t take no for an answer. There is determination in his pedal stroke. 3:30: He lifts the pace a little more. You tell him you think it’s too much, but you still hang on. He tells you to trust him. 3:58: You both stand up and dig in. One of the riders falls off the back. 4:42: Sit back down and continue the drive, 5:12: Ease up very slightly as the music eases, but your cadence still sets the rhythm. The other riders are looking at the two of you like you are possessed. How can you do this? How can you continue? Everyone is riding into his own personal purgatory. 5:57: Continue? Damn straight! Stand up and put the hurt on them. You’ve got some damage to do if you have any hopes of winning. But watch out—burn too many of your own matches and you’ll dash your hopes for good… 6:42: Sit back down and drive. Another rider implodes and drops off the back, almost like he’s going backwards. The two of you do not let up. This pace is blistering, it is destroying this breakaway. (Note: Get excited as you describe this part of the race.) Another rider drops off—you are unstoppable! At the very top, the rider looking for KOM points bursts past you in an explosive effort and gathers up a few more KOM points. Again, you don’t care about those points, but you also know what his explosive effort must have done to his legs. It may work in your favor on the final climb, still ahead of you.

As the song comes to an end, roll over the top.

Your teammate has given everything he has for your benefit. He gives you a thumbs-up and says he cannot continue to pull you, he has got nothing left in the reserves—the rest is up to you. He will descend with you, but you know he’ll be absorbed by the advancing peloton, like all the other riders who have dropped off.

Song 8: Encore Une Fois, Faudel, 2:58 94 bpm Short descent You must recover in this song if you hope to win. Let the legs roll, reduce the resistance. One final climb ahead of you; the break is down to you and two other riders. One has the KOM jersey, and the other is an opportunist who has managed to not fall off the back. Does he have more energy in reserves than you do?

Song 9: Cryogenik, Highlight Tribe, 6:14 143 bpm Final climb to the Peyregude (Just before the song’s start) You are without your teammate, and you look up at the mountain looming above you. This is it, it’s now or never. Your future lies ahead of you, and you know that you cannot wait for your destiny, you must create it! So, as soon as the song starts, you know that your success lies in attacking from the very beginning of this climb...

2012 Tour de France Stage 17 Bagnères de Luchon to Peyragudes

At 7 seconds into the song, get up and go for it! Hold a standing climb for almost a minute, sitting down at the 1-minute mark when the drums break rhythm.

That did the job—both riders have dropped back, They’ve lost your wheel and you’ve pulled ahead about 20 meters. But they will hang back there hoping you’ll make a tactical mistake and blow through your own matches, so they can blow by you. The peloton is another 2 minutes behind them. Now you know what you’ve got to do, don’t you? You’ve basically got to time trial your way to the top!

This final climb is going to hurt everyone in your studio. To preserve your matches, you want to stay seated as much as possible. You’ll be inspiring them over the final 5 minutes with the following:

The pendulum of pain has swung in your direction big time—but it’s either accept it, or give up your dream.

The pain has crept into every muscle, every bone, every ligament, every cell. But how can you give up now? You don’t have the right to back off! Not after what your teammate did for you, delivering you to this final climb so you can not only further establish your place as the white jersey holder, but to also win the stage, your first stage ever! He believed in you more than you even did! If you don’t win, you will be letting him down.

At 3:40 in the song, the rhythm changes a bit. Good time to reestablish your cadence and your commitment.

So it hurts a little…what are you going to do about it? It’s going to be over in about 3 minutes. If you don’t win, you will be letting your team down, including your team leader, who knew his own designs for a podium finish were no longer possible, so he gave you the rein you needed.

You look back and can still see those last two riders, only about 25 meters back. If you’re in pain, they must be as well. You feel asphyxiated, but YOU. MUST. CONTINUE!

If you don’t win, the people back home will be disappointed. You don’t have the right to let them down. This is not about you, this is about everyone in your life who has helped you get to this point.

Tell your legs, when they scream at you: This is not about you. Tell your lungs, when they’re begging you to stop: This is not about you. Tell your heart, as it’s pounding in your chest: I love you…but this is not about you today!

With 30 seconds left, you KNOW you’re going to win your first ever Tour de France stage—stand up and take it all in!

You punch the air with joy, and as the other riders roll over about 30 seconds behind you, they give you a tip of the helmet. What you did was simply amazing, and they recognize it. The rider in the polka-dot KOM jersey has reinforced his lead and will wear it into Paris, so he’s happy as well.

2012 Tour de France Stage 17 Bagnères de Luchon to Peyragudes

Song 10: Le Vent Nous Portera, Noir Désir, 4:49 Song 11: La Bonne Etoile, M 4:12 Cool-down and stretch: Describe the feelings of joy for the new maillot blanc as he steps on podium. The KOM is awarded to the other breakaway rider who is very pleased with his result, and the maillot jaune is happy to have preserved his place, but he knows the time trial can wreck havoc with the GC in two days. Your own incredible effort has moved you up into 9th place in the GC, and you know you will wear the maillot blanc into Paris.

The big mountains are over for this year’s Tour de France. No one is happier about it than you are (except perhaps the sprinters bringing up the very rear of the peloton).

Note: When writing this profile, I was inspired by the results of Stage 11 of this year’s Tour de France. After watching the stage, I even changed what I had already written as a storyline for this profile. The stage was won dramatically by a young French rider named Pierre Rolland of Team Europecar, whose teammate Christophe Kern paced him over the early climbs. On the final climb to La Toussuire, he was essentially time trialing to the top. Watching his face as he rode, you knew he was in pain, and you could see his lips move as he talked to himself. You can only imagine what he was saying to himself to inspire him to push through the agony! In his interview afterward, he said that after Kern and his entire team had helped him so much in the stage, he didn’t feel he had the “right” to let up! He said it numerous times in the interview: “Je n’avais pas le droit.” I didn’t have the right. He even said that he had asked Kern if he was pushing too fast on the penultimate climb, and Kern said to him, “Trust me on this. Stick with me.”

I love that kind of selflessness in cycling!

Rolland won the white jersey last year and at 26 he is not eligible for that jersey this year, but a few stages earlier, a 22-year-old French rider named Thibeau Pinault, the youngest rider in this year’s Tour, served notice to the cycling world by winning stage 8 and taking the white jersey completely out of the blue. He showed himself to be a potential future contender for overall Tour glory.

I combined the two stories for this Stage 17 profile. I hope you enjoy it!

2012 Tour de France Stage 17 Bagnères de Luchon to Peyragudes

ICA 2012 Tour de France Stage 17 Playlist

Song Title Time Artist Album Source Tour de 5:52 Dream Tour de eMusic France Chaser France (Original Club Mix) Menhir (2010 7:48 E-Mantra Visions from eMusic Mix) the Past Oui (Extended 5:17 In-Grid Oui (EP) iTunes Mix)

Alors On 4:48 Stromae Alors On iTunes Danse Danse (Extended (Single) Mix) C’est Ton 3:45 Generation Generation 90 eMusic Destin 90 Romance 6:50 Fluxx & Siddartha, eMusic (Max Lola Spirit of Moroldo vs Buddha Bar Paul & Luke Reloaded Mix) Breathless 8:22 SBP Spinning Available at Spinning.com (Original Volume #13 as an MP3 Mix) Encore Une 2:58 2:58 L’Essential eMusic Fois Faudel Cryogenik 6:14 Highlight Love eMusic Tribe Medicine and Natural Trance Le Vent Nous 4:49 Noir Désir Des Visages Amazon Portera des Figures Anumati 3:19 E.S. Markara eMusic Posthumus La Bonne 4:12 M Amazon Etoile Total Time: 59 Min

2012 Tour de France Stage 17 Bagnères de Luchon to Peyragudes

Trivia: How much does a Tour de France rider eat in one day? Just for fun, here is the daily intake on one of the hardest stages in 2008 for Team Colombia— total 9,000 calories!

Breakfast • Banana (1) • Muesli (150 gr) • Pasta (150 gr—weight is non-cooked) • Croissant with chocolate (1) • Coffee (250 ml) • Soy milk (300 gr) • Mixed fruits (200 gr) • Orange juice (300 ml)

Pre-race • Pasta (150 gr) • Water (500 ml)

Race • PowerBar (4) • Fruit cake (100 gr) • PowerBar carbo drink (4000 ml) • PowerBar energy gels (4) • Coca-Cola (400 ml) • Turkey sandwich (2) • Water (1000 ml)

Post-race • Recovery drink (500 ml) • Turkey sandwich (1) • PowerBar (1) • Coca-Cola (330 ml) • Fruit cake (100 gr) • Water (400 ml)

Dinner • Mixed vegetables (200 gr) • Pasta (200 gr) • Chicken breast (250 gr) • Sauce (100 gr) • Plain yogurt (350 gr) • Mixed fruits (150 gr) • Water (800 ml)

Pre-sleep • Gum/sweets (100 gr) • Chocolate (25 gr) • Water (500 ml)