Before talking about tactics of effort management you must know the terrain on which you will venture, for this I invite you to read the analysis of the course of the Etape du Tour 2022.
So you will start for 5h30 of race for the best ones until the double for some (the time barriers of the stage of the tour 2022 have not been communicated for the moment), the bulk of the pack should be around 8h30 of race.
8h30 of race with climbs of more than 1h40 for the Galibier and 2h for the Croix de Fer, with these times of climbs and the global time of races, you will not be able to manage the climb at the same level of intensity as the pro riders or the very best cyclosports riders. For them all these climbs will be done at a pace close to their FTP/LT1, for you to manage even the Galibier at this pace would generate a popcorn effect even before the summit of this first pass.
Nevertheless, in order to manage your efforts correctly, we are interested in the FTP (Functional Training Power) zone, because determining this zone will allow us to determine your different training zones, especially the i3-i2-i1 zone of the ESIE scale, which will be decisive on this stage of the tour.
The power level of these zones as well as the maintenance times (maximum time that can be held for a given intensity) for each of them having a great inter-individual variability we will not go into more details (for that it is necessary to go through a follow-up of the training), We will on the other hand detail in the broad outlines the idea of rhythm to be adopted on the course for a result in the middle of the pack (for the mileages I invite you to refer to the detailed analysis of the course):
Here are the main sectors of the course Briançon - Alpe d'Huez:
1) Briançon - Monétiers les bains (foot of Lautaret)
2) Lautaret
3) Galibier / Last km
4) Descent to Valloire
5) Telegraph pass
6) Descent to St Michel de Maurienne
7) Maurienne Valley
8) 2 first portions Croix de Fer
9) 3rd portion Croix de Fer
10) Descent of the Croix de Fer
11) Valley to Bourg d'Oisans
12) Ascent to Alpe D'huez
For the management of the flat parts, in all cases do not forget 2 points, any minute gained above your rhythm at the beginning of the race = minutes lost and suffering at the end of the race
In the same way, in the rare moments of flatness nothing is useful to make too much even if your group rolls too slowly, because in simplifying greatly, the resistance to the advancement to the flatness being in great part due to the friction of the air and this last being equal to the square of the speed For a person of 1m80 / 70kg 30'' of gained on 30 km/h Vs 31. 5km/h equals = 28 watts of extra effort / Out 30'' saved on 10min in a bump at 7% climbed at 15km or 15,8km/h = 14 extra watts or for 28 extra watts more than 50'' saved.
That's why the time differences are mostly on the climbs.
You find yourself alone on a flat section (rare thing on the tour stage with the number of participants) pedal at a slow pace (i1) and wait for the next group behind you.
On the descents, you have the objective to make a good classification, the objective in the descents will be to go down quickly without going to the fault or starting your physical capital. To achieve a good ranking while having fun, your objective here will be to ensure your runs to recover physically without making a mistake, this is what Watts Your Feelings proposes in the following management, see also our advice on the management of trajectories.
Tips for managing the effort sector by sector :
Sector | Effort | Advise |
1) Briançon – Monétiers les bains | i2 then i1 | Getting started, Finding good wheels |
2) Lautaret | i2 | Pace yourself and don't get carried away by the faster wheels |
3) Galibier | i2 high/ i3 on the last km | Be careful with altitude perf= -10% / Adapt your effort zones |
4) Descente to Valloire | i1 | Many turns, try to be fluid rather than fast |
5) Télégraphe Pass | i2 | Short bump but stay at i2 to preserve glycogen stores |
6) Descent to St Michel de Maurienne | i1 | Many turns, try to be fluid |
7) Maurienne Valley | i1 | In the wheels or small relays |
8) 2 first portions Croix de Fer | i2 high / steep portions at i3 / Descents at i1 | Be careful the first portion is short but you will not have time to fully recover before the 2ᵉ |
9) 3rd portion Croix de Fer | i2 and after St Sorlins d’Arves at i2 high/ steep portions at i3 | Don't overdo it on the false flats |
10) Descent Of the Croix de Fer | i1 / short climbs at i2 | Fast descent = stay in a group Do not try to pass the lifts quickly to save glycogen stocks |
11) Bourg d’Oisans Valley | i1 | In the wheels or small relays |
12) L'Alpe D'Huez Ascent | i2 higth/ i3 | Final but you still have 1h20-30 of effort to the top! |
You are now ready to manage the Etape du Tour in terms of effort, the ideal being to program an FTP test in the weeks preceding the objective to best calibrate your effort zones.
All you have to do now is follow our advices to prepare for L'Etape du Tour and in particular the management of nutrition for this event.
Find these topics on our dedicated articles ( Key points to perform on the Etape du Tour / course analysis / nutrition management) and do not hesitate to follow our different blog articles on training and performance in cycling.
