Great Britain’s best female road cyclists are gearing up to tackle the mammoth 158km road race in Paris at the beginning of next month: and it is not just the highly competitive field of riders they will have to contend with.
There have been warnings that this Olympic Games could be the hottest on record, with high temperatures and stifling humidity. The four-strong team, headed by Lizzie Deignan, who will compete in her fourth Games for Team GB, are hoping to push themselves into medal contention across almost 100 miles of gruelling and arduous technical racing.
The three-time national champion Pfeiffer Georgi, the national time-trial champion Anna Henderson and Anna Morris complete an impressive GB quartet. They are coached by Chris Newton, a three-time Olympics competitor on the bike and a highly regarded endurance coach since retiring a decade ago.
A large portion of their preparation for the road race has revolved around learning from the mistakes of Tokyo three years ago, when Deignan succumbed to the gripping humidity and finished 11th. That preparation has been achieved with some surprising techniques and a laser-style focus on ensuring the riders are fuelled and conditioned as well as possible.
Train to thrive under the sun and fuel to win
The riders have done a lot of work with their professional teams but when in camp with Newton, they have taken to some unlikely methods in order to acclimatise to the heat that will await them in Paris, not least training in boiler suits.
This is easily replicated. “We use very straightforward things,” Newton says. “For some sessions you can put a paint suit on [from] the local DIY shop, sit on your turbo trainer and just sweat while you’re riding.
“It’s as simple as that, that’s what we’d do. You don’t need a lab to get the benefit or do the work, if you think about it.”
Newton’s riders have also embraced a facility often overlooked by British athletes: the sauna, so they can adapt their bodies to the meteorological changes that await them in Paris – something he says athletes of all abilities can utilise. “Your body is getting used to sweating and increasing plasma volume which assists cardiac output.
“The key message to your club cyclist is to do the things you’re going to experience in the race. That’s the key, if you’re looking to race, do your research and find what you’re going to walk into.”
On top of heat acclimatisation, fuelling appropriately is also essential. In high heat, athletes will naturally sweat more, meaning an extra emphasis on what is taken in to replenish the fluids lost during exercise.
“It’s the same principle as so many other endurance sports and it doesn’t matter if you’re a club athlete or an Olympian, it’s one of the key principles of endurance racing,” Newton says. His riders will have various bidons at the two feed stations, situated at 90km and 110km.
Some will have water, others will have carb-based drinks and others will have electrolytes to replace those lost during the race. They have been meticulously formulated to suit each rider’s own nutritional needs, which have been worked out by Team GB’s nutritionists and essentially devised by trial and error over the years.
Roughly, for long rides of more than an hour, Newton recommends riders take in 60 to 90g of carbohydrates an hour, 30g every 30 minutes. Drink to thirst, avoiding too much in one go and, in high heat and humidity, consider salt or electrolyte tablets.
Every rider needs different amounts of carb intake and fluid: for the amateur rider, testing what works for you, and what doesn’t, is just as important as it is for Deignan and the four-strong team that will hope to take home medals on 4 August.
Three key takeaways
Train your gut, as well as your body. “One fuel source may work for one person, but not for you,” Newton says. Whether it’s gels or drinks, using them in training and being certain they’re not going to give you any unwanted problems on race-day is paramount.
Test your race-day plan in training. All of Great Britain’s riders will have replicated their fuelling strategies for the road race during their long training rides, to ensure their energy stores don’t deplete when it matters most. “It can be the difference between success and failure at any level,” says Newton.
Wrap up: no matter what the weather. The temptation is always to wear less clothing in warm conditions but if you’re planning to race in hot weather, wear more to teach your body how to handle racing in the heat. “Established riders are always wrapped up; we go to Spain early in the year and the pros are properly wrapped up even in places like Mallorca.”
