THE ROUTE
The high-altitude Col du
Galibier (2 642m) last
featured on the 2017 Tour.
THREE ALPINE CLASSICS
INTO THIN AIR...
The first of three days in the Alps, Stage 18 serves up a 208km epic mountain
battle that covers some legendary ground: the Col de Vars, Col d’Izoard and
Col du Galibier. All three top out at well over 2 000m and will demand some
high-altitude adaptation. BY QUENTIN FINNÉ
hen the riders
line up in
Embrun, on the
edge of Lake
Serre-Ponçon, to tackle the
18th stage that will finish
in Valloire, they can be
forgiven for breathing a little
heavier than usual… They’ll
be taking the chance to fill
their lungs with oxygen-
rich air that will quickly
become scarce. Ahead of
them lie the Vars, Izoard and
Galibier passes, and each
of them will take the peloton
above the 2 000m mark,
a threshold beyond which
the body loses its usual
reference points.
“This phenomenon is
explained by a decrease
in atmospheric pressure
and a dispersion of oxygen
molecules,” explains
W
Samuel Bellenoue, coach at
the Wanty-Groupe Gobert
team and a specialist in
high-altitude preparation.
“In simpler terms, a litre of
air breathed in at an altitude
of 2 000m is less dense in
oxygen. The body will adapt
by increasing heart rate, but
also ventilation. As a result,
making an effort demands
more energy than it does
at sea level. And when
climbing for almost 10km
beyond this threshold of
2 000m, as will be the case
on the Galibier, there will
certainly be an impact on
performance.”
This factor hasn’t
escaped the attention of
the Groupama-FDJ team.
“We’re preparing for the
Tour de France with altitude
training camps because
these not only improve
the performance level of a
rider, but also enable them
to understand Stage 18
better,” says Julien Pinot,
the French team’s coach.
“The body’s response to
the effects of altitude is very
individual as the reduction
in performance can vary
from 2 to 10%. Therefore, it
is important to determine
how each rider reacts in this
particular environment.
In our team, my brother
Thibaut responds rather
well. In 2015, he won
a stage of the Tour of
Switzerland at Sölden,
where the finish was
located at a height of
more than 2 600m. When
analysing the data recorded
by his power meter, we
noticed a decrease in his
performance, but it was
minimal.”
Spending time at altitude
also allows for a degree of
acclimatisation, as the body
can learn how to function
in an optimal manner in
this particular environment.
“To acclimatise, we do
specific efforts at more
than 1 800m,” continues
Pinot. “But a form of genetic
predisposition ensures
that some people will still
struggle when tackling the
big peaks while, for example,
Colombian riders who live all
year round at almost 3 000m
will hardly feel the effects.”
Coming in the Tour’s final
week, when the peloton
will be feeling the effects of
fatigue, this triple helping of
high-altitude passes could
prove decisive. ●
2 0 1 9 TO U R D E FR ANCE
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