Do The Tour...Stay At Home - Stage 20
The final stage of the Tour de France is normally a formality for the riders in the top 10 overall, but with only 31 seconds covering the top three places, we could actually see Levi Leipheimer or Cadel Evans go for bonus seconds in the two intermediate sprints on the way to Paris. And keep in mind that there are 20, 12, and 8 bonus seconds up for grabs on the finish line on the Champs Elysees.
If the top three riders decide not to worry about bonus seconds, the sprinters are likely to have their day at the end of Stage 20. Though the final stage has been won by a breakaway rider a few times, it’s most commonly won in a bunch sprint. Tom Boonen would like nothing more than to win on the Champs Elysees while wearing the sprinters’ green jersey.
The Workout
General Task: 1:30 EnduranceMiles (60-88% of Field Test average heart rate, 50-80% of Field Test average power)
Specific Task: Flat Sprints
These are the types of sprints that are fundamental for building a great finishing kick. Roll along in a relatively big gear (53x16 or 15 maybe) at about 10-15 mph. Choose a starting point (like a telephone pole or mailbox), and when you reach it, sprint out of the saddle as hard as you can for 15 seconds. As you accelerate and your cadence increases, shift into harder gears one at a time. You want to accelerate the gear you’re in, then shift, accelerate that gear and then shift again. Don’t just jump and shift to your biggest gear immediately. Beginners should complete five sprints, intermediate riders should do seven, and advanced riders should be able to do nine. Take five minutes of easy spinning recovery between each. If you’re speed or power output during the sprints falls dramatically part way through the workout, don’t bother with the rest of the sprints. At that point, you’re better off just continuing your ride at a moderate pace.
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