Between Tour of Italy e Tour de FranceThe topic never ends. Times and players change, but this month or so between the two major races remains fascinating. How to unwind, how to train, what to do. We talk about it with Julien Pinot, Thibaut's brother and coach of the same athlete at Groupama-Fdj, among other things, the blue jersey at the last Giro.
This combination is now increasingly reserved for a select few. Today, There are about a dozen riders who will take part in the two Grand Tours and of these only five have finished the Giro d'Italia: Cavendish, Barguil, kiss, Leknessund and precisely Thibaut Pinot. So here we are, analyzing this increasingly delicate aspect with coach Julien.
Julien, fewer and fewer riders are competing in both Grand Tours, and among them, there are practically no GC riders left. Why is that?
There are fewer and fewer of them, true. The last ones who really tried were Froome e From the mill as far as I can remember, who finished 2nd and 3rd in the Tour after the 2018 Giro. It's very difficult, and with the level that has risen, the complexity of this challenge has only increased. It's already very complicated to have to do only the general classification in a major Tour, but with two, and in such a short period, the failure rate becomes extremely high. And the great leaders don't want to take that risk.
Is the game not worth the candle?
It's easier to do the sequence with Return, although it is rare for the leaders of a Giro to still manage to get on the podium of the Vuelta. In the past, we have seen it done at Roglic, who, however, only did half of the Tour last year. Giro-Tour remains something that is really very difficult to manage. Two peaks of form with so many uncertainties… This is why teams and leaders want to take this risk very rarely.
How long does it take to recover after a Grand Tour?
This is a complicated question, especially after the Giro which is always tough, because there is no single answer. It's entirely individual and a lot depends on how you finish the grand Giro. This year, we've seen riders collapse. We know that it's always the third week that makes all the difference: the duration of recovery is determined based on this.
It's clear…
There is always a “decompression” phase and it is also psychological. Because in addition to the three and a half weeks of the Grand Tour (now we start 4-5 days early, ed.), there are two to three months of total focus on training, nutrition, recovery... all things that require a lot of energy. And when the Grand Tour suddenly ends, you need a "psychological decompression." So how long does it take: a week, two, three? It's really a multifactorial question.
Is it right to go to high altitude between the two Giros?
Yes, it is necessary, but it all depends on the type of preparation done for the first major Giro. I really believe that whoever does the two Tours will make a high altitude call in the middle. Also because competitions are rarely added when there is a sequence like the Giro and Tour. Generally, it is compensated with a cycle of work in hypoxia (therefore at altitude, ed.).
How long does it take to get back to training properly? And what do you do?
It depends on your recovery. First, you need to ensure physical and mental recovery is complete, and only then can training loads resume. If all goes well, it will take two weeks after the Giro for the athlete to fully recover on both fronts. I insist a lot on the psychological and mental aspect because it is truly fundamental to succeeding in the sequence of the two Giros. So there are two weeks of work left. But generally, with the work done for the first Giro, there is no need to add many loads. Not even in terms of intensity. If anything, the aim is to add a work cycle at altitude, as mentioned, to "passively recreate" physiological adaptations and stimuli without great physical cost.
Is it useful to do a race or two before the Tour? And why?
As I said before, no. There's the national championship right now. And that's fine, but... I wouldn't even put a Dauphiné or a Swiss, These are very difficult events with a very high level. If anything, a Tour of Slovenia or a Route d'Occitaine would be better to regain some freshness.
Is there anything in particular to watch out for in regards to nutrition this month? We imagine that after the Giro, some riders gained some weight...
It's always going in the same direction: in the two weeks after the Giro the riders will inevitably have to ease the pressure a little and It's important not to follow a drastic diet. But in general, you shouldn't gain a lot of weight.: One kilo is already fine. It's important to get back on track in the two weeks leading up to the Tour.
And this month between the two Tours for Thibaut?
It's not yet official that Thibaut will go to the Tour (but we know that Pinot will be there, ed.). The only certain thing in the team is to make the general classification with David Gaudi. Thibaut is objectively out of season. He really gave it his all at the Giro d'Italia. Obviously, he wants to go to the Tour de France: It's his last year, he wants to have fun and help David. So we acted as if it was going to happen.
So how are you working?
Post-Giro recovery completed, We're now in the third week, and we need to rework the situation a bit and do some refreshers. So it's important to do some work in the mountains. It's safe to assume that the second half of the Tour de France will be particularly eagerly awaited this year, even though it will be challenging from the start with the stages in the Basque Country and the Pyrenees. Thibaut won't make it to the top. This will also help take the pressure off him, as he himself will be particularly keen to compete in the second half of the season in the Alps and Vosges. So our approach is to be competitive for those stages. And the coming two weeks are crucial.
