The upcoming 2018 Tour De France race will be the 105th anniversary of the race and will begin on July 7, concluding on July 29. Throughout the race there will be 21 stages, where riders will have to face six mountain stages, three of six will be summit finishes, one independant time trial, one team trial and eight flat routes. All of the 21 stages total up to a staggering 3229 km, meaning preparation, training and nutritional requirements are key components if a cyclist is set on wearing the famous yellow jersey.
The Tour de France is one of the most famous cycling races in the world. Many competitors embark on a gruelling 23 day cycling race which consist of an average of 4-6 hours of intense riding daily. All riders would be using both anaerobic and aerobic energy systems throughout the race …show more content…
The role of ATP-PC within the body is to provide immediate energy at any given time by breaking down the stored high energy phosphates. It is the only system that doesn’t require a blood supply and can function in the absence of oxygen. As a result, the ATP-PC system can provide a lot of energy quickly, for short bursts of time. Cyclists use this energy system when overtaking opponents or during the final sprint of the race to gain a better position. In the 2017 Tour de France, Marcel Kittel from Germany proved to be the ‘King of Sprints’ in Stage 10 of the race in Bergerac. Kittel was 500m from the finish line when he noticed his competitor, McLay started the sprint very early. Kittel seized this opportunity and began his sprint, reaching the front of the pack with 220m to go. The ATP-PC system average functional time is normally active for 10-15 seconds at most. It is free energy as the body stores ATP ready for immediate use. Once it is depleted, it can take up to 5 minutes to replenish, ready to sprint again. It is the only energy system that has no