We recently asked Cycling Weekly readers what it would take for them to prepare for the Tour de France, Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a España. Here are a selection of answers, brought to you in association with BTwin.
What would you suggest is the ideal preparation for riding a Grand Tour? Tell us in the comments section below.
Set off two weeks before the other riders.
Kev Gorringe
Three Shredded Wheat and an early night. And some PEDs and a motor in your bottom bracket.
Neil Batt
Young British riders are at a definite disadvantage to their continental counterparts on this one. There are simply no races on British soil for amateurs that offer anything near the experience of riding a Grand Tour. Britain may lack the Alps, Pyrenees and Dolomites, but we’ve still got some big hills. Where are the climb-filled stage races on British soil that would act as a way of providing experience and a stepping stone to a pro contract and the big races for our young riders?
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A £12,000 bike, a large coach (both types), someone to shout into an earpiece, a ton of food and someone to hold up a banner with my name on it on every climb.
Sandra Johnson
Put your feet up and set it all up to record on the TV.
David Scrivener
Getting a pro contract on a WorldTour team is definitely a good start. This requires you to be quite fit, so I’ve come up with a cunning plan. Persuade a German kitchen appliance manufacturer, Dutch lottery or Belgian pharmaceutical company (or all three) to give you lots of money, start your own team and then give yourself a contract. It doesn’t matter that you’ll finish the first stage of the Giro three hours down… YOU MADE THE START!
Geoff Stephens
A Brooks double sprung saddle and lashings of chamois cream.
Dennis Marsh
A week of cinnamon whirls.
Matt C
I took part in a Grand Tour of the pubs of Norfolk by bicycle many years ago. It didn’t require much preparation, but it took quite a lot of recovery time.
Dave Simmonds
A nice cup of TUE.
Richard Williams
It’s actually hard to imagine for us mortals what riding a tough three-week stage race is really like. Just one stage, ridden slowly, would finish me off. I don’t know what it would take to prepare for such a feat, but hats off to everyone that does.
Richard Burnett
Nerves of steel and a very big breakfast.
Kevin Monk
Getting kicked off a highly popular and long-running BBC programme for doing something stupid. Ah, wrong Grand Tour.
John Pearman
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Nigel Wynn worked as associate editor on CyclingWeekly.com, he worked almost single-handedly on the Cycling Weekly website in its early days. His passion for cycling, his writing and his creativity, as well as his hard work and dedication, were the original driving force behind the website’s success. Without him, CyclingWeekly.com would certainly not exist on the size and scale that it enjoys today. Nigel sadly passed away, following a brave battle with a cancer-related illness, in 2018. He was a highly valued colleague, and more importantly, an exceptional person to work with - his presence is sorely missed.
