What makes a rest day?
Even the world’s best riders need time to recover, and that’s exactly why every Tour de France includes two rest days. The pros won’t be completely off the bike, but it’s a vital pause in the action. Most will spin their legs for an hour, eat clean, get massages, and focus on recovery strategies that help them handle the stages to come. Here’s what a typical rest day looks like.
Distance: 40–50 km
Elevation: Minimal
Experience: This day is about active recovery. It includes light riding to spin out the tired legs, a massage, and maximising sleep and nutrition to absorb fatigue. Mentally, it offers a reset before upcoming key stages.
How to design your own rest day?
You don’t need a team bus to recover like a pro – you just need to slow down with intention. Whether you choose to ride a little or not at all, the goal is to give your body and mind space to reset. And depending on your fitness level, recovery can take many different forms.
Take the quiz to find out what type of cyclist you are and see what the perfect “performance pause” looks like for you.
The Couch Cruiser
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Recovery plan
Ride? Optional. If it happens, max 30 minutes, flat, and in full vibes mode.
Movement: A short walk, barefoot in the grass if possible. Very healing. Very aesthetic.
Stretching: Try 10 minutes of YouTube yoga or stretch with music that makes you feel like you live in Provence.
Food: Oats and fruit in the morning, croissant at golden hour. Hydrate, but pretend it’s rosé.
Mental reset: Watch a Tour de France recap or make a post about why rest is “part of the process”. Bonus points for candlelight or voiceover.
How to embrace the day
Your job is to live like a WorldTour rider off-duty. Slippers > cleats. Foam roller? More like a floor pillow. You are recovering through intention, elegance, and maybe a light facial.
The Sunday Spinner
Recovery plan
Ride? Yes, but 20–40 minutes max, easy spin, no hills, no pushing. Just moving the legs.
Movement: Add a gentle stretch afterward (neck, shoulders, hamstrings).
Massage: A foam roller or massage ball while watching something with subtitles.
Food: Have a solid breakfast, easy lunch, and stay hydrated. Eat like you just finished a stage, even if you just finished a cappuccino.
Mental reset: No guilt. No Garmin. Clean your bike or reorganise your gear drawer. Do something that reminds you you’re a cyclist… without needing to suffer.
How to embrace the day
Think of the rest day as of a brunch with intention. You’re not “skipping” your ride, you’re honouring the ritual. A café spin is fine, but stopping is mandatory. This is where real gains are made: in carbs, calm, and croissant-activated joy.
The Pedal Punisher
Recovery plan
Ride? Yes: 30–45 minutes in Zone 1, high cadence, low pressure. Just enough to flush the legs.
Mobility: 15 minutes of active stretching or a yoga flow to loosen hips and spine.
Massage: Foam roller or massage gun (stay gentle, this is maintenance, not punishment).
Food: Focus on quality carbs and hydration. Fuel like you’re riding again tomorrow, not “earning rest”.
Mental reset: Take a break from TrainingPeaks. No performance review today. Put your feet up, literally. Legs up the wall for 10 minutes.
How to embrace the day
You don’t win during intervals – you win in how well you recover from them. Your body needs space to rebuild. This is a data-free zone. Feel the breath, stretch the tight spots, spin until it’s boring. Then stop. The goal? Wake up tomorrow ready to destroy someone’s tempo pace.
The Full-Gas Fanatic
Recovery plan
Ride? Definitely: 30–60 minutes at active recovery pace. Flat, high cadence (90–100 rpm), low neuromuscular strain.
Movement: 5 minutes mobility pre-ride and foam rolling of major muscle groups after. Or go have a sports massage if you have the option.
Nutrition: Rebuild glycogen with low-fibre carbs and protein every 3–4 hours. Hydrate, add electrolytes to water. Zero alcohol.
Data hygiene: HRV check, sleep score log, resting HR trend, but no TSS anxiety
Mental recovery: Switch off racing content. Read something non-cycling. Go full sensory reset.
How to embrace the day
Today is not passive. It’s strategic withdrawal. You rest like you ride: precisely. Every gram of pasta, every hour of sleep, every minute on the roller matters. The rest day isn’t a pause, it’s a recalibration. You’re not stepping back. You’re loading the next attack.
