{"id":180055,"date":"2020-10-23T10:32:25","date_gmt":"2020-10-23T10:32:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/?p=180055"},"modified":"2020-10-23T19:53:49","modified_gmt":"2020-10-23T19:53:49","slug":"how-hard-is-it-to-finish-a-grand-tour","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2020\/10\/23\/how-hard-is-it-to-finish-a-grand-tour\/","title":{"rendered":"How Hard Is It to Finish a Grand Tour?"},"content":{"rendered":"

It would be pretty much impossible for an untrained person to complete any of the Grand Tours. But if we leave the time limits aside, would a dedicated amateur cyclist stand a chance? Just how hard are the Tour de France, La Vuelta, and Giro d’Italia? Let\u2019s take a closer look.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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These races are called Grand Tours for a reason. They are designed to test the best cyclists and cycling teams in the world to decide who is the best. Let\u2019s see if an average amateur cyclist has what it takes in terms of strength, power, bike handling skills, and even eating abilities.<\/p>\n

\"Amateur<\/a>
Could amateurs do it? \u00a9 Profimedia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Endurance<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The first test would be the sheer distance that cyclists have to cover. The Tours are often over 3500 km, which is like cycling from London to Paris about 7 times! And riders are expected to finish within only 23 days out of which they rest for two. The average cyclist would probably need at least 3 months, not 3 weeks to finish.<\/p>\n

Leg power<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The pros put out upwards of 400 watts of power on average to sustain blazing average speeds of 40 km\/h and much higher during time trials. And sprinters commonly cross 1400 watts of power when fighting for a stage win. All of this means that they are able to finish the 200km stages in under 5 hours. In comparison, an average cycling enthusiast can maintain an average power of only about 200 watts and a speed of about 25 km\/h. This would mean the same stage would take them at least 8 hours.<\/p>\n

\"La<\/a>
While for pros, a 200km stage takes under 5 hours, it would take at least 8 hours for amateurs. \u00a9 Profimedia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Pain threshold<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The huge distances Grand Tours cover put an immense strain not just on the cyclists\u2019 legs but their whole body. They test every muscle and joint in the body, especially the contact points like hands, feet, and butt. An amateur who is not used to riding 200 km every day would struggle with swelling, chafing, bleeding, and a lot of pain just to stay on the bike. Plus, there\u2019s a significant risk of injuries due to crosswinds, roadside obstacles, and crashes. Pros often get small cuts, bruises, scrapes to their knees and elbows and continue racing.<\/p>\n

Stomach capacity<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Cycling for so many days at such high intensity requires a lot of energy. It is estimated that riders burn more than 100000 calories during those three weeks of competition. That\u2019s equivalent of 275 Big Macs or 114 kg of steak or 56 kg of ice cream! Hardly any other endurance event on the planet can be a match for the Grand Tours in terms of the amount of food consumed. Let\u2019s compare with some other sports.<\/p>\n