Recovery and Fatigue Management

Recovery and Fatigue Management

Successfully completing a Grand Tour requires careful fatigue management - even the fittest riders fail when recovery is inadequate.

Monitoring Fatigue

• HRV (Heart Rate Variability): Lower = more fatigue/stress
• Resting heart rate: Elevated RHR indicates inadequate recovery
• Power at given heart rate: Lower power at same HR = fatigue
• TSB (Training Stress Balance): Increasingly negative = accumulating fatigue

Recovery Strategies

• Sleep: 9-10 hours per night during tours
• Nutrition: 6000-8000 calories per day
• Hydration: 8-12 liters per day in hot conditions
• Active recovery: 20-30 minute spins on rest days
• Massage, compression, ice baths: marginal gains

Power Decline Patterns

• Week 1: Fresh, high power output
• Week 2: 5-8% FTP decline, fatigue accumulates
• Week 3: 10-15% decline possible, relies on fitness base
• Final stages: Running on empty, motivation and tactics critical

Strategic Rest Days

Grand Tour rest days are not days off - riders still spin for 60-90 minutes to keep legs fresh. Complete rest leads to stiffness. The goal is active recovery at Zone 1 intensity, flushing metabolic waste while maintaining muscle activation.