Tour de France 2014: The Tour of pain

Francis De Greef of team Omega Pharma-Lotto in 2010 Credit: Press Association

200 men; 22 days; three mountain ranges and 3,500 kilometres.

These are the reasons why the Tour de France is considered one of sport's greatest physical challenges.

And the world’s most demanding endurance event demands the world’s top athletes. But what goes into making a Tour de France winner?

During an average Tour de France stage, riders will:

  • Spend between four and six hours in the saddle per day

  • Average between 25 to 28 mph on the flat

  • Average between 21 to 25 mph on mountains

  • Ride around 700 to 800 miles per week

  • Consume 4,000 to 5,000 calories per day

  • Drink between four and 20 bottles of water per day

  • Sleep for 70 hours per week

The difficulty of this is put into context when these figures are put in comparison with a hobby rider who will:

  • Spend around three hours in the saddle

  • Average between 17 to 18 mph on the flat

  • Peak at around 10 mph on the mountains

  • Ride around 75 to 140 miles per week

  • Consume 2,000 to 4,500 calories per day

  • Drink three or four bottles of water per day

  • Sleep between 40 and 50 hours per week

A Tour de France rider will maintain speeds of around 35 mph for the last five or ten kilometres of racing; hitting 45 to 50 mph at the finish line.

That equates to 2000 to 2500 watts - enough to power a fridge, TV and most of the lights in a standard house.

This then, starts to build a picture of the extreme physical prowess required to compete at the top level.

Click here to read more about jersey classifications

Riders stock up on food mid-race to keep their energy up Credit: Press Association

Top riders are could be considered freaks of nature, with massive lungs, built into a frame resembling that of a whippet.

Five time consecutive winner Miguel “Big Mig” Indurain, arguably the world’s best-ever time trial rider, had lungs so big - eight litres capacity compared to the six of the average man - they displaced his stomach, making him look as though he had a paunch.

Miguel Indurain's lungs had a whopping eight litre capacity Credit: Press Association

This means Indurain’s lungs could consume huge amounts of oxygen during exercise - at 88 millilitres per kilo per minute, he was almost double that of a normal human being.

This also equates to a lower heart rate - Indurain’s only beat 28 times a minute - whereas a normal person's will beat more than twice that at 70 bpm.

Click here to read more about a Tour de France Rider's diet

Another aspect of the rider's anatomy which is vital to their ability is their heart:

Experts think Sir Bradley Wiggins’ heart will have huge left ventricles - the part of the heart which pump out blood to the rest of the body, filling the muscles with blood and oxygen.

For most people that is like filling a bath with a thimble - to Wiggins it is like using a bucket, increasing his muscle's intake and ability to push himself further.

Sir Bradley Wiggins Credit: Press Association

Click here to read more on the history of the Tour de France

Riders will all talk about the suffering involved, both mentally and physically.

While their bodies are being pushed to the very brink of human endurance, they must also break through the barriers their own mind put in their way.

One trick they use to help break down those barriers is by finding honour in the suffering. They find a way to push through hours and hours of digging deep while every fibre of the body screams in agony shows rivals you can’t be broken and team-mates that all their work isn’t in vain.

Team Sky’s Michael Barry sums it up in his book “Le Metier” - “The Profession”:

Michael Barry Credit: Press Association

Fitness; mental strength; focus; bravery; sacrifice.

For the Tour de France riders, it goes beyond a sport - it becomes a way of life.