"Tour de Caravan With George Bennett"
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
What do you know, Tony Lyle, it's an absolute pleasure to welcome in to the Agenda podcast, George Bennett, who's just completed his sixth tour to France. He's spent the last three weeks cycling 3,000 plus kilometres, similar to you, Tony. Outrageous. Through mountains, heat waves, the occasional protest of thousands of kind of fans who are probably the most psycho fans I've ever seen. Almost a hindrance, I'd say. Almost a hindrance. George, I mean, how's the body after all that?
Thank you.
Hey guys, thanks for having me on. Yeah, I'm an absolute shell. I think I haven't helped myself in the last couple of days. I mean, I was in a bad way already from obviously three weeks of Tour de France and then Sunday night, you step straight into it and then even dragged myself around PGA Catalonia today in 38 degrees. But yeah, I haven't helped myself. But I don't think that even if I'd just been on drinking waters and sitting on the couch, I'd be feeling great anyway.
How do you get up each morning and cycle up the Pyrenees? How much prep goes into it? Because to me it seems fucking insane to me. For me, running a three at the Basin Reserve for the ACC11, that's endurance for me. Just talk us through the prep and the mental struggle of doing that every day.
Well, I mean, the preps, the preps, yes, the preps, like, I mean, specifically for that race, it's one of the, I mean... We live like a pretty depressing monk-like lifestyle at times, but it is, you know, it starts already. Let's say the prep for the Tour started already in November last year. You know, you have beige to build up through the season. There's a lot of smaller races, but it's all sort of roads lead to France. And like the last, let's say, three months, I mean, I had a pretty outrageous setup. It's like I'm at home in Andorra, which is already quite high, 1,800 meters. And then on top of that, I'm sleeping with an altitude generator to make it that I'm sleeping at 3,500 meters. And then on top of that, I've got the bed propped up on this like a slope because that's the new research that that also helps increase blood mass.
You're like a vampire.
You're literally just like a vampire.
Yeah. And, you know, it's all these things. You're weighing every little bit of food. You're training really hard. It's a pretty involved process. And it didn't used to always be like that. I mean, cycling back in the old days was, well... I mean, they didn't need it, did they?
You're on a penny farther, so you're going too slow. All that preparation goes into it. And, you know, you're just a kid from Nelson. I'm from Blenheim, so I know what it's like being down there in a tiny little town. Do you look around when you are actually doing the race, when it's come to race day? Are you so focused on the race that you're just thinking, you know, legs, make the move? Or do you casually look around and be like, I'm in the French countryside. I'm doing the Tour de France. Does it occur to you when you're doing it or are you just so focused on the actual race?
I think now I've done a few of them that I do try and remind myself to stop looking at the wheel in front of you and actually look around. I mean, there was a couple of moments in this tour particularly that it's just... that I was, mainly because I was out the ass. I was like, I had a bit of time to go, okay, was there a million people on this mountain? Like literally 800,000 people on one mountain, screaming at me, your ears are ringing. I think the last stage in Paris, up Montmartre there, it was like, Unbelievable. And there was moments I'd come in and just you can't hear anything. You just screams of people. And I think there was times you get the goosebumps and you look around and you go, okay, this is pretty awesome.
But I think so much of the time you're just suffering and you're just hurting.
How did George Bennett prepare physically for his sixth Tour de France?
Yeah. You know, you've got a director in your ear, you've got your wheels, you know, you're sitting one centimetre behind the guy in front of you at 50, 60k an hour and you just, there's so much going on that it's sort of now when I get home and it's very quiet and I go, oh, that was fucking insane.
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Chapters
5 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–4:02
2
How did George Bennett prepare physically for his sixth Tour de France?
4:02–7:35
3
What daily training and altitude strategies did he use in Andorra?
7:35–23:45
4
How does a rider balance team roles between sprints and mountain stages?
23:45–29:23
5
Why is Tadej Pogačar described as a genetic freak and how does he compare to others?
29:23–33:56