"Believe it or not, I've been out training in temperatures as low as 10 degrees below zero" - EF Education-EasyPost rider reveals extreme winter training
CyclingFriday, 14 February 2025 at 09:00
Cycling is often associated with warm summer rides, offering
the perfect way to explore breathtaking landscapes and enjoy the beauty of
mother nature. While that works well for casual riders, professional cyclists
must endure extreme conditions year-round, including the bitter cold of winter.
Better them than me!
Marca spent a day with EF Education-EasyPost’s Harry
Sweeny to see how he trains in freezing conditions at nearly 2,000 metres above
sea level. In Andorra, where he is based, temperatures can plummet to -10°C,
making training sessions a true test of endurance. "Believe it or not,
I've been out training in temperatures as low as 10 degrees below zero,"
says Sweeny.
The 26-year-old Australian has competed in both the Tour de
France and the Vuelta a Espana during his career. His day starts with a
cappuccino and a 200g serving of oats, fuelling him for the grueling hours
ahead. Before heading out, he puts on an SPO2 monitor to track his blood oxygen
levels, cross-referencing the data with his weight to ensure his body is
recovering properly without excessive weight loss.
Dressing appropriately is essential to surviving the harsh
conditions. Sweeny layers up with thermal jerseys, shorts, and jackets, but his
most innovative addition is a buff folded in a way that completely covers his
face, leaving no skin exposed.
He doubles up on socks for extra foot protection
and wears insulated gloves to shield his hands from the cold. Thanks to this, his
outfit might resemble ski gear more than cycling attire, but it’s necessary for
the freezing temperatures he has to ride through.
Training rides can last up to six hours, requiring a steady
intake of 90g of carbohydrates per hour through energy gels and drinks to
sustain his effort, and during one ride, he covered 60km while averaging an
impressive 320 watts.
Sweeny’s commitment to performance extends beyond his
outdoor rides. At home, he takes things to another level with an altitude tent
provided by his team. This specialised tent replicates the conditions of
high-altitude training, mimicking the effects of a hypoxia chamber to enhance
his endurance.
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- But Tadej is in yellow, and that makes all the difference in the tactics? I don’t understand Wouts comments. Maybe I’m missing something.Kbd23-07-2025
- should have gone to specsaverssimon23-07-2025
- He should not be doing the TDF at all. he comes for GC, drops like a stone and then doesn't have energy even for stage wins. He is better than Healy and ilk in the mountains.abstractengineer23-07-2025
- Agree, in the rest day interviews Tadej talked about sore throat and a blocked nose. And don't forget the crash.
maria2024202423-07-2025 - Massively impressed by Oscar's riding and his attitude. I hope he gets on the podium.
JohnB23-07-2025 - Have no illusions. Pogacar did it to save energy. He is not here to make friends (and neither is anyone else). I should note that having good etiquette is different to making friends - waiting for a leader who crashed is good etiquette - you don't become friends just because you waited.Pogboom23-07-2025
- Tadej's own team were worried about how his crash would affect his form a few days after. Maybe we've seen how it has affected it. But he's been strong enough to hold off attacks anyway.Hill3323-07-2025
- I sure hope he'll recover soon. Hope he won't be back on the bike too soon, that could probably cause more and maybe permanent damage. Today (Wednesday) is a sprint day so he could use that to recover should he remain in the tour.
D3kst3r23-07-2025 - I know LOL. Tadej could crack anytime, but really, doesn't seem to be happening.mij23-07-2025
- I know - Jonas is full on out of the saddle, and Tadej stays seated and responds. he takes 2 seconds. there is zero reason for Tadej to do anything. if he attacks everyone thinks he is reckless. if he follows they think his form is off. If he wins, he is greedy. if someone else wins, he is losing it. Tadej is riding a perfect tour - get a massive lead and sit on.mij23-07-2025
Go to a decent sized northern city and pull see people training in -40 and colder. When I was living in Wisconsin, I did 4-5hr training rides in -40 and saw men and women twice my age out training... not biking to get somewhere but actual training rides.
Your anecdote seems a bit exaggerated. Milwaukee and Madison have NEVER hit -40 in all years of measuring. Even Green Bay has barely hit that mark (Record-40.2). So no, people don’t routinely train in Wisconsin in -40 temps.
Even Canadian cities like Edmonton or Winnipeg, which are colder than Wisconsin, can go multiple years without dipping to -40
I was going to mediate between you two and remind that neither of you mentioned which scale you were referring to but after calculating that this is the one temperature where both scales show the same figure, I’ve decided to let you rip each others’ hair out :-) In any case, it must get pretty cold at times coz I have a friend who did some trans (not the kind Donald wants to ban from dictionaries) canadian MTB event and he had to train inside a butchers’ freezer coz we don’t get those conditions round here.