Pogacar reveals the secrets of his training: “Potentiometers are not very reliable”

At this point, no one was surprised by the massive performance of Tadej Pogacar on top of the bike. The Slovenian wonder, 26 yearsthree-time winner of the Tour de France, is a first-class physiological phenomenon, although there has been much mythological discussion without first-hand figures to verify it. Now, he himself has revealed some juicy details about his training and nutrition, sparing no expense when it comes to sharing some interesting figures about his physical performance, on the podcast The Drivewith Petter Attia.

Nutrition: no strict restrictions

“Five years ago, “I always beat myself up after stage races or long races,” tells about its long adaptation process and better in terms of nutrition. “Now, even if I eat 120 grams, I don’t have stomach problems,” he said. Your calculations indicate that for difficult stages or long races you need to consume 120 grams of carbohydrates per hourbetween 60 and 90 for easier stages. It is divided into solutions in bottles (between 30 and 60 grams) and in gels or bars.

When he started appearing, Pogacar admits that he hardly paid attention to the nutrition issue. “When you’re young, you can eat whatever you want without gaining weight”he commented. She states that she is not a fan of overly restrictive diets, and prefers moderation to banning foods like chocolate, a useful style for the holiday season. “When the time comes between seasons I have no cravings. I want good, tasty and healthy food, but in normal quantities,” he added.

Pogacar usually weighs about 69 kilos, maximum 70 after making some extras. During the Grand Tours, however, he remains relatively low, around 65 kilograms for his 1.76 meter height.

Heart rate value

“I’ve been training with heart monitors since I was 12, so I know how my heart responds when I’m feeling good or tired,” says Pogacar, who warns of the dangers of focusing too much on heart rate meters. electricity “I can only base it on heart ratealthough it is good to be able to compare it with power, but potentiometers are not very reliable nowadays. You have to keep an eye on the outside temperature, the calibration and all that. It could be out of calibration and you have to watch for that,” he pointed out.

During the sleep phase, Pogacar shows a heart rate of 37 beats per minute. Sick or tired, these minimums increase between 48 and 50. As a junior, he assured, his maximum was at 213 heartbeats, and now it has reached 200. “I haven’t tested in a while, but it’s probably high”comments, teasingly, about his VO₂ max index, a very common indicator to study high performance and exceptional physiologies.

Concrete numbers: power and VAM

For data-obsessed cyclists, Pogacar’s revelation that Its power range in Zone 2 is between 320 and 340 It will be very interesting. Additionally, he commented on his “good” four-hour training focused exclusively on Zone 2.

“In Monaco, it’s very difficult to accumulate a lot of time in Zone 2because there’s a lot to climb,” he says. “You can’t maintain the power. “I try to reach a very high Zone 2 on the climbs, which last 20 to 40 minutes, and then you recover on the descent.”

“But when I go home to Slovenia or somewhere else, in Spain when we trained in Calpe, or in the summer, where it’s flatter, I really want to stay in Zone 2 for five hours… I want to just do Zone 2 and never stop.”

Despite not having this possibility in Monaco, where he lives, he believes that it is in the most familiar environment where he trains best. “It’s better to practice on the roads at home. That’s where you can see the speed, the VAM, how fast you’re moving,” he said. Curiosity kills the presenter: And what’s your VAM? “Training at seven, seven and a half percent, I think I was between 1700 and 1800 in 15 minutes,” admit the talent.