#whatittakes-train

This cycling-crazed Belgium (who lives with his wife in Boulder, CO) has experienced what it takes to survive the tour first hand, so we sat down with him inside the Trek support car 30 minutes prior to stage 11  to learn more.

It takes a Trek army of 60+ people across various functions - from coaching staff to the performance team to technical players to make dreams a reality. 

To start, there are 25 riders who compete all over the world at any given time. Currently as we sat down with Tim, there was another Trek team racing at the Tour of Poland. For the Tour de France specifically, there are a handful of riders who are meant to support the overall leader of each stage. Their role may include running water bottles and nutrition to the head of the pack and ensuring they have what it takes to take the stage. One team, one dream.

Then, there’s a team of five who support everything from nutrition, recovery and making sure the riders maintain the highest level of physical support during all 21 grueling stages of the tour. These team players are referred to as “Soigneurs” which means “one who cares for others” in French. They are a critical part of the riders’ success and take care of everything outside of the bikes.

But the talent doesn’t stop there. We placed GoPros on 22 teams and also partnered with Velon’s 12 teams (check out our Beyond the Race cycling series!) to give you an exclusive look at the competitive world of cycling.

The Behind Le Tour story is a testament to the strategic team effort that goes into preparing riders and coaching staff – all captured through unique lens of GoPro. This year riders used the Pro Seat Rail Mount and variations of the Pro Handlebar Mount to capture incredible in-your-face perspectives.

There is no value in improvisation. Every move is with purpose. Every move counts. From bike tech, to nutrition to positioning within the peloton, it’s a game of chess that requires an army of support.