Race Report: Yolandi du Toit - La Grande Boucle Feminine Internationale

Yolandi started training with me about 2 months before the tour. At the time she was still recovering from injuring her knee in the Epic. With her racing commitments (both on-road and off-road) we were not able to go through a periodised training program to build up to this tour.
Looking at the power data from the tour, she has done really well. We do not have power data for the first two stages, which had plenty of cobble sections and we did not want to risk the powertap wheels. Although Stage 3 was tempo intensity for her, the first two stages took a lot out of her and she was physically very tired at the end of the stage.
It rained during Stage 4, which reduced the intensity and was more endurance pace. Stage 5 was an Individual Time Trial, and Yolandi had a good ride. After 3 days of hard racing she still managed 65 minutes at 5 watts above her estimated functional threshold power. Unfortunately she punctured a few kilometres before the finish and rode the end of the TT on a flat front tyre.
Although she felt good in the TT, she paid for it in Stage 6, having a tough day. The main problem seems to be muscle glycogen depletion i.e. she did not manage to get enough carbohydrates back into her system after the timetrial. She was able to ride at tempo intensity, but not any higher – which is indicative of depleted muscle glycogen.
As is often the case, Yolandi had a good day after effectively ‘bonking’ the day before. In the last stage Yolandi got into the break and rode positively, finishing the stage in 18th place.
Given the disrupted preparation, this was a really good performance and with another 2 tours next month, this will provide her with a solid base.