IF YOU CAN HANDLE THE HEAT…
Tony Martin prepared for the 2016 World Time Trial Championship by training on the rollers in his bathroom in front of a fan heater. “Of course, I was using the sauna too,” said the German. Why? Because that year’s Worlds were held in Doha, Qatar, where temperatures were expected to hit 40°C.
“Studies show that you get an adaptation when you simulate the heat this way for a certain amount of time,” added Martin. “You just try everything to gain a few per cent over your rivals.”
On race day, while many riders found themselves unable to produce their usual amounts of power in those searing temperatures, Martin took his fourth world title, demonstrating that the bathroom sessions were much more than just hot air.
Though the TT specialist was left to improvise his own heat acclimation programme in 2016, the benefits of training in high temperatures and high humidities in advance of hot-weather competition are proven.
Much more recently, under the blazing Tuscany sun
