Follow the fifth stage of the Tour de France here from 13.05. Jasper Philipsen has won both the third and fourth stages of this year’s Tour de France, stages where Kristoff was number 14 and number seven respectively. – We get a very good position. But we arrive a little too early. You see that Jasper is coming from behind, from our pull-up, it would probably have been a bit more optimal, Kristoff told the Norwegian media after finishing the fourth stage. For Philipsen, this means that he has equaled Kristoff in the number of stage victories in the Tour de France with a total of four, four years after he debuted in the Tour de France as Kristoff’s starter in the UAE Team Emirates. In recent years, the Belgian has incorporated high-altitude camps into his training program and was at altitude for almost all of May and the beginning of June this year to prepare for the Tour de France. – I have only seen mountains in the last month, Philipsen said in an interview with Het Nieuwsblad in June – a training program that seems to have given Philipsen golden form in the Tour de France. DOUBLE: Jasper Philipsen (far left) won the fourth leg ahead of Caleb Ewan. Alexander Kristoff (yellow helmet) was seventh. Photo: ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT / AFP Alexander Kristoff turns 36 on Wednesday and this summer’s Tour de France is his tenth in his career, but there has never been any high altitude training for the Roglander. – I said it last year, that I would never ride the Tour de France again without altitude training. I’m sitting here again this year without. I felt it was hard last year when I was there. I saw that everyone else had been at their best, he says with a smile in an interview with news ahead of the Tour de France. – Soon too late anyway In Uno-X, five of the team’s eight Tour de France riders were at high altitude camp in the Sierra Nevada in May, with Kristoff, Anthon Charmig and Jonas Abrahamsen as the other three riders. – I see the effect on Søren (Wærenskjold), on how good he has become. I feel perhaps I should have been there, but it is not so optimal to combine with four children and family life. I hadn’t had the stage win in the Tour of Norway (which started after the end of the team’s altitude camp), so I’ll take it anyway. No one can take it away from me. I wouldn’t have gotten that if I was taller. Perhaps better form, but one victory less, says Kristoff. – Do you regret not exploring it in an earlier phase of your career? – If I had gone to the height now and had a sick effect, I would have regretted that I had never done it earlier. Then it is almost better not to know, because it will soon be too late anyway. I can just go through my whole career not having a clue if it would have been better or not. Since I’ve never been to a high-altitude gathering, I can’t really say whether it’s good or bad for me, says Kristoff. The trainer: – It would have been interesting to try The purpose of altitude training is to increase the supply of red blood cells, which occurs naturally at altitude due to lower oxygen supply. The 36-year-old’s trainer and stepfather, Stein Ørn, says altitude training has not been compatible with their training model. – The concept in Alexander’s model has been very high intensity and muscular strain. The challenge with training at altitude is that you have to reduce the intensity, says Ørn, before he opens up: – Now there have been new strategies for how to handle it (lower intensity) and still manage to maintain a high physical load muscularly. It would have been interesting to try an altitude training period for Alexander now at the end of his career, says Ørn. THE MAN WITH A PLAN: Stepfather and trainer, Stein Ørn, believes that altitude training has not fit into their model. Photo: Fredrik Hagen / NTB Kristoff has a contract with Uno-X until 2025. Ørn, who has his daily work as a senior doctor at the cardiology department at the hospital in Stavanger, is aware that it is something that will be considered in the training program going forward. He believes, however, that there is a risk that training at altitude could have a negative effect on Kristoff’s ability to withstand going over the top of his oxygen-carrying capacity, which Ørn believes defines who is the best. – It has nothing to do with red blood cells, but it has to do with water. Acid leaching. It is water based. There is the risk that you lose that capacity if you are training at altitude, explains Ørn. Will not put altitude pressure on Kristoff Torstein Træen is probably the most enthusiastic about altitude training on the Norwegian team and has seven weeks at altitude behind him this year, in the run-up to the Tour de France. – We really enjoy what we do. We are prepared to be away for three weeks. We really enjoy ourselves when we’ve been the group we’ve been. If you don’t enjoy the stay at altitude, then there is no point in going on a stay at altitude, he says, and continues: – I have felt that I have gotten quite a good effect from what we do. Espen (Aareskjold, trainer in Uno-X) has worked a bit on finding the right arrangement up there. I feel we hit it pretty well, which makes it at least feel good now. Team manager Jens Haugland believes that a key part of the “altitude effect” is that it facilitates good top sports routines. – You end up at an altitude of 2,000 metres. You don’t get to meet that many people. You stay healthy. You eat right, you sleep right, you exercise right. Everything is very controlled. Young people who have a good foundation and are further exposed to that thought will benefit from it. Not necessarily just being at the height, but it’s everything around it that makes them come out well at the other end, he says. TEAM MANAGER: Jens Haugland is manager of Uno-X. In here with Kristoff after the fourth stage. Photo: Fredrik Varfjell / NTB He is clear, however, that he does not want to “force” Kristoff to the height. – We can probably say that another model that he has followed, together with Stein, has worked very well. He will be allowed to do his thing. It’s all right. – He says that he is almost afraid to go to the height, in case it turns out to have a great effect? – Haha yes. Why haven’t I done it before? That said, “Alex” is still curious. He tries to balance having four children and being an active and good dad with being an active professional cyclist at the highest level. He is extremely dedicated and clear about what is needed for him to be able to deliver his career. He still has some real solid years left, “Alex”. He is still careful, says Haugland.
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