“I think about my home in Texas a lot,” said Lawson Craddock, a teammate of Howes. “But if I’m talking to other riders it’s usually about how are we ever going to get to Paris, or how many more days to Paris—it’s all about Paris…”
ACEBike
And you can forget corporate-speak. Howes and Craddock’s boss, team general manager (and former Tour pro) Jonathan Vaughters, says the peloton has its own language; some combination of English, French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, and sometimes Russian. “The most common opening question is, ‘What’s your race schedule after this is over?’” said Vaughters. “It’s the pro cycling equivalent of, ‘What’s your sign?’”
The Breakroom
Of course, there's time on each stage for a few bathroom breaks and a meal or two, albeit a little different than the ones you might take in the office.
light wheels
“Generally, the big pee break of the day occurs when the breakaway of the day is finally established, sometimes after five minutes, sometimes after two hours,” said Vaughters. “The yellow jersey will roll to the front and make everyone see he's peeing. That's like a truce flag on a battlefield. Although sometimes it's a bit of a tactic to get things to calm down, too.”
“Usually there’s at least two, sometimes three pee breaks,” said Howes. “Typically we all stop. It looks dumb to crash with your wiener in your hands.”
Lunch typically comes about halfway through the stage, though it varies depending on the day’s profile. And just like in grade school, if you don’t like what’s in your musette bag, you might find a friend to trade with.
“On long days I’ll eat six rice cakes, three paninis, a couple waffle things, a banana and three gels,” said Howes. “And yes, sometimes we trade lunches with guys from other teams.”
“Basically we want the guys to eat as much as they can without bloating,” added Vaughters. “The rule of thumb is 100 grams of carbohydrates per hour. Hopefully they get a little fat and protein, too. But the pace needs to be a bit slower for that.”
ACEBike
And you can forget corporate-speak. Howes and Craddock’s boss, team general manager (and former Tour pro) Jonathan Vaughters, says the peloton has its own language; some combination of English, French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, and sometimes Russian. “The most common opening question is, ‘What’s your race schedule after this is over?’” said Vaughters. “It’s the pro cycling equivalent of, ‘What’s your sign?’”
The Breakroom
Of course, there's time on each stage for a few bathroom breaks and a meal or two, albeit a little different than the ones you might take in the office.
light wheels
“Generally, the big pee break of the day occurs when the breakaway of the day is finally established, sometimes after five minutes, sometimes after two hours,” said Vaughters. “The yellow jersey will roll to the front and make everyone see he's peeing. That's like a truce flag on a battlefield. Although sometimes it's a bit of a tactic to get things to calm down, too.”
“Usually there’s at least two, sometimes three pee breaks,” said Howes. “Typically we all stop. It looks dumb to crash with your wiener in your hands.”
Lunch typically comes about halfway through the stage, though it varies depending on the day’s profile. And just like in grade school, if you don’t like what’s in your musette bag, you might find a friend to trade with.
“On long days I’ll eat six rice cakes, three paninis, a couple waffle things, a banana and three gels,” said Howes. “And yes, sometimes we trade lunches with guys from other teams.”
“Basically we want the guys to eat as much as they can without bloating,” added Vaughters. “The rule of thumb is 100 grams of carbohydrates per hour. Hopefully they get a little fat and protein, too. But the pace needs to be a bit slower for that.”
