Contrary to how dangerous it looks, he feels the loud, encroaching fans on mountain climbs provide an adrenaline boost that helps maintain momentum.

He continues to do strength training with weights for his legs, core, and glutes throughout the racing season, simply using less weight than in the off-season.

His Zone 2 training can be at an astonishing 320-340 watts, but he notes that this output is unsustainable for five hours on flat terrain.

He believes power meters aren't always reliable due to temperature and calibration issues, preferring to combine the data with heart rate, speed, and feel.

He credits custom-designed gels and drinks from the brand Enervit for eliminating the stomach problems he used to suffer from during long races.

For hard stages, he aims to consume 120 grams of carbohydrates per hour, a goal that was impossible five years ago but is now achievable with modern nutrition.

Restricting foods like chocolate for too long creates an unhealthy relationship with food and will likely lead to a binge.

Even with perfect nutrition, you cannot consume enough food to recover if you attack too frequently and push your body beyond its limits.

To avoid psychological stress, his girlfriend, also a pro cyclist, checks her morning heart rate variability (HRV) data only after a race is finished.