As a member of three of America’s greatest road teams (7-Eleven, Motorola and U.S. Postal), Frankie Andreu participated in the Tour de France on nine occasions starting in 1993. Following his stint in the saddle, Frankie put in another nine years following the Tour when he traded in his bike for a microphone as a commentator for the Versus channel. Today, Frankie remains active in the sport as the team manager for the Kenda/5-Hour Energy team.

RBA: How much has changed in a rider’s Tour prep in regards to new ways of training? How are things done differently now?

Frankie: Things are different in that riders specialize on one major goal for the year, like the Tour or the Giro. Everything leads up to that point. Lance really changed the specialization in training towards the Tour. Less races, more focus on one big goal. The strategy of racing your way into fitness doesn’t work anymore. The races are too hard, the UCI points too valuable and wins pretty much just as hard to come by from start to end. Hours on the bike are important, but training with watts has taken over. The watts eliminate all the variables of heart rate, temperatures, terrain, etc. Riders now know if they can do a certain amount of watts for a certain amount of time, they can climb and TT with the best. It’s all gotten very scientific and precise, which has led to the increase in finding qualified coaches who know how to work through the numbers. Today’s Tour riders now watch their watts; there’s no more just crossing your fingers, going flat out and hoping you have a good ride.

RBA: Has new bike technology had any impact on a rider’s effort in the race, specifically on the TT?

Frankie: The effort is still the same. You go hard, you suffer and you try to win. The technology allows everyone to go faster, but you still have to produce the power to maintain that speed. This is why wind-tunnel testing is such a valuable tool. The new biker and component technology also plays a role in the mountains, but with the UCI weightlimit rule, which is outdated and should change, things get to be more of a level playing field. Some bikes have lifetime warranties, but now you find bikes that are so lightweight that they only have a warranty for one year.

RBA: How significant is the daily massage in helping a rider get through three weeks of racing?

Frankie: I feel massage is a key factor in recovery. That is one thing that has not changed much from the old days. Massage is critical in flushing the legs to get the lactic acid out and, more importantly, removing the muscle or tendon adhesions that occur. Ideally, you want all the muscles working properly, and massage helps keep things aligned. It’s like an ice bath that rushes the blood into the legs to flush things out—but without freezing to death. RBA: Have there been big changes in the diet before and during the race? Frankie: One of the biggest advantages are the recovery drinks with carbs and some protein that help replenish the muscles quickly. Also, the ability to ingest liquid carbs during a race that are absorbed quicker has made a big difference. Riders used to have to eat sandwiches, pastries and bananas for fuel. Now you have the ability to consume 200g of carbohydrates each hour to ensure that you have the proper fuel, and it eliminates much of the guesswork of knowing if you will bonk.

RBA: Could any of America’s top riders—racing domestically—make it at the Tour? Just how big of a leap is it going from racing in America?

Frankie: There are a lot of good young Americans racing in Europe right now. Some could do the Tour, like Tejay van Garderen. Racing in Europe is a different level, and no one would or should go from racing domestically to riding the Tour. It’s dependent on the rider, but taking one or two years over there would be necessary to race in the Tour. It’s not just about fitness or power; it’s also getting used to the craziness of fighting for position constantly, the high speeds, bike handling, tactics, descending at crazy speeds—there are a lot of little things that all add up to making a good Tour rider. It’s not just how strong you are.

RBA: You raced in the Tour on nine occasions; was there one particular stage that you recall as being the hardest?

Frankie: That would be the stage to Briancon in 2000. It was something like a 240km stage. The first three went through a valley with a blowing head wind. The second half went over like four mountains. I had to pull through the valley and set tempo up the first climb. The head wind made it an effort like going flat out, especially uphill for me. I blew big time at the top of the first climb. Quickly everyone started to pass me, then groups that were dropped started to pass me. I barely clung onto the grupetto that had formed. I was already wasted, and we still had 100km left of racing. At the finish, I could barely function—couldn’t think or speak—and just rode to the hotel and collapsed in the bed in full riding kit. I laid there awhile before I could muster up the energy to take a shower. I really had nothing left that day! The sad truth is that there were many other days in the Tour that were awful close to being this hard—days when I was just willing myself, one pedal stroke at a time, to not quit. All I could do to stay on was to just repeat to myself, “You can do this, you can do this.” Sometimes it was to not get dropped, or to go harder, chase longer, survive a crazy descent or make it through a field sprint. It didn’t matter what the particular circumstances were, the motto was the same: “You can do this!”