Originally Posted by
63rickert
Why would I not believe that? It is and has been reported in news coverage of TdF time trials for decades. It makes physiological sense. It has been reported to me by TdF mechanics. Similar has been reported to me by working pros in somewhat lesser races.
Perhaps decades ago but not lately. Here's a short blurb on Sky's 20 min warmup procedure:
This is the Standard Team SKY Warm-Up:
5 min light spinning
8 min progressive to Zone 5 – gradually increase the effort until reach maximum power output without sprinting
2 min easy – to recover from the above
2 min to include 3 x 6 second sprints to fully prime all the musculature involved in cycling
3 mins easy – to recover from the above before the race start
from:
Team SKY Warm-up - BritishCycleSport