Conseil du Jour - Baden Cooke

Australian Baden Cooke has been one of the top professional road racers for the last 10 years. He rode for several years for the Française des Jeux team and is currently part of the Australian Orica Greenedge team. He is best known for winning the Green Jersey (points classification for best sprinter) on the Tour de France in 2003. Before my tour I joined Baden for a training ride - a gentle spin for him, but a fast sprint for me ! His advice could be precious on today's stage, which includes the famous Col de la Bonnette.

What are your favourite training routes around Nice and Monaco ?

Probably my favoutite ride around this area is what I call the “big form finder loop” (as apposed to the “small form finder loop”, neither are actually that big!). I head down to Menton from Monaco then up over Castillon down to Sospel up Col de Brouis into Italy then back through Ventimiglia. The loop only takes about 3 hrs but it is 3hrs of very high quality climbing.

What are your best and worst experiences on a bike ?

My best and worst experiences are certainly all in the Tour de France. I have had some of the most devastatingly painful days in the tour that have crushed my soul. I have also had magical days that have shaped my life. Winning a stage and the Green Jersey the most special moments.

How do you keep in shape over the winter ?

In the winter I do a small amount of running, about 3km, 3 times a week. I find this keeps my legs alive, gives me a good work out without doing too much damage. I find it really activated some muscles that might be not properly turned on. I also do gym 3 times a week that includes some heavy weights but mostly core stability exercises.

 What sports other than cycling do you follow ?

I’m a bit of a rev head so I follow F1 a bit.

 
What are your objectives for the rest of this season ?

My objectives are always similar. Start strong and have a good classics and then build of for the tour.

With so much time spent in the saddle, how do you avoid getting bored ?

Sometimes you cannot avoid getting bored, you just have to accept it. I usually train with a friend which helps or just go faster.

 

Any tips for amateur cyclists ? (eg nutrition, training programme, relaxation….)  

Do core exercises and core activation before training.  Always eat plenty of protein and  as little sugar as possible. Mix up your training with intervals and efforts, measure your results so you can go back and compare your form.