Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team uses an important recovery tool after races: Ice baths. In the case of the last few days at La Vuelta a España, these ice baths have been a welcome relief due to temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius. OPQS organized a camper vehicle where riders can cool down immediately in the ice baths.
"Big guys like me, we suffer a lot in this hot weather," Tom Boonen said. "So the first part of our recovery is the ice bath, followed by the massage of our masseurs. Of course, we also focus on hydrating a lot during and after races. The ice bath is just one aspect of dealing with the kind of heat we've dealt with so far at La Vuelta."
You can watch Helg Riepenhof explain more about the ice baths in this video:
The OPQS gallery below shows our riders cooling down after the first stages of La Vuelta this week.