How to ride a stage of the Tour de France with style

W When Dave Brailsford became the head of British Cycling in 2002, he had a lot of work to do. He knew that he needed to improve the team, and to make the most of his drivers, he decided to think small, not big. The much-publicized idea was to adopt a philosophy of continuous improvement through the aggregation of marginal gains. "Forget perfection," he said. "Let's focus on progress and build up improvements."

With wind tunnel experiences, aerodynamic analysis, healthy habits and even the insistence that our riders do not shake hands with our opponents, it was a gold medal policy that made the GB team the best cyclist in the world. So, of course, when Brailsford joined Team Sky's boss in 2009, he won out his favorite theory and those marginal gains – with a little help from Sir Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome – gave the Tour five wins de France

So when GQ was invited by Tissot, Tour Official Timekeepers, to take part in a stage of the first big cycling tour, we did not just want to introduce ourselves and hope for the best. We decided that if we went up on a stage, we would use some marginal gains to give us the best chance to take the yellow jersey .

Marginal gain 1 – the right step

Rather than surpass ourselves for something too discouraging, we chose to make stage 3 of the 2018 Tour: a team time trial of 35 , 5 km. On the podium, the route was largely circular, passing through Saint-André-de-la-Marche (97m) and the Côté de la Séguinière (106m), before returning to the finish line where we had started. Most professional teams would take about 40 minutes … our troupe would take twice as long. But following the exact route, we would have benefited from the support of the French crowds, we would have rolled earlier in the morning while it was cooler and there would not have been any big upsets which would have cost us precious time.

Marginal gain 2 – where to stay

The old routine was that the riders were just taking a nap on the car and then a night in the nearest budget, Mr. Bed. Not anymore. To make the most of your marginal gains, the riders are lodged in a quiet and luxurious solitude. No interruptions, no noise pollution, no heavy meals. In our case, the house was the magnificent Domaine des Lys: a charming hotel in the Loire Valley, also known as Château de Guère. An oasis of calm in the French countryside between Nantes and Angers, it is set in an 80-hectare park and includes an 18th century manor house. In addition, the importance of refueling should not be underestimated, and the Secret des Lys restaurant offers traditional French cuisine and a selection of fine wines designed to replenish tired bodies, relax the mind and lubricate legs. (This is really important.)

Marginal Gain 3 – Get Insider Tips

For a team that has never climbed a step before, be able to call on a expert cyclist – a man who was there, saw him, did and won the T-shirt – we were introduced to the legendary Italian runner Maurizio Fondriest. Former world champion, winner of the Milan-San Remo road race and the Tour of Britain in 1993, Fondriest was a source of cycling knowledge. Walking in the enclosures with Fondriest, it was like walking around Palermo with the godfather. Everyone knew him, everyone wanted to pay tribute to them, and Fondriest treated him with charm and generosity. He also made us an offer that we simply could not refuse: it would act as a ringtone for our cycling team.

Marginal Gain 4 – Take Giant Strides

OK, so pro teams will raze milliseconds of their rides with time trial helmets, but if you do not feel comfortable with a conehead or try to ride like a triathlete, the key is to keep things simple but at the forefront of technology. In this spirit, Team Tissot went with a Giant Aero Race Propel Advanced road bike with electronic gears and a team of mechanics to measure each runner for a perfect fit. It may not be the motorcycle, but the motorcycle …

Marginal gain 5 – Tactical conversation with the ultimate team leader

With mercury at 36C, we took the opportunity to choose the brain of the man with the blueprint: Team Sky boss Dave Brailsford. First question: tips for combating heat? "In fact, we like time like that," Brailsford says under the awning of his bus. "We do not worry about the heat because we have the best drivers of the hot season, so as long as we are worried, the better it is." Alright, Dave, but it does not work. Do not help us.

Any advice on how to get your hands on the yellow jersey? Brailsford looks passionately. "If you're serious about the Tour, you do not want to take advantage too early," he says. "Once you are in yellow, you are the target of all the other runners.They want to beat you, you are a marked man and you are riding with a target on your back.So, my advice is that someone on the other hand, when you get to the mountain stages, it's when you make your move … "Again, some wise words, but not too useful that we are on one step. However, at least we will not run against Chris Froome

Marginal gain 6 – get a team bus

Then when you count, they are worth about £ 500,000, the alternative is to take a ride on a team bus. In our case, we were invited on the Trek-Segafredo as a guest of the team leader Luca Guercilena. Plush leather seats, air conditioning, TV screens, showers and beds, plus all the energy bars you can digest, the team bus is a haven for all the crazy ride. However, since our tour lasted only five minutes, the marginal gain was minimal. That said, they make a very good espresso – one of the benefits of having a brand of coffee as a sponsor.

Marginal gain 7 – timing is everything

On a time trial, every second counts. Fortunately, the members of our team had all been loaned a watch from the Tissot T-Race Cycling Collection Tour de France ( £ 380. Tissotwatches.com ) to keep an eye on our divisions. A special, bold and imposing watch for cycling fans and collectors of chronographs, the watch is inspired by bicycle design and is available in a multitude of colors, including the champion's yellow (so realistic, the closest). And if these watches were not enough, we also had a behind-the-scenes tour of the Tissot Control Center to see how the official timing system works.

And with all these factors in place, all that was left was to do the show. How did we do it? Well, we're done … and we consider it a victory, albeit marginal.