Why Remco's Turning Up the Heat Indoors

A few months ago, I was on a call with Ross McGraw from CORE — the company building the body temperature sensor used by World Tour teams around the globe.

We were talking about a strange shift in how pros are training.

Not altitude.
Not more hours.
Not some new recovery hack.

Heat.

Specifically: heat training, indoors, all season long

No Sauna
No Heat Blankets
Just a turbo trainer, an overheated spare room, and a data-driven approach to manipulating core body temperature.

Ross dropped a line that stuck with me:

“Remco’s using heat training almost like a preparation at altitude.”

That’s when it clicked.

Heat is the new altitude

We’ve known for years that altitude training improves aerobic performance — increased hemoglobin, higher VO₂max, improved oxygen delivery.

But what teams like Soudal–Quick-Step, INEOS, and Jumbo-Visma are realizing is that heat training offers comparable adaptations, with a fraction of the complexity.

And it’s easier to repeat, control, and individualize.

Remco’s team is using short indoor heat sessions — around an hour, Zone 3 heat intensity, repeated 2–3 times per week — to spark early adaptations before heading to the mountains.

In Ross’s words, “You start to see some pretty significant adjustments after just 2–3 weeks.”

But what are those adaptations?

The gains behind the sweat

Here’s where it gets interesting.

The magic of heat training is that it makes your body more efficient. Even if you're not measuring blood markers in a lab, the changes show up in your data:

• Your sweat rate adapts
  You begin sweating earlier and more efficiently, improving cooling and endurance.

• Your core temp drifts less
  For the same power output, your body stays cooler — a simple but powerful indicator of improved thermoregulation.

• Thermal efficiency improves
  Ross described it perfectly: “Your thermal power is lower to hit the same mechanical power.” In other words, it takes less internal strain to ride at the same watts.

• Plasma volume expands
  More blood volume means better cardiac output and oxygen delivery, with measurable effects even in cool races.

What the pros are doing (and how to copy it at home)

The idea isn’t to ride harder.
It’s to ride hotter.

Here’s a typical protocol based on what Ross described on the podcast:

1. Ride indoors for 45–75 minutes at Zone 2–3 Heat

2. Overdress — thermal base layer, rain jacket, tights, even gloves

3. Turn off the fan, shut the windows, turn the heating up

4. Track core temperature using a CORE sensor (aim for Zone 3)

5. Repeat 3–5 times per week, for 2–3 weeks

You can also stack heat after a session.
Ride first, then stay in the heat — easy spinning, or just sitting in a warm bath — to keep the core temp elevated without adding muscular fatigue.

Ross calls this “passive heat exposure” — a trick some coaches are using to get the benefits without extra load on the legs.

Final thought: Experimentation is everything

What works for Remco might not work for you.

That’s why CORE’s real value isn’t just the sensor — it’s the feedback loop.
You can test, iterate, and learn what your body responds to best.

As Ross put it, “You and I could test this tomorrow on a Rouvy ride. Same power, different heat load — and see how our bodies respond.”

That’s the new game in pro cycling.

Not who trains the most.
But who adapts the smartest.

Roadman News

I’m now 5 weeks into my Strength & Conditioning Plan and I honestly can’t believe i left it so long to fully commit.

The data is so clear, I was reading an article from Cooper Institute last week and if you can’t squat your body weight aged 35, you’ve a 50% increased risk of mobility issues aged 70.

If you haven’t yet, get started at least one day per week (ideally 2) in the gym. You’ll thank me in a couple of years.

Here’s the plan i’m using