And why are massage therapists clearly not about to be unemployed? Every year, cycling (and endurance sports in general) promises us the ultimate revolution in recoveryA new gadget. A new technology. A new machine that vibrates, compresses, electrifies, or freezes. And yet…
By Jeff Tatard – 3Bikes.fr / Photos ©3Bikes
At the end of the day, when the watts have run out, your legs are as hard as concrete, and your brain is begging for mercy… on always comes back to the same point : a table, oil, two hands, and someone who knows how to use them.
Despite Compex electrostimulators, whole-body cryotherapy, Theragun devices that are louder than a helicopter, or state-of-the-art pressotherapy, Massage remains the absolute benchmarkSimple. Basic. Terribly effective.
Technology is progressing, and so are muscles… but not in the right direction.
Let's be clear: All these technologies have their place. They help, complement, and optimize. But none of them truly replaces them. the intelligence of human touch.
Because a muscle isn't just an electrical signal or uniform pressure. It tells a story. A fatigue. A tension. An imbalance. And no machine can yet read that as accurately as a good massage therapist.
In the World Tour, it's back to basics…
Few months ago, Stéphane Gicquel We were given a behind-the-scenes look at the Alpecin-Deceuninck team. And the conclusion was clear: The trend is not towards less massage, but more massage..
"Today, we're moving towards one masseur per runner. Not just to avoid waiting, but because the effectiveness of the massage decreases as the masseur gets tired. One hour a day is pretty much the limit to maintain peak performance."
Translation: Massage is so important… that we adapt the human organization around it. Not the other way around.
A massage is not just a pleasant experience.
The power of massage isn't just relaxation. It's its immediate adaptability.
As he very aptly summarizes Guillaume Longphysiotherapist reconNude in endurance sports: "Massage is the only tool that allows you to assess, treat, and adjust in real time. You feel what's happening under your fingers, and you adapt instantly."
No fixed protocol. No standard program. Just a careful reading of the body.
Same story at Mathieu Moretti, another reference in the field: "Machines do what they're told. The masseur, on the other hand, understands what the body needs, sometimes even before the athlete verbalizes it."
And that makes all the difference.
The machine gets less tired… but it doesn't understand anything.
Ironically, we often invest in technology to save time or energy.
But in the case of massage, Humans remain irreplaceable, even though it too has its limitations.
A tired masseur massages less effectively. An overworked masseur loses precision. Hence this logical evolution in top-level teams: More masseurs, better distributed, to maintain a maximum level of efficiency.
Meanwhile, the machines do what they know how to do: repeat. Always the same. Without nuance.
In conclusion, the future is high-tech… but hands remain ahead.
Recovery is evolving, that's undeniable. But if there's one certainty, it's that Massage has never been so central.
Not because we're nostalgic. But because no innovation has yet managed to beat it. the ultimate combination : experience, touch, adaptation, intuition.
So no, rest assured: Masseurs are not about to become unemployed. And judging by the direction that top-level sport is taking, they may even be in increasing demand.
Which goes to show that sometimes the best technology... is just two well-placed hands.
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=> And as Good recovery is essential for cyclists on route who are looking to improve their performance, take a look at this video from the Arkéa team's masseur
