Riders have long sought out how to train better. With a lot of work going into workouts, the focus is also turning more and more to the recovery necessary. The demands of professionals riding the Tour de France are about high you could imagine and recovery during the event is a key determinant of success over the three weeks of the race.
Cyclingnews.com has an excellent article covering Mark Renshaw and his recovery routine for between stages. It's a good insight into professional racing, the importance of recovery, and multitude of details that are covered to help athletes perform at their peak over the course of the race. It's a balance of sleep, diet, massage, clothing, rest, media and fan obligations and much more.