1 min readToday’s conversation looks beyond fitness to an underrated part of cycling performance: being able to eat and drink while navigating the speed, pressure, and close quarters of the peloton.Bicycling’s expert staff digs into the small but essential bike-handling skills that experienced riders can make look effortless, even when the racing is at its most intense.The bigger takeaway for everyday cyclists is that event-day fueling depends on more than having the right nutrition; it also requires practicing the little actions needed to fuel confidently on the move.
Watch as Bicycling’s expert staff explores a skill that’s easy to overlook until you’re hungry, thirsty, and surrounded by other riders. From managing food and bottles to staying composed with one hand off the bars, the conversation reveals why successful fueling is partly a bike-handling skill—and how preparing for those small moments can make a major difference when you’re riding under pressure.
The Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift kicked off with a lumpy sprint stage won by Lorena Wiebes (Team SD Worx-Protime) that saw a reduced bunch of favorites come to the line after a four-woman breakaway led for much of the day as riders covered 138 kilometers around Lausanne, Switzerland.
Stage 1 Podium
1. Lorena Wiebes
2. Kim Le Court
3. Demi Vollering
GC Standings After Stage 1
1. Lorena Wiebes
2. Kim Le Court +00
3. Demi Vollering +00
4. Puck Pieterse +00
5. Noemi Rüegg +00
Test Editor Dan Chabanov got his start in cycling as a New York City bike messenger but quickly found his way into road and cyclocross racing, competing in professional cyclocross races from 2009 to 2019 and winning a Master’s National Championship title in 2018. Prior to joining Bicycling in 2021, Dan worked as part of the race organization for the Red Hook Crit, as a coach with EnduranceWERX, as well as a freelance writer and photographer.
Molly writes about cycling, nutrition and training with an emphasis on bringing more women into sport. She’s the author of nine books including the Shred Girls series and is the founder of Strong Girl Publishing. She co-hosts The Consummate Athlete Podcast and spends most of her free time biking and running on trails, occasionally joined by her mini-dachshund.