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9 min read<\/p>\n9 min read<\/p>\n
The Tour de France<\/a> presents unique challenges to teams and riders. They line up at the outset of each stage with jerseys<\/a> fully stashed with food and soigneurs (staffers who support riders) patiently waiting at the feedzones with musettes (bags) full of bars and gels.<\/p>\n One of the most brutal aspects of stage racing is its successive nature\u2014the Tour has 21 stages and lasts almost three weeks, while the Tour de France Femmes has nine stages and lasts nine days with no rest days. This calls for specific, finely tuned nutrition strategies to make sure each rider eats and drinks optimally (and enough) for the best possible performance<\/a> and recovery<\/a>, day after day. While racing up climbs like the Col du Tourmalet<\/a> hurts, not eating enough could cut a rider\u2019s entire tour short. \u201cUnderfueling, even for a few days, could affect you for the rest of the race and create a really big hole to get out of,\u201d says Canadian Derek Gee<\/a> of Israel-Premier Tech. Over the last few years, top-level teams such as Visma-Lease a Bike and UAE Emirates have invested heavily in nutrition as it becomes clearer that eating and hydrating<\/a> just right can give them a tangible competitive advantage.<\/p>\n \u201cMeeting calorie and carbohydrate<\/a> needs is the most important nutrition factor when it comes to a three-week stage race,\u201d Kristen Arnold, MS, RDN, CSSD, sports dietitian, cycling coach, and junior women\u2019s road director for USA Cycling tells Bicycling. \u201cThese not only ensure that the athlete\u2019s glycogen<\/a> stores [what your muscles use for energy] are managed optimally for performance, but also they provide other benefits, such as preventing the athlete\u2019s immune system<\/a> from weakening and putting them at risk for illness.\u201d<\/p>\n Because nutrition is so important, pro athletes have experts to help them navigate the ins and outs of properly fueling for racing and recovering<\/a>. \u201cMost teams now have a nutritionist who is instructing daily on the number of grams of carbohydrate per meal, as well as per hour on the bike,\u201d former Astana Qazaqstan cyclist Joe Dombrowski tells Bicycling. \u201cThese suggestions are based off the stage of the day, and retrospectively looking at the power<\/a> file after the stage. All the food is weighed out on a gram scale, to get the quantities of carbs right.\u201d<\/p>\n So, what exactly do Tour de France riders eat day after day during the race and just how much do they consume? We chatted with pro racers and former Tour riders to find out.<\/p>\n A Sample Tour de France Daily Food Plan<\/p>\n For a 200-kilometer day (more than 124 miles), for example, Arnold breaks it down:<\/p>\n A big carb-rich meal two to four hours before the stage60 to 120 grams of carbohydrate and 16 to 32 ounces of fluid with electrolytes per hour during the raceA postrace recovery snack with 20 to 30 grams of high-quality protein<\/a> and 1 to 1.2 grams of carbohydrates per kilograms body weight (about 60 to 90 grams)A big meal with carb-rich foods a few hours later, and consistently drinking fluids throughout the dayMaybe a protein-rich snack before bed<\/p>\n While overfueling isn\u2019t that common, eating foods too high in fat<\/a> and protein<\/a> (at least on race days) can take away from consuming high-carb foods, which can leave muscles depleted, Arnold adds. While you want protein<\/a> postrace, before and during racing, it\u2019s pretty much about the carbs.<\/p>\n Tour de France Nutrition Strategies<\/p>\n In terms of what riders actually put on their plates to meet their nutrition goals:<\/p>\n Start with Breakfast Several Hours Ahead of the Start<\/p>\n This allows plenty of time to digest their meal. \u201cA huge breakfast<\/a> of pasta or rice<\/a>, two pieces of toast, one with ham and olive oil and the other with butter and jam. Oatmeal or corn cereal, a protein, and a good coffee,\u201d says Spanish sprinter Iv\u00e1n Garc\u00eda Cortina of team Movistar of what his a.m. meal might look like.<\/p>\n For Gee, who has found himself at the head of breakaways at big races, it is \u201ctwo YoPro yogurts with cereal and fruit, and three crepes with creamed honey.\u201d<\/p>\n One thing riders might stay away from at that prerace meal: fiber<\/a>, which can cause digestive issues, says Dombrowski. \u201cA typical breakfast<\/a> would may be rice with eggs, some crepes with jam, and coffee. Some guys eat pasta for breakfast, but I could just never get into that,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n The Race Starts and the Cyclists Keep Eating and Drinking\u2014A Lot<\/p>\n During the race, \u201cI aim to eat every half hour and I\u2019ll plan my food and drink combos to hit my carb goals for the race,\u201d says Gee. \u201cIt\u2019s actually incredibly easy to stay on top of eating and drinking on easy days because they\u2019re the boring ones,\u201d he adds. And by \u201ceasy days,\u201d Gee refers to flat stages and time trials, when compared to the grueling mountain stages. To accomplish this amount of eating, Garc\u00eda Cortina says, \u201cour team usually carries bars, gels<\/a>, rice cakes, jam and Philadelphia cream cheese sandwiches, and Nutella sandwiches My favorite is turkey and Philadelphia cream cheese.\u201d<\/p>\n However, when riders need to counter attack or ride a breakaway, it is a matter of eating whenever possible, as fighting for position in the peloton can make it difficult to eat. \u201cI keep a lap time on my Garmin<\/a> screen all the time in the race, and I use that as a reference for staying on top of eating,\u201d says Dombrowski. And while rice cakes are the go-to snack<\/a>, gels are highly convenient for these race situations and for the end of a race when it\u2019s hard to get food down.<\/p>\n Tadej Poga\u010dar of Slovenia and UAE Team Emirates during stage 8 of the 2023 Tour de France.<\/p>\n Because riders need so many carbs, they\u2019ll often find them in their bidons. And these days we are seeing hydration products, from brands like NeverSecond<\/a> and Tailwind<\/a>, contain higher concentrations of carbohydrates per fluid ounces. Not only does this offer another way of hitting your caloric goals for the day, but they \u201calso metabolize well and don’t contribute to bloating<\/a> and other gut issues,\u201d says Arnold. While these products might work well for those with sensitive stomachs, they\u2019re good for all endurance athletes, Namrita Brooke<\/a>, Ph.D., R.D., cycling coach and registered dietitian tells Bicycling. \u201cDue to the composition of the products (primarily the carbohydrate source and concentration and sodium<\/a> concentration) and osmolality of the solutions [that\u2019s their ability to keep you hydrated], they are generally well tolerated by riders who may experience GI distress with other products,\u201d she explains. Also, the riders may have preferences on how much carb they take in with their fluids. \u201cOur team\u2019s nutrition sponsor, Santa Madre<\/a>, always has a low-carb option [for hydration mixes], a high-carb option, but some riders just like [plain] water,\u201d says Gee. \u201cI\u2019m very good at getting calories in on the bike through food, so I tend to always race with the low-carb option and use it more for hydration than as a means to get more calories in.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI mostly drink a mix of maltodextrin and fructose<\/a>, which varies from 40 grams of carbs per bottle, up to 90 grams,\u201d says Dombrowski.<\/p>\n Fortunately, There are \u201cFeedzones\u201d Along the Course<\/p>\n This is where soigneurs hand musettes to riders who must grab them while still pedaling<\/a> and trying to stay upright. Usually, these bags contain more bottles, gels, and you guessed it, rice cakes. But often the soigneurs will add drinks like Coca-Cola, frozen slushies (on very hot days<\/a>), and an old reliable American snack, Snickers bars.<\/p>\n If a rider misses a feedzone, they can drop back to their team cars to replenish. But once the race hits the 20-kilometers-to-go marker (12 miles), it is against the rules to receive support from your team car.<\/p>\n By the end of the day, a Tour de France rider may have consumed two or three energy bars, three or four small sandwiches or rice cakes, a Snickers bar, and two to three gels. And as soon as they cross the line, there is usually a snack and a recovery<\/a> drink waiting for them.<\/p>\n Simon Guglielmi of France and Team Ark\u00e9a-Samsic assisted by the team car in stage 15 of the 2023 Tour.<\/p>\n As For a Postrace Meal, Think Protein and Carbs<\/p>\n Most riders have more pasta<\/a>, rice, and protein like eggs<\/a>, tuna, and chicken, but that diet is not for everyone. \u201cI have a hard time eating rice more than one meal a day, so I opted to have yogurt<\/a> and cereal, which if given the chance, I could probably have as every meal,\u201d says Gee.<\/p>\n On Rest Days, Think Freedom!<\/p>\n There are just two rest days<\/a> in the Tour de France this year, but this is when riders typically have a \u201ccheat day.\u201d \u201cWe can eat a burger, sushi, or pizza, or any food that breaks the monotony of rice, pasta, and chicken. So we can enjoy a magnificent meal by our team chef,\u201d says Garc\u00eda Cortina.<\/p>\n Arnold also says rest days offer a good opportunity to eat more foods with a little more flavor than the typical chicken and rice combo. \u201cThe off days when the body is recovering and can digest more complex foods like whole grains<\/a> and fibrous vegetables help to support the athlete\u2019s gut and nutrient needs,\u201d she explains.<\/p>\n Um, It\u2019s France\u2014Of Course They Eat Croissants!<\/p>\n While a Tour de France diet can be restrictive, riders do make exceptions for the pain et p\u00e2tisserie the country is known for a.k.a. the pastries. \u201cUn croissant au chocolat, bien s\u00fbr!\u201d (a chocolate croissant, of course!) is Gee\u2019s go-to. While Dombrowski takes his plain, \u201csometimes it can be disappointing, but a good croissant\u2014flaky, buttery, and a crispy noise when you bite into it\u2014that\u2019s magic.\u201d<\/p>\n As for Garc\u00eda Cortina, his pain better come with fromage. \u201cA good baguette for breakfast and a bit of cheese with dinner,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n Yes, They Burn The Calories They Consume<\/p>\n Riders burn between 4,000 and 8,000 calories per stage, though it largely depends on the type of stage. \u201cFlat sprint stages, which are not nervous in nature, or without crosswinds, tend to be lower kilojoule (kJ) days. Time trials are lower kJ days. Mountain stages, and days you might be in the breakaway, or pulling on the front of the peloton tend to be higher kJ,\u201d says Dombrowski. This would mean that riders need to replenish the calories they burn, as well as take in the necessary amount to aid recovery after each stage.<\/p>\n \u201cI was shocked at the amount of calories I burned [at the Giro]. It was around 84,000 calories for the whole race, approximately 4,000 a day on the bike,\u201d says Gee.<\/p>\n \u201cRiders should think of these long stage tours as eating competitions, not just bike races,\u201d says Brooke. \u201cThe goal is to try to consume the calories expended and really fuel for today\u2019s, as well as tomorrow\u2019s, work\/expenditure.\u201d An athlete who does not match their caloric intake to their increased expenditure, could be harming their short and long term recovery, as well as overall health, she adds.<\/p>\n Besides All That Eating, They Also Have to Hydrate<\/p>\n \u201cThere is a mythical phrase that goes: drink without thirst and eat without hunger. It is very important to constantly be drinking<\/a> and eating solid foods throughout the race. More importantly on the first part [of the stage], which can be more calm and it is easier to eat and chew, and leave the gels for the end,\u201d says Garc\u00eda Cortina.<\/p>\n A good rule of thumb for staying hydrated has always been one bottle of water per hour of riding\u2014more on really hot days.<\/p>\n With the average stage lasting about 5.5 hours, grand tour riders may drink somewhere between five and eight water bottles<\/a> per stage. Multiply that by the number of riders per team (eight), over 21 days, and that adds up to roughly 840 to 1,300 bidons per team, per tour\u2014not including rest days or early abandonments from riders.<\/p>\n Pro teams take their hydration tracking to another level by measuring sweat loss (or sweat rate) and analyzing urine samples to fine tune each riders\u2019 hydration needs. \u201cThe body weight (of riders) is typically taken in the morning, and before and after the stage. Additionally, many teams measure urine-specific gravity [a test that measures your kidneys\u2019 ability to balance water content and excrete waste] in the morning, to help stay on top of hydration status,\u201d says Dombrowski. A 2 percent loss of body weight may hint to dehydration<\/a>, and anything above that can negatively affect endurance performance, according to the University of Pittsburg Medical Center Sports Medicine<\/a>. For every pound a rider loses, they should aim to drink 80 to 100 percent of that loss.<\/p>\n \u201cI drink \u2018as needed\u2019 during a stage. I know that\u2019s pretty broad, but it really depends on weather conditions,\u201d says Dombrowski. \u201cRacing a rainy Giro stage in the cold has totally different hydration requirements from racing a Vuelta stage in 45 degrees in the south of Spain.\u201d Heat Waves Require Different Hydration Plans<\/p>\n On those really hot days, \u201cwe use a lot of 226ERS Hydrazero<\/a> [a hydration mix] because it has more sodium<\/a>,\u201d says Garc\u00eda Cortina. \u201cWe also use ice-socks on our backs to keep the body temperature as low as possible.\u201d The ice-socks are made of nylon ankle socks or stockings, filled with ice, and placed just below the neck and under their jerseys.<\/p>\n Teams like Visma-Lease a Bike go a step further by also freezing their gels and using ice-vests before and after stages.<\/p>\n Get Exclusive Training Programs and Digital Issues Rosael is a writer and editor based in Philadelphia (Lenape land), where she enjoys the city\u2019s obsession with sports and its accessible trail systems and cycling community. She has a bachelor\u2019s in Communications and Journalism from the University of Puerto Rico.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"9 min read The Tour de France presents unique challenges to teams and riders. They line up at…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":45082,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[30375,5,7271],"class_list":["post-45081","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-france","tag-cupdate","tag-france","tag-supes"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45081","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45081"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45081\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45082"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45081"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45081"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45081"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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