Tour de France cyclists require masses of energy to fuel themselves through the three-week race. Winner Tadej Pogacar covered the 2,052 miles in 76 hours – equivalent to an average pace of 27mph despite the 52,500m of elevation – while EF Education-EasyPost rider Ben Healy finished 28 minutes back in ninth place.
The Irish rider, still only 24, managed to fulfil a ‘childhood dream’ of winning a stage at the prestigious French race, and even wore the yellow jersey for stages 10 and 11. ‘It’s a pretty surreal experience to be honest,’ Healy tells Men’s Health. ‘It’s a dream for any cyclist to win a stage, and I not only managed to do that, which was the main goal going into it, but wearing yellow was just unreal. And to then hold on for a top 10 finish – it’s something I never really expected I could do.’
Such exertion on the bike required plenty of consideration in regard to nutrition, with Healy explaining the efforts from the team that go into ensuring the riders stay in optimal condition, both physically and mentally.
‘It’s pretty easy for us off the bike, because we’ve got such a great team around us that are always looking after us,’ he says. ‘We’re given the correct supplements, and things like cherry juice to help us recover. We’ve also got chefs who cook us the right food, and nutritionists is telling us how much to eat and what to eat. We just get given a plan and we follow it.
‘It’s all about getting enough fuel in. And that’s not an easy thing in a grand tour when you’re burning like 4,000 calories on top of your normal daily expenditure every day. You just have to make sure you get the carbs in, get the protein in, which is massively helped out by a nutritionist. I’ll be having between 120 and 150 grams of carbs an hour on the big days, so you’re just absolutely smashing everything to be honest.
‘It’s also key to stay hydrated. Plant-based drinks like Oatly are great for that, and they also contain all the benefits of a good balance of macronutrients, essential minerals, and vitamins.’
Healy and his team-mates aren’t expected to eat clean and bland foods, however. As their bodies become increasingly tired during the race, so do their minds. Healy highlights how it’s important to keep food interesting and exciting, rather than focusing entirely on the most optimal fuel that will aid in performance.
‘It’s all about balance – you can’t just be eating plain rice for three weeks, because flavour fatigue is a real thing,’ Healy adds. ‘It’s about making informed choices and having some variety, which is what our chefs do really well. We have a bit of a cheat meal every now and again, because it’s about mentally staying fresh. An example of that is we had a good steak and fries before the last rest day, and it was so refreshing to eat something like that because it revitalises you for the next couple of stages.’
Related Stories
Ryan is a Senior Writer at Men’s Health UK with a passion for storytelling, health and fitness. Having graduated from Cardiff University in 2020, and later obtaining his NCTJ qualification, Ryan started his career as a Trainee News Writer for sports titles Golf Monthly, Cycling Weekly and Rugby World before progressing to Staff Writer and subsequently Senior Writer with football magazine FourFourTwo.
During his two-and-a-half years there he wrote news stories for the website and features for the magazine, while he also interviewed names such as Les Ferdinand, Ally McCoist, Jamie Redknapp and Antonio Rudiger, among many others. His standout memory, though, came when getting the opportunity to speak to then-Plymouth Argyle manager Steven Schumacher as the club won League One in 2023.
Having grown up a keen footballer and playing for his boyhood side until the age of 16, Ryan got the opportunity to represent Northern Ireland national futsal team eight times, scoring three goals against England, Scotland and Gibraltar. Now past his peak, Ryan prefers to mix weightlifting with running – he achieved a marathon PB of 3:31:49 at Manchester in April 2025, but credits the heat for failing to get below the coveted 3:30 mark…
You can follow Ryan on Instagram @ryan.dabbs or on X @ryandabbs_