{"id":541358,"date":"2025-11-01T05:12:26","date_gmt":"2025-11-01T05:12:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/541358\/"},"modified":"2025-11-01T05:12:26","modified_gmt":"2025-11-01T05:12:26","slug":"tour-de-france-cyclists-are-doing-these-3-things-should-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/541358\/","title":{"rendered":"Tour de France Cyclists Are Doing These 3 Things. Should You?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Updated October 31, 2025 09:10AM<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t go thinking that the Tour de France<\/a> is all about altitude training, wind tunnel testing, and $16,000 super bikes.<\/p>\n

Some simpler, more accessible, and more affordable hacks swept the peloton in 2025.<\/p>\n

Home-made cereal bars, fancy fruit juice, and old-school nose plasters were all the rage in a season otherwise defined by $60 million super teams and PhD sport scientists.<\/p>\n

So if these things are approved by Tadej Poga\u010dar<\/a>, Jonas Vingegaard<\/a>, and Remco Evenepoel<\/a>, should you go try them too?<\/p>\n

Nasal strips
\n\"NasalNasal strips took the Tour de France by storm in 2025. (Photo: omain Doucelin\/NurPhoto via Getty Images )<\/p>\n

If you were wondering why riders started looking a little different this season, it wasn\u2019t only the wacky helmets and aero sunglasses.<\/p>\n

2025 was the year of the nose plaster<\/a>, the humble sticky strips that were around before Pogi was even born.<\/p>\n

Riders from Lidl-Trek, Visma-Lease a Bike, and UAE Emirates XRG were plastering up all through the summer\u2019s grand tours. Mattias Skjelmose even had a set of custom-decorated \u201cnasal dilators\u201d at the Tour de France.<\/p>\n

Long-time wearers like Julian Alaphilippe and Tim Wellens could only ride by and remind everyone they did it first.<\/p>\n

Nose plasters didn\u2019t only go \u201cback to the future\u201d in the road peloton. These strips were stuck to the noses of world-topping runners, triathletes, and MTBers, too.<\/p>\n

But hold the presses \u2013 it seems nose plasters might not be worth the time.<\/p>\n

Yes, they help reduce the \u201cnegative pressure\u201d that can pucker nostrils during heavy breathing.<\/p>\n

However, recent studies have shown that even if nasal plasters improve airflow, they offer no physiological benefit to VO2 Max or heart rate response<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Multiple team trainers told Velo that, for many, they\u2019re useful for stopping riders from choking on a sticky energy bar, at best.<\/p>\n

\u201cNose plasters don\u2019t offer a performance advantage per se. They can give increased comfort for some, and can increase ease of breathing when eating,\u201d said James Spragg, a lead trainer at Tudor Pro Cycling.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s probably just a fashion thing that more riders are suddenly using them,\u201d Spragg said.<\/p>\n

But that\u2019s not to say nose plasters are totally pointless. They will be beneficial for athletes with congestion, allergies, asthma, or a deviated septum.<\/p>\n

And of course, any placebo can be a significant performance booster.<\/p>\n

As one trainer told us, \u201cThere\u2019s no real \u2018downside\u2019 to them, so if an athlete wants to wear them and feel good with them, we\u2019re not going to stop them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nasal strips: Yes or no?
\n\"\"Skjelmose used a collection of plasters custom-drawn by his 12-year-old sister-in-law. (Photo: Dario Belingheri\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

So should you try nose strips?<\/p>\n

If you suffer from specific nasal structure issues, of course.<\/p>\n

And everyone else?<\/p>\n

If you can be bothered to buy some to try, then why not?<\/p>\n

They\u2019re dirt cheap, and there\u2019s clearly some \u201cfeel good\u201d effect, or they wouldn\u2019t have become the athletic trend of 2025.<\/p>\n

Rice Krispies bars
\n\"TourRiders counter all the gels and drinks with Rice Krispies bars mass-made by team staff. (Photo: Courtesy Lizzie Holden\/Pock-It Fuel)<\/p>\n

OK, Rice Krispies bars are no sophisticated fueling breakthrough.<\/p>\n

Far from it. They\u2019re the lunchbox favorites of kids world-over.<\/p>\n

But that\u2019s what makes their newfound popularity so unique.<\/p>\n

These delicious bricks of marshmallow and puffed rice couldn\u2019t be much further from the sophisticated hydrogels and potent carb powders that otherwise power the pro peloton.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone has Rice Krispies snacks at the moment,\u201d Lotto staffer Bieke Cornelle told Velo during the Tour this summer. \u201cThey\u2019re the most popular bar in the peloton!\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s no surprise riders started going wild for these treats<\/a> in 2025. They\u2019re loaded with carbs, low in fiber, and don\u2019t turn into a pitiful mush in the jersey pocket.<\/p>\n

And perhaps most importantly, they provide welcome relief from a racing menu of gels, drinks, more gels, and more drinks.<\/p>\n

And like the trend for nose strips, it\u2019s not only cycling teams who are filling their baskets with rice cereals and marshmallows.<\/p>\n

Across the athletic border, pro runner Molly Huddle recently told Front Office Sports<\/a> she gorges on boxes of 16 (!) shop-bought Treats when she\u2019s carb-loading for a marathon.<\/p>\n

Trail runners, triathletes, and ski mountaineers are all chewing on Krispies before, during, or after their sessions.<\/p>\n

Rice Krispies bars: Yes or no?
\n\"ProPro racers Lizzie Holden and Nick Schultz developed a \u2018Pock-It Fuel\u2019 recipe that\u2019s being batch-made throughout the peloton. (Photo: Courtesy Lizzie Holden \/ Pock-It Fuel)<\/p>\n

Should you fuel your rides with Rice Kripies bars?<\/p>\n

Absolutely, yes.<\/p>\n

They\u2019re satisfyingly chewy, decadently sweet, and have a slightly salty aftertaste that satiates your sweaty cravings. And better still, you can buy them at almost any store.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re more proactive than us, they\u2019re easy to make at home, too. This recipe<\/a> from the WorldTour racers behind \u201cPock-It Fuel\u201d is regarded as the haute cuisine of cereal bars.<\/p>\n

Whether you buy Krispies bars pre-made or make them from scratch, they\u2019re so cheap that there\u2019s no downside.<\/p>\n

One mass-market Krispies Treats bar provides 25g of energy-giving carbohydrates for around 50 cents. You don\u2019t need to go anywhere near a calculator to understand that\u2019s a better carb-to-cost ratio than your average $3 dollar, 40g carb energy gel.<\/p>\n

However, this recommendation does come with a caveat.<\/p>\n

Rice Krispies bars are not \u201cbetter\u201d than gels.<\/p>\n

They\u2019re bulky, less carbohydrate efficient, and fiddly to open.<\/p>\n

They\u2019re certainly not fuel for an interval session or short race.<\/p>\n

But for a long ride, they\u2019re the perfect salve to sweet, slimey, samey, sport nutrition. Both your palette and your wallet will thank you if you add them into your jersey pocket picnic.<\/p>\n

Cherry juice
\n\"TheseThese blue bottles of cherry juice made by Amacx were everywhere this summer. (Photo: OSCAR DEL POZO\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

The finish lines of 2025 tasted like blood, sweat \u2026 and tart cherry.<\/p>\n

After years of being slurped by some, cherry juice became the post-race drink of almost every rider<\/a>\u00a0in 2025.<\/p>\n

Poga\u010dar, Vingegaard, and Evenepoel were all seen guzzling the red elixir the second they hit \u201cstop\u201d on their head units. This year, the distinctive blue cartons of Amacx juice seemed more common at Tour de France finish-lines than cans of good ol\u2019 cola.<\/p>\n

Why the craze for cherry?<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s well-researched that cherry juice helps with recovery after muscle-damaging exercise,\u201d Tudor Pro Cycling nutrition consultant Tim Podlogar told Velo. \u201cThe juice contains polyphenols that have now been proven in many studies to improve recovery.\u201d<\/p>\n

Polyphenols are antioxidizing, anti-inflammatory wonder-compounds that help reduce the muscle tears and inflammation of intense exercise.<\/p>\n

In addition to doing away with DOMS, tart cherries also contain high concentrations of the \u201csleep hormone\u201d melatonin.<\/p>\n

In short, cherries stop your legs from getting sore, and they help you sleep.<\/p>\n

But sadly, it\u2019s not as straightforward as going to the local store and buying a carton of cherry drink.<\/p>\n

Most regular juice won\u2019t contain a high enough concentration of polyphenols to provide the cherry miracle cure. That\u2019s why brands like Amacx, 6D, and Enervit are making carb-boosted cherry extract drinks specifically designed for sporting recovery.<\/p>\n

Cherry juice: Yes or no?
\n\"Poga\u010darPoga\u010dar and UAE Emirates use a powdered cherry product made by Enervit that\u2019s dissolved into water. (Photo: Tim de Waele\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Should you add cherry juice to a pantry already loaded with protein powders, carb drink mixes, and energy gels? [And maybe now also Rice Krispies bars?]<\/p>\n

The crazy-popular Amacx drink used by half the Tour de France costs a whopper $70 for 12 bottles, working out to $5.83 per 500ml serving.<\/p>\n

For us \u201cnormies,\u201d that\u2019s a lot of cash for what\u2019s likely to be a very marginal gain.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also worth noting that cherry juice should only be slurped after the most severe workouts. Nutrition experts warn against using it after daily training as it blocks the break-and-rebuild process that\u2019s essential to future growth.<\/p>\n

At such a prohibitive cost, cherry juice is probably only for the cyclist who has already got their diet, sleep hygiene, and training plan on point, and has cash to burn.<\/p>\n

And the remaining 99 percent?<\/p>\n

Drink your chocolate milk. Pocket your bank card and put your feet up. And then enjoy the sound sleep of someone who knows they saved their cash for something more crucial.<\/p>\n