Tour de France – Man vs Food
It’s always important to keep your body well fuelled when cycling. Whilst an energy bar and a bottle of water might see you through a ride at a good pace, the riders in the Tour de France need constant refuelling to tackle the enormity of the challenge they face.
The average Tour de France rider will consume a whopping 9,000 calories per day during the race. This mammouth amount of food is spread out over breakfast, pre-race, during the race, post-race, dinner and supper and is supplemented with more than a gallon of energy drink and at least a gallon of water.
Such a vast quantity of energy is essential for riders to stop the body going elsewhere for calories, such as breaking down bone or muscle and, without the right amount, riders are at risk of becoming hypoglycemic (where blood sugar is too low and affects body function). The mountain stages of the Tour demand more calories again.
During training, a rider’s carbohydrate, fat and protein needs are identified and the relevant dietary requirements can then be determined. Meals are then planned by team nutritionists to be rich in carbohydrate, protein and vitamins and most teams have a chef to prepare food from custom-built mobile kitchens with dining rooms. Whilst racing, riders need to eat roughly 300 calories per hour, which can be made up of energy bars and gels, sandwiches and small cakes. Every half an hour, riders have to drink an energy drink or a bottle of water to prevent dehydration. Riders pockets are loaded up with food which can then be replenished from team staff at the roadside. Supplies are also available from the team car which drives behind the peloton, delivered to riders by domestiques.
Although it might be some people’s idea of heaven to be constantly eating (it’s certainly mine!), it’s not always easy for cyclists to constantly have to eat and extremely strenuous exercise can lead to a loss of appetite near the end of the three weeks. A cyclist before the Tour de France will be very lean and probably only have about 4 percent body fat but the race might cause them to lose as much as 10 pounds.
Typical Menu (Team Columbia Menu from Stage 17 of the 2008 Tour De France)
Breakfast
• Banana
• Muesli (150g)
• Pasta (150g)
• Croissant with chocolate
• Coffee (250ml)
• Soy milk (300g)
• Mixed fruits (200g)
• Orange juice (300ml)
Pre-race
• Pasta (150g)
• Water (500ml)
Race
• 4 Energy Bars
• Fruit cake (100g)
• Energy drink (4000ml)
• 4 Energy gels
• Coca-Cola (400ml)
• 2 Turkey sandwiches
• Water (1000ml)
Post-race
• Recovery drink (500ml)
• Turkey sandwich
• 1 Energy bar
• Coca-Cola (330ml)
• Fruit cake (100g)
• Water (400ml)
Dinner
• Mixed vegetables (200g)
• Pasta (200g)
• Chicken breast (250g)
• Sauce (100g)
• Plain yogurt (350g)
• Mixed fruits (150g)
• Water (800ml)
Pre-sleep
• Gum/sweets (100g)
• Chocolate (25g)
• Water (500ml)
Yum!
About the Author
Sal has been cycling since an early age but has only recently overcome her fear of hills. Although claiming to not be competitive, she has a penchant for collecting Strava QOMs and strives to always be faster than Mark in the Marketing team. Sal has completed Cycletta @ the Dragon Ride this year and is about to do the South Wales BHF bike ride. She's also looking to start a ladies' cycling group in Swansea - email sallyt@tredz.co.uk if you want to join.
Related Posts
Best of British – Bradley Wiggins →
Contador and the death of cycling →
Tour de France 100 – Corsica 2013 →
