How Pro Riders Fuel The Tour de France

The Tour de France is the pinnacle of endurance competitions and is considered one of the most demanding races in the world.  

 Every July since 1903, the very best riders in the world in peak physical form take to the line and go head to head over 21 gruelling, back-to-back stages with limited rest (2-3 rest days in total). The power numbers produced by the modern peloton on a daily basis, let alone over three consecutive weeks of racing, are quite frankly insane.

There is little doubt that nutrition plays a very significant role in not only helping riders simply complete the race itself but also doing so in a way that allows them to perform at the highest level. Getting their nutrition approach right can absolutely be the difference between winning and losing individual stages and the race overall.

With this in mind, it’s no wonder teams have invested hundreds of thousands of pounds in food delivery, kitchen trucks, and a dedicated team of chefs and nutritionists to effectively support the riders and deliver the team's cutting-edge nutrition strategies.

So, quite simply, how do pro riders fuel the Tour de France?

One of the biggest challenges riders face is simply eating enough. On some of the most demanding days on the tour, riders can expend in excess of 7000-8000 kcal in a single day. The equivalent of as much as three to four times what a rider typically requires on a day without riding. This kind of expenditure is thought to be close to the limits of human physiology. Eating this much often requires riders to eat in excess of their appetites and, over the course of three weeks, can turn eating into a significant chore.

On a big mountain stage, riders can be on the bike for as much as 5-6 hours, meaning a large part of the day’s fuelling takes place on the bike. Throw in the stress of racing and the challenge of eating and drinking whilst riding at high speeds, centimetres from other riders' wheels, and negotiating challenging courses, and it is no wonder it can be difficult for riders to eat enough.

In contrast to some of the most demanding days, there can also be days with relatively little expenditure, such as rest days or individual time trials, where time spent on the bike may be relatively short. These require a very different nutrition approach to the bigger days. As such, in contrast to days when getting enough in can be a challenge, there can also be times when riders need to manage not eating to excess in order to effectively manage body composition. For riders at the top, where small margins of performance can be the difference between winning and losing, small increases in body fat as a result of poor management of energy intake can be the difference between winning and losing, particularly when accumulated over three weeks.

When it comes to fuelling, given the identity of modern-day racing, carbohydrates play a key role in fuelling winning performances. A rider's carbohydrate intake will see the greatest fluctuations on a day-to-day basis, governed by the race demands. A case study from 2022 (Reference ) showed a rider's carbohydrate intake could range from as little as 300 grams up to an insane 1200 grams, with a very large proportion of this coming in whilst on the bike. On the bike, intakes ranged from as little as 50 grams an hour right the way up to 110 grams an hour during more intense stages.

Protein plays a key role in supporting repair and rebuilding from demanding stages. With the crazy high food intakes, it’s little surprise that riders' protein intakes can hit figures that would make even a bodybuilder wince. High intakes of foods like pasta and bread, alongside dairy and meats mean that riders often hitting intakes as high as 3grams of protein per kilogram body weight, well in excess of the 2 grams per kilogram upper limit that we’d recommend to most riders.

Finally, the fat content. While fat provides a key fuel source and riders look to ensure a good fat intake from high-quality sources to ensure an adequate intake of omega 3 fatty acids and fat-soluble vitamins, fat intake is still often kept relatively low, with around 2 grams per kilogram. 

One thing for sure is that any professional rider is going to need to fuel the ride. 

Coach Ben 

References 

Study on food intake and energy expenditure during extreme sustained exercise: the tour de France