"Easy consumption is essential in Visma-Lease a Bike's Tour de France nutritional strategy"
In the gruelling three-week race that is the Tour de France, professional cyclists face extreme energy demands, often burning between 4,000 and over 10,000 calories per stage. To sustain such high power outputs for long durations, teams meticulously plan their on-bike nutrition, with a focus on carbohydrate intake for immediate fuel and protein for muscle repair.
The nutrition strategy is tailored to each rider and stage, taking into account factors such as the rider's role, terrain, weather, and race intensity. Teams use sophisticated planning tools and software, like Hexis, to create personalised plans that align with each rider's physical demands. This planning process can span the entire Tour, with adjustments made dynamically as the race progresses.
Riders are reminded to consume nutrition roughly every 20 minutes throughout each stage to maintain energy levels and avoid bonking (sudden energy crashes). This involves a carefully timed combination of gels, bars, and drinks that provide carbohydrates and other nutrients.
Key factors in selecting energy products include a high-carbohydrate content with optimised sugar ratios, sustained and rapid energy release, the inclusion of protein and amino acids, and hydration and electrolytes. Products typically have a glucose-to-fructose ratio of about 2:1, which maximises carbohydrate absorption and minimises gastrointestinal issues. Advanced carbohydrate sources like cyclodextrin are selected for their ability to provide sustained energy release throughout the stage.
Examples of products used by teams include 226ERS gels and bars by Movistar, and Amacx products by EF and Visma. Visma riders, including Jonas Vingegaard and Wout van Aert, will be consuming a lot of citrus-flavoured energy products during the Tour de France. The taste of the energy products is important to the riders, as they consume them for about 300 days a year.
Training the gut to consume energy products during strenuous exercise is crucial for riders. Riders should train their guts if they want to use products for big events, and the amount of carbs consumed per hour can range from 120g to 90g, depending on the stage. Some riders prefer to consume gels, while others prefer a combination of gels and bars.
The focus for riders is now finding formulas that work best, sit well in the stomach, and are easy to open and consume. The marginal gains are now in finding the best products and formulas for consumption. Approximately 2,500 gels and bars will be consumed by Visma-Lease a Bike riders during the Tour de France.
The "carbohydrate revolution" in cycling has dramatically improved performance and recovery, enabling riders to push harder and recover faster across the three weeks of the Tour. This optimised on-bike nutrition strategy allows riders to sustain exceptionally high power outputs for long durations, improve day-to-day recovery, and reduce the risk of energy crashes.
In the realm of health-and-wellness and sports, the focus on optimized on-bike nutrition for professional cyclists participating in the Tour de France is significant. This includes science-backed strategies for fitness-and-exercise, nutrition, and hydration, as teams meticulously plan their energy intake, catering to each rider's specific needs and stage requirements. The concentration on carbohydrate intake for immediate fuel and protein for muscle repair is paramount, with the inclusion of amino acids and electrolytes for sustained energy, hydration, and recovery. The attention to detail is so great that some teams use sophisticated planning tools, like Hexis, to create personalized plans that align with each rider's physical demands, dynamically adjusting as the race progresses.
