In the world of professional cycling, where victories are often determined by the narrowest of margins, nutrition has emerged as a critical component, as vital as VO2 max, aerodynamics, and race strategy. The pressure to achieve optimal fueling has transformed the Tour de France daily menu into a complex undertaking, rivaling the intricacies of a six-month training regimen or a mechanic's Di2 manual. This article delves into the diet plan of Jonas Vingegaard, a Tour de France champion, exploring the nutritional strategies that underpin his success.
The Importance of Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are the cornerstone of a cyclist's diet, serving as the primary fuel source for endurance activities. Riders can burn as many as 5,000 calories during stages. Vingegaard's diet, like that of many professional cyclists, revolves around high carbohydrate intake, tailored to meet the demands of training and racing.
Carb Loading
For a rider like the ~60kg Jonas Vingegaard, a "carb load" can equate to 600-720g, or approximately 2,500 calories. Before crucial mountain stages, riders typically consume around 3.5 grams of carbohydrates per kilo of body weight about four hours before the start.
Breakfast
Vingegaard adds some special sauce to a breakfast centered around carbohydrates. The breakfast options are diverse, with riders selecting foods to reach a specific carbohydrate target, using mobile apps for guidance. Options include:
- Oat and rice porridge
- Chocolate pancakes
- Apple pancakes
- Lemon pancakes
- Plain pancakes
- Waffles
- Crepes
- Chocolate cookies
Vingegaard has even dared a normal person to try to eat this amount of food at breakfast. For some, “breakfast” is a morning meal that looks and tastes like dinner.
Read also: The Hoxsey Diet
During the Race
Riders increasingly rely on gels and drinks rather than ‘real food’ for their race nutrition. Riders receive recommendations on what to eat during the race and the amount of sodium they need to consume, which also depends on the day’s heat. Sodium tests are conducted to determine individual sodium loss per hour.
The intake depends on the goal of each week. Some weeks they are given very high carbohydrate amounts to build tolerance - between 100, 120, even 130 grams. Some riders can tolerate even more. It’s something they train for and it’s very individual.
- Gels and bars are easy to eat, carb-dense, and pocket-friendly.
- The format of bars and gels has to have a glucose-fructose ratio around 2:1 or 1:0.8.
Post-Race Recovery
Recovery is a crucial aspect of a cyclist's diet, and Vingegaard's plan includes a structured approach to replenishing energy stores and repairing muscle damage. Usually, there are three post-stage meals: a liquid shake followed by two solid meals. Riders are handed an array of recovery-boosting drinks within seconds of crossing the finishline. Staffers laden with bottles of water, soda, and ketone mixes hustle out to riders and thrust drinks their way before they’ve barely caught breath.
- Riders now mostly get a juice after races.
- Sometimes the juice is cherry juice as there is some evidence that this can help with recovery.
- Then, they usually get some gummies or dates.
- Ketones help recovery and lower chronic inflammation and oxidative stress.
“It’s crucial the guys eat on the bus,” Lidl-Trek expert Scheirlynck said. “Dinner won’t be for many hours, and the faster they can start to reload their energy, the better it is for recovery. We have to prioritize carbohydrate in the hours after the stage, so we keep protein intake to about 30-40 grams in total,” Israel Premier Tech nutritionist Vanessa Zoras said.
Each rider will get a fresh pre-packed meal on the bus that was prepared by our chef, or there will be dishes on board,” Martinelli said. “We also make sure it’s colorful with vegetables, and make sure it’s pleasing to eat,” she said. “We calculate riders’ recovery targets rather than leave them to go by ‘feel’ or hunger cues,” Jayco-AlUla’s Martinelli said, referring to the re-feeding process.
Read also: Walnut Keto Guide
The Role of Rice
"Rice is now the preference carbohydrate for us, and we encourage it for our riders. It’s perfect race food. It’s super carbohydrate dense, gluten-free and so it is easy to digest,” JAyco-AlUla nutrition scientist Laura Martinelli told Velo. “Riders eat a lot of rice … like, kilos of it. It’s sort of boring, but it works,” Trek-Segafredo chef Bram Lippens told Velo.
- Rice is more energy dense than pasta. So for the same volume, you got more carbohydrate from rice. Plus it’s gluten-free.
- The night before a big race or stage we keep it simple with maybe chicken and rice, or salmon and rice.
Variety and Flavor
While carbohydrates are essential, Vingegaard's diet also emphasizes variety and flavor to maintain his appetite and ensure he receives a wide range of nutrients.
- When they’re eating so much, we need to maximize the flavors we serve and keep it quite varied. But it needs to be simple at the same time,” Lippens said.
- The post-race meals are all the same type. The quantities differ per rider, but to keep things simple for the chef, everyone eats the same dishes. If there’s chicken, everyone eats chicken; if there’s salmon, everyone eats salmon, regardless of individual preference, to maintain consistency.
- In general, we have 15 types of pasta, 80 different desserts, 10 salads… Many recipes, but daily options are limited. Three types of carbohydrates: one with sauce, one plain, and a third different option.
- “We have to make sure food remains interesting to riders, especially on a grand tour when they eat so much every day,” Martinelli said. “The colors and flavors, even the textures, need to be varied and bright.
Avoiding Certain Foods
Before hard and heavy races, they skip salads and almost all the raw fruits and vegetables,” chef Lippens said. “I may put out a few veggies, like just one or two pieces of broccoli. The so-called “low G.I. The meals on some days may seem plain, maybe unbalanced. There’s no trip to the nearest “Golden Arches” or pizza joint. Homemade burgers, tacos, and lasagnes using lower-fat, higher-nutrition recipes feel like a celebration but don’t overdo the calories.
The Role of Team Chefs
Team chefs play a vital role in executing Vingegaard's diet plan. Team chefs increasingly work out of their own food trucks as well as, or rather than, hotel kitchens. Staffers shop at local stores and markets for fresh produce to supplement the ‘dry goods’ they brought from their service courses.
Alcohol
Treats are not entirely off-menu. Desserts like brownies, cheesecakes, and fruit tarts are served daily, and the night before a rest day will see teams allow riders to let off some nutritional steam. “We’re lucky at Jayco-AlUla,” Martinelli said. “We mainly have red, but sometimes white. The guys only get one glass, but it’s better to have one very good glass rather than a whole bottle of a bad one. Alcohol, albeit in small doses, makes for a well-earned reward after a stage win.
Read also: Weight Loss with Low-FODMAP
Individualized Approach
Nutritionists provide tailored recommendations to each rider, utilizing mobile apps to track progress and adjust dietary plans as needed. One of Martinelli’s daily on-race functions is to plan out what each individual needs to eat, based on the demands of the stage to come.
Maintaining Optimal Body Composition
Riders strive for a whippety race-weight under the very close supervision of their nutritionists. As with sports like running and gymnastics, body mass is a big metric in the pro peloton. Younger riders or grand tour rookies might mistakenly over-fuel for fear of getting dropped.
- “A bigger rider can gain two to three kilos in water weight, very quickly,” Martinelli said. “We can manage that by changing the distribution of when in the day they eat carbohydrates. That should manage their insulin response and prevent more fluids.
- We try to make things easier by preparing energy-dense food and minimizing the total volume. So we choose the most carb-rich sources we have and use carb drinks and smoothies.
- On a mountain stage we try to create a small volume of food that’s packed with energy,” she said.
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