When do tour de france riders eat

Read more: The Tour de France bikes, ranked. The riders start the Tour eating salad with every meal, as well as generous portions of fruit and vegetables, but over the course of the race, they eat less of it and instead ask for more carbs, meat, and, in particular, avocado.

On the evening we caught up with Olga, she served fresh Parmesan with the mixed green salad. Carlos Quevedo, Olga's assistant, drives, shops, cooks, and makes juices for the riders — and helps Olga serve all the food. The riders eat a lot of rice — at breakfast with omelets and at dinner with just about everything. They prefer white rice, Olga said, because it has more carbs per gram than brown or whole-grain, which has "too much fiber for the riders. One of the many dishes Olga served featured grilled carrots, snow peas, and broccoli spears with soy sauce, sesame oil, and sesame seeds, plus salt, pepper, and olive oil.

Olga said soup is popular with the riders simply because they don't always want to eat things in pieces. She can also easily add in extra carbs to fuel the riders, so they can eat more calories easier and faster.

With soup it's easier to stomach more. I even see some riders adding the rice to the soup. The highly nutritious, anti-inflammatory tomato is ubiquitous on Tour dinner tables. Olga added a balsamic reduction to these cherry tomatoes, with some agave, and baked them for 25 minutes. The riders eat chicken twice a week and fish twice a week.

Red meat is served only the night before a rest day, as it's harder for the cyclists to digest. One a day a week, they'll have rabbit or turkey. Pasta is often served as well. Olga added garlic, curry, turmeric, and salt and pepper to the chicken, which she baked for up to 30 minutes.

She has to be careful with spices because not all riders like the same ones. She prepares the pan with a base of onions, a taste the riders love. And she leaves the skin on. It is therefore important the riders remember to eat during this time. During the Race For the first two-thirds of most stages, unless involved in a breakaway, riders tend to eat solids and then as the intensity increases the riders turn to using the technical nutritional products such as energy gels.

In terms of solid food, riders will start the stage with food and gels in their pockets and pick up additional supplies and bottles from the team car as they go. Alternatively, they can pick up a musette from a team assistant on route at the designated feeds that will include duo bars, energy gels, small sandwiches, homemade rice cakes and sometimes even small pieces of cake.

The gels consumed will be both normal energy gels and caffeinated ones. Riders also need to remember to stay hydrated and will consume OTE energy drink which also includes electrolytes.

As a guide, riders are encouraged to consume pieces of race food energy drink included per hour and then an extra ml of water each hour, this equates to around 90g of carbohydrates.

Post Race As soon as the riders get back on the team bus it is essential that the recovery process begins. OTE Recovery shakes are provided along with food such as cooked rice, boiled potatoes with tuna or chicken.

Evening Meal This will naturally change every night so riders do not become bored and therefore minimising barriers to refuelling. Each meal will typically start with a salad, the main course will consist of meat plus a serving of carbohydrate rice, pasta or potatoes and some vegetables.

Riders will often have a fruit yogurt or fruit flan for dessert. Did you know : The evening meal the night before a shorter or flatter stage is different to the evening meal before a mountain stage.

The diner before a mountain stage contains a bigger serving of carbohydrates which is usually white rice. The aim is to consume foods with less fibre so it does not sit in stomach.

Some days [they eat] a sandwich, then in the hotel they have fruit, preferably fruit with lots of water in it: think pineapple or watermelon. After cycling km, riders naturally will devour anything in sight, but at Team INEOS, certain foods must be prioritised. Fruit, rice, doesn't matter what it is. We have a rule that they have to have recovery drinks and rice first, then a sugary drink after the rice. Team INEOS' recovery shakes are made by the soigneurs and are constant of "Greek yoghurt, coconut water, berries and one banana" reveals team carer Rozman.

A simple but nutritious blend of carbohydrates and protein, which also aids rehydration. Head-to-toe kit for riding in sportives Taking part in an organised ride this summer? They rely on their team for support. The team need to remind the riders to drink and eat. The support team play a critical in ensuring the riders are taking on enough fuel and hydration. Then someone attacks and they have to go full gas so don't have time to get a drink out, so they lose out on necessary nutrition.

In a stage race that has consequences. It is vital for us to remind them about food and drink, to keep in check they are getting enough. Each rider's nutrition will be carefully planned and prepared. Simple precautions include planning the rider's fuel and drink strategy for the race, loading up their pockets with nutritional food choices and setting an alarm to beep every 20 minutes to remind them to drink or eat during the ride.

The team plan recovery food so the rider has something ready to eat the minute they finish. They do treat themselves after a race.

Given how many calories the riders torch, they can definitely afford a treat after finishing a stage but this still requires self-control. In the Katusha-Alpecin camp, dessert is sometimes cakes one cake per rider , and a stage win means chocolate cake or one bottle of champagne or wine.

The Tour de France marks the th anniversary of the famous yellow jersey.