tour de france riders diet

[cdn52]

the riders of the tour de france must burn 1000s of calories and watts of energy in one stage what do they eat/drink to replace everything to prepare for the next day riding

[docklands77]

i remember reading an interview with chris boardman about what he ate when he did the tour. basically, he ate huge quantities of food. he had to eat something extraordinary like 4000 calories for breakfast. i could hardly believe how much he ate but obviously he had to.

[ChrisPBacon]

During the Tour de France, riders consume an average of 6000-7000 calories a day, more on particularly long or hard days. Some of these calories are eaten during sit-down meals: breakfast, a pre-race meal, and dinner. The rest are consumed on the bike during the stage or through snacking in between meals. No matter the time of day, it is rare to see a Tour de France rider without either food or drink in his hand. It is hard work consuming upwards of 6000 calories a day, so cyclists try to eat foods that are rich in calories and nutrients. During breakfast and dinner, they get their carbohydrates from potatoes, rice, pasta, cereal, whole grain breads, and fruits and vegetables. Protein sources include eggs, meat, chicken, and yogurt. Their fat intake is usually the result of the way their meals are prepared. Willy, the US Postal team's chef, uses monounsaturated oils when he cooks, such as olive oil, and the team consumes some butter and cheese with meals as well. On the bike, riders eat a mixture of real food, energy bars, and gels. The soigneurs prepare musette bags with small sandwiches, often ham or turkey and cheese with butter on a roll, and the bags almost always contain baked potatoes. The riders eat the potatoes like you would normally eat an apple. Lance also consumes about 2-3 Powerbars' during each stage as well. www.lancearmstrong.com

[sddsddean]

When my Grandfather used to race in the 1930's, he swore by rice pudding. Of course, it had to be not too milky, so that when it was cold it would form a caggy (his word) cake. All of what ChrisPBacon has said is true. They also take on lots of water to stop dehydration. When the Tour first started in 1903, there were no teams or support, so the riders just stopped at a cafe and had the meal of the day with a couple of litres of beer!!