Calorie intake at the 2023 Tour de France Femmes
We know that men expend thousands of calories during the hard stages of the Tour de France. There have been many articles describing the super-human amounts of food that they have to consume throughout the race. Relatively little has been known about women’s pro cycling nutrition at Grand Tours. Thankfully, there is a new study that followed one of the pro riders at the 2023 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. Here are some of the most interesting findings.
Over the 8 days of racing, the 29-year-old rider expended 7,572 kcal per day.
Her mean maximal 5-minute power was measured at 342 W (4,8 W/kg) and 20-minute power at 289 W (4,1 W/kg).
Her calorie intake was measured at 5,246 kcal per day.
Her daily carbohydrate intake was 13,7 g per 1 kg of body weight. She consumed 84 g of carbs per hour on the bike.
Fat made up 15% of her daily energy intake.
She was unable to eat enough to match the energy requirements of the race. On average, she was in a 2,326 kcal deficit every day. She lost 2,2 kg by the end of the Tour as a result.
The study showed that women in the pro peloton face challenges similar to those of men, burning an extraordinary number of calories and struggling to consume enough to maintain energy balance. Despite the rider losing weight, her performance remained unaffected. However, she did experience some symptoms potentially linked to Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S), a prevalent issue in women’s sports. This underscores the need for more research to better understand the nutritional challenge women face during multi-day races.
A day of eating at the Tour de France Femmes
It can be difficult to imagine just how much food 5,200 kcal or 7,500 kcal is. To get a better idea of how hard these athletes have to work to get enough calories, let’s go over a typical day at the Tour. Assuming a stage starts around 12:00, their day would look something like this.
Breakfast at the hotel
08:00-09:00
Many teams go with a buffet-style breakfast to accommodate all of their rider’s preferences. Here are some of the popular choices.
- Porridge with almond milk and apples or bananas
- Pancakes
- Sandwiches with jelly
- Sweetened rice pudding with cinnamon and coconut milk
- Omelette
- Avocado toasts
For riders who struggle to eat in the morning due to nerves or gut issues, the team nutritionist reduces their fibre intake. That means no oatmeal and bananas and white rice instead.
And we can’t forget about hydration. The riders are encouraged to drink at least three glasses of fluids. It could be plain water, water with electrolytes or orange juice. And, of course, they have coffee too.
On the bus to the start line
10:30
They continue eating after breakfast. The more carbs they can take in before the race starts, the better. Snacks on the bus include bananas, sandwiches or leftover oatmeal or rice pudding. Some also have another coffee.
On the bike
12:00-17:00
A big part of the daily carbohydrate intake takes place while riding. They have energy bars, energy gels, sandwiches, rice cakes, and special sports drinks, all to help them hit over 90 g of carbs per hour.
At the finish line
17:00
As soon as they cross the finish line, soigneurs hand the riders recovery shakes with a combination of protein and carbohydrates to kick-start the regeneration process. Some teams also use exogenous ketones to boost recovery.
On the bus to the hotel
18:00
The post-race period is crucial for recovery and that’s why they continue eating as soon as they finish their cooldown and get on the team bus. They typically get a lunch box with a carb-heavy meal consisting typically of rice.
At the team dinner
20:00
At the hotel, the team typically has dinner together. The meals are usually rice or pasta plus a protein like chicken or fish, with some limited vegetables and healthy fats. Most riders also have a snack around 23:00 such as yoghurt with cereals, a handful of nuts or a piece of fruit.
After reading this, you may think that pro cyclists do more eating than cycling, and you wouldn’t be far from the truth. It’s a big part of the sport and takes a lot of training, both for men and women.
