What does a Wanty-Groupe Gobert rider eat during the Tour de France?
The Tour de France: 3 weeks of racing, 21 stages: that's 21 days of sitting on the bike, resting, talking to the press... and eating, eating and more eating. But what does a rider from team Wanty-Groupe Gobert eat before, during and after the stages?
The importance of proteins
Since the preparation for the next stage starts immediately after the stage of the day itself, we will start our story there. It is of paramount importance that a rider is ready as soon as possible amino acids takes. These are the building blocks of the muscles and they are necessary muscle recovery after exercise. Any sporting activity of any intensity will cause micro tears in the muscle tissue. Repairing these tears will eventually make the muscle fibres stronger, but requires sufficient and the right building blocks. These can be taken in the form of BCAA's or Branched Chain Amino Acids. These are branched chains of essential amino acids consisting of Leucine, Valine and Isoleucine. Each rider of the team takes 3 tablets within the first 15 minutes after the ride.
Of course, we are not only thinking about short-term recovery. During the last week of the Tour, the efforts of the previous weeks will naturally weigh heavily. Optimal recovery must be pursued after each stage: to achieve this, proteins taken: these provide amino acids to the muscles in a slower form. It is important that these are taken during the ' anabolic window ': these are the first 2 hours after the sports effort, in which the muscles are most sensitive to absorb and use these amino acids. The riders of Wanty-Groupe Gobert do this with the 3Action Recovery Shake . This contains 28g of protein and 56g of carbohydrates per 100g.
Carbohydrates: fueling before and after the race…
This brings us seamlessly to the carbohydrates . Why carbohydrates? The energy delivery mechanism during exercise runs mainly on fats and carbohydrates. Fats are especially important during low intensity efforts, because the body can then use sufficient oxygen to burn these fats. As the intensity increases, carbohydrates become relatively more important. Therefore, a maximum carbohydrate supply should be aimed for before the effort is started. How does this happen?
Rule number 1 is as follows: start immediately after the effort! As mentioned before, the 3Action Recovery Shake contains 56g carbohydrates per 100g. In addition, the riders will start eating in the bus after the race. The bus driver will ensure that a carbohydrate-rich meal is ready. This is important to replenish the glycogen supply. Glycogen is the form in which carbohydrates are stored in the muscles and liver, with the intention of releasing them during the race to use as fuel. In the 4 hours after the race, 1 g carbohydrates/kg body weight/hour is taken as the benchmark. So for example Andrea Pasqualon, with his 70 kg, will have to take in 70g carbohydrates per hour, or 280g in total during the 4 hours after the race. Go for it! 3Action helps the riders with this, among other things, with the Carboloader , which contains 96g of carbohydrates per 100g.
The importance of the breakfast must also be emphasized. During the night, the carbohydrate supply stored in the liver was already used up. During breakfast, 2 to 4 g of carbohydrates per kg of body weight should be consumed.
…but also during the match
During the first two hours of the stage, a cyclist will mainly use his fat reserves. But often he will have to dig deep into his carbohydrate reserves, since he often races with his 'mouth wide open' from the start of the stage. After two hours of cycling at an intensity above the fat threshold (intensity at which fat burning is maximal), the carbohydrate reserves that were consumed the night before and stored in the muscles have already been completely used up. That is why it is important that these reserves are also replenished during the stage, mainly in the form of fast sugars . During an average Tour stage, a rider must consume more than 70 grams of carbohydrates per hour.
These fast sugars can be taken in different ways. Some via energy drinks or thirst quenchers that the riders drink during the effort.
In the 3Action range we find thirst quenchers ( Sports Drink ) that contain just over 90g of carbohydrates per 100g. In addition, there is a Energy Mix , which contains 96g of carbohydrates per 100g.
Another important source is of course the solid food . Classic items such as rice cakes, frangipanes and sandwiches with jam or banana are still used. The 3Action range with its energy bars is a welcome addition to this. The Energy X-Tra For example, a 45g bar contains 33g of carbohydrates, while the Energy Bar of 45g contains 24.5g. Since this Tour de France, our cyclists also have an extra choice: the oatmeal bars ( Oat Energy Bars ) in 2 flavors (apple-cinnamon and banana) and contain respectively 33g and 27.5g carbohydrates per bar of 45g. Other commonly used solid foods are the Nougat blocks , Energy Tabs and Carbofruits .
During the last 2-3 hours of the ride, the intensity will usually be a lot higher than in the beginning. There is less time to play and digest the solid food from above in a pleasant way. Time for more easily absorbed sugars, such as the 3Action energy gels (choice of Liquid Energy Gels in flavors apple (with guarana) and blackcurrant and the Energy Gels in strawberry and lemon flavours. These all contain around 25g of carbohydrates per serving.
Moisture balance: a discriminating factor in performance
We already talked about energy drinks or thirst quenchers and their role in the supply of carbohydrates. At least as important is of course their function in the maintenance of the moisture balance and salt balance . Every ride a rider loses litres of fluid through sweating and breathing. This must of course be replenished, as the table below shows. A small shift in the fluid balance makes a big difference in performance.
Figure: Fluid loss between 1-2% already affects performance (According to: Prof. Dr. W.Derave, Course Sports Medicine partim Nutrition)
There is no real gold standard for how much a rider should drink during a certain effort. Sweat production varies greatly from person to person. Factors such as temperature, intensity of effort and duration of effort also play a major role. During the Tour de France, the fluid and salt balance of each Wanty rider is closely monitored, including measurements of urine density. Weight control and urine colour before vs. after exercise are also highly suitable methods for monitoring fluid balance.
For riders who prefer to keep their sugar and fluid intake separate, for example due to stomach problems, the 3Action Hydration tabs a very useful alternative. These tablets should be dissolved in a bottle of water. They contain the 5 Essential Minerals namely sodium, potassium, chloride, magnesium and calcium. Depending on the intended purpose, 1 or more tabs can be dissolved per 500ml drinking bottle. Sweating will mainly lead to loss of sodium ions. In order to maintain the fluid balance, a bidon must contain 230-690 mg sodium per liter. A hydration tab contains 360 mg sodium. If we were to dissolve this in a 500ml bidon, we would obtain a drink with 720 mg sodium per liter. This is already a bit too high if the goal is to maintain the fluid balance. Half a tablet per 500cc is sufficient for this. However, if the goal is to replenish fluid loss, e.g. if a rider has strongly colored urine after the race, then 690-1150 mg sodium per liter should be aimed for. 1-1.5 tablets dissolved in 500ml water will then give us a sports drink with these properties.
In the final
In the final of a stage, the riders sometimes take a “finalleke”. This is intended to be more focused in the final, as the right decision sometimes has to be made in a fraction of a second. In addition, the riders want to feel their tired legs as little as possible at such a moment. A supplement that combines these two properties is guarana. 3Action Guarana ampoules contain 1500 mg Guarana per 25ml, or 150 mg Caffeine . Be careful with this supplement in warm weather: Caffeine can cause muscle cramps when the fluid balance is already disturbed by excessive sweating.
3Action and Wanty-Groupe Gobert: a successful marriage
During the current Tour de France, we are already well into the third week. Wanty-Groupe Gobert is one of the few teams that still has all its riders in the race. The dangers that the riders have to face day in, day out are well known: crashes, gruelling mountain stages, extreme temperatures and illness have already wreaked havoc on the peloton during this Tour. But good nutrition during, before and after the race also plays a very important role in this. The staff of our team is therefore grateful that they have found an excellent partner in 3Action.
Simon Verdonck, team doctor at Wanty-Groupe Gobert
