6,000 calories! What a Tour de France rider eats in just one day

We went behind the scenes with Trek Factory Racing’s head chef Kim Rokkjaer and SiS Senior Sports nutritionist Emma Barraclough to find out what a pro peddler eats during a 24 hour period in the Tour de France.

8am breakfast = porridge or muesli followed by fruit, yoghurt, bread and a smoothie

Kim Rokkjaer: "First up is an early serving of porridge or muesli, with a few unusual additions focused on preparing the riders for the day ahead”:

Porridge

- Jumbo oats

- Cinnamon

- Pineapple juice

- Salt

- Olive oil

Emma Barraclough: "From the moment the riders wake up, their diet is focused on maximizing their carbohydrate stores. The fruit juice and olive oil keep the muesli dairy free and the oil ramps up the calories.” 

Average serving kcal = 480kcal

Muesli

- Basic muesli (no added sugar)

- Rice milk

- Mixed berries

- Honey

- Natural yogurt

EB: Kim’s bircher-style muesli is really popular with the riders. Again it’s a good combination of fast and slow release carbohydrates, with plenty of fruit included. The rice milk and yogurt provides protein. 

Average serving kcal = 510kcal

Fruit & Yogurt

KR: "A quick mid breakfast snack of fruit and yogurt helps to deliver the range of carbohydrates that the riders will use later. Anything that is left over by the riders is carefully packed up and stored until after the race. Every calorie counts in the day of a pro cyclist”

Average serving kcal = 200kcal

Smoothie

- Raspberries

- Oranges

- Bananas

- Honey

- Natural yogurt with added probiotics

EB: "The smoothies are to help keep the riders fruit and vegetable intake up, without a lot of food bulk. The probiotics will help settle the stomach before the day’s stage.”

Average serving kcal = 200kcal

KR: "With breakfast the riders typically tuck in to a bit of bread - although this isn’t your farmhouse white loaf. There’s almost no gluten and it has a few healthy additions”:

Bread (almost gluten free)

- Dried yeast

- Spelt

- Sunflower & pumpkin seeds

- Pistachio nuts

- Oats

- Olive oil

- Honey

EB: "The bread Kim makes is almost completely gluten free to go easy on the riders’ guts. Over the course of the Tour’s three weeks, the riders become more sensitive to gluten and other ingredients that can irritate the stomach.” 

Average serving kcal = 150kcal

(telegraph.co.uk)