Professional cycling is one of the world's most arduous sports. The nature of the sport, the duration and intensity of races, mean that specific nutrition strategies must be tailored.

The length of professional cycling races can vary between one and 21 days and the duration of a stage from a few minutes to many hours. These characteristics mean that cyclists' nutritional needs and the timing of food intake must be varied to suit their activity.

First, it is important to establish that the food consumed during a race is sufficient to restore the metabolic demands of cycling. Cycling is defined as a 'high-energy demand' sport and our scientific studies found an energy expenditure of 5606 kcal per day during one very hard stage of a race.

In races of one or more days the timing of food intake has to be adapted to the daily rhythm of competition. The dietary goals for a cyclist on race day might be:
1. Sufficient intake of macronutrients, especially carbohydrates, before, during and after racing
2. Sufficient intake of fluids and electrolytes during the race

1. BREAKFAST Three hours before the race, a breakfast would be composed of: pasta or rice; omelette, cooked ham, cheese; cereals with yoghurt or milk; toast, bread with jam, honey, margarine; fresh squeezed orange juice, coffee or tea

2. RACE MEAL The cyclists will be supplied with food during the race depending on its duration. Some food will be carried by the cyclists from the start and two more meals are taken during the race. All of them are composed of: 7-8 pieces of fruit, sweets, energy bars, biscuits, cakes, etc. The supply of liquid is constant throughout the race. The cyclists go to the Team Director's car to take water, water with glucose and electrolytes, or glucose polymers.

3. AFTER RACING Immediately after the race cyclists will consume water with glucose and electrolytes and solid foods (cereals and foods with a high glycaemic index). The supply of beverages with high concentrations of carbohydrate (over 12 per cent) and the use of high glycaemic index foods after races enables glycogen to be replaced very quickly. During the first two hours post-exercise replacement and storage of glycogen in the muscles is much faster than at other times. Cyclists should consume at least 100g of carbohydrate in these first two hours and continue to take 50g every two hours thereafter.

4. DINNER The evening meal would comprise: mixed salad; pasta or rice; meat, fish or chicken; yoghurt, fruits and sweet dessert (rice pudding, apple tart, fruit salad, etc).

In this way cyclists are provided with a balance of micronutrients, with a high percentage of carbo-hydrate. Another important nutritional consideration is the maintenance of proper hydration. During long races in high temperatures, sweating rates of 3.5 litres per hour can occur. For this reason, during these hot stages, cyclists must attempt to drink as much as six litres in total per day.

Benjamin Fernandez
Fundacion Deportiva Municipal, Aviles, Spain and Team Physician, MAPEI-GB Cycling Team, Sports Science Update