Interview with a nutrition expert: What nutrition do professionals use to save themselves over the long distance?
Jan Timmermann
· 28.06.2025
There are marathon pros who claim that 50 per cent of their success is down to their nutrition strategy. Simply squeezing in a bar every now and then is a thing of the past Today, professional cycling teams employ their own chefs, calculate every calorie consumed and provide their athletes with personalised plates of food if required. They enter the race with a sophisticated nutrition plan and the optimisation of drinking and eating doesn't stop after the finish line. We spoke to an absolute expert. Her tips also help recreational cyclists to get through long tours.
Stephanie Scheirlynck has been coaching cyclists at the highest level for 20 years. The scientifically renowned nutritionist and author has already led athletes to Olympic gold. The Belgian is currently responsible for the training and competition nutrition of the UCI World Tour team Lidl-Trek. Thanks to the strategic partnership with Lidl, Scheirlynck can rely on the expertise of the main sponsor and concentrate more on the team's nutrition. As a nutrition specialist, she takes care of the optimal supply of exceptional talents, such as the reigning U23 cross-country double world champion (XCO / XCC) Isabella Holmgren.
One full tank please: Carboloading for experts
BIKE: What do professional athletes eat before a long-distance race?
STEPHANIE SCHREILYNCK: In the morning before a competition like this, the focus at breakfast is always on carbohydrates. They are the fuel that cyclists need during the ride. We always put on a large buffet so that our team riders have plenty of options. The food on the individual plates is also varied. Nobody only eats bread, for example. Most opt for a small bowl of oatmeal with honey and banana or berries, plus a few slices of bread with an omelette. On these big days, we also always offer pancakes and rice pudding. Athletes need a considerable amount of carbohydrates, so we make it as attractive as possible to eat lots of them. A wide choice is important, especially for multi-day races. One hour before the starting signal, we serve another pre-race snack, such as crostata. Our chefs are excellent at making this typical national cake and it always goes down well with the team.
Breakfast is certainly not everything. How long in advance do professional cyclists optimise their food intake before a single event?
If you've planned a long Sunday ride, you should make sure you've already had something suitable to eat on Saturday evening. Waking up in the morning and trying to top up your energy stores is not a good idea. In professional sport, we start preparing for a one-day race on Sunday on Friday evening. On this day, we have carbohydrate-rich meals with pasta, rice, potatoes and sweet potatoes. The riders also use the entire Saturday to load up on carbohydrates. I always try to teach them to eat as if they were in training. However, as there is no real training the day before the race, the body keeps the energy in the tank. To optimise the process, we try to spread the carbohydrates throughout the day. If you stuff yourself with thoughts of an upcoming race, you probably won't feel fit. Our team has five chefs travelling with us. In addition to meals, they also prepare easily digestible afternoon and evening snacks, such as spice or banana cake. All meals tend to be low in fibre from fruit or vegetables. Although these are very healthy, one day before the race however, they can favour digestive problems.
All of this is "real food". Do athletes also use forms of nutritional supplements?
Professional cycling has come a long way. Thanks to our chefs and the expertise we have today, we can now create our own recipes and influence the nutritional content of food. We are now able to control the amount of energy and fibre in our food. Things were very different 20 years ago. We had neither the food nor the products for good sports nutrition. In the past, cyclists were simply advised to eat more and have energy bars or sports drinks for dessert. Today, we no longer need supplements to replace or enrich meals before a race.
What should cyclists avoid before a long-distance race?
Energy intake is essential, but where the energy comes from is also relevant. Many amateur cyclists treat themselves to a big breakfast of croissants, eggs, bacon and so on before their Sunday ride. However, such a meal would be better placed on Monday, the day after the tour. But the important thing is: nothing is forbidden. I would be worried if our team riders never ate a doughnut or chips. The timing is crucial. In the two days leading up to the race, fatty foods are not recommended. We also avoid spicy foods, onions and peppers, as these can have a bloating effect. Our team has breakfast three hours before the start of the race. This is also recommended for amateur riders on a race day. Many people think that they can eat everything just before the tour as long as they don't have any digestive problems. The food then goes on the bike undigested. But food needs time to be available as fuel. We need the energy in our muscles, not in our stomach.
No fight without munching: professional supply in the race
How do professional cyclists look after themselves during a long race?
There has also been great progress here. Anyone who is not attentive today and forgets to eat and drink will miss out on a good start to the race and won't have the energy for the last few kilometres later on. Professionals start eating in the first hour. They know very well that they have to start restoring their energy reserves immediately. Later phases of the race can often become hectic and dangerous, then perhaps No more time for food.
Ten years ago, the typical motto on a 200-kilometre route was quite different: "I just have to make it to the last hour." The bars, gels and drink supplements that were available back then didn't really meet the needs of cyclists. The amount of energy they could process was limited. Back then, some professional riders still ate biscuits from roadside shops during training. They could hardly consume more than 60 grams of carbohydrates per hour without getting digestive problems. Today, thanks to scientific advances, food and energy sources for cyclists are much better. With current products, we can easily provide 120 grams of carbohydrates per hour. This means that riders can never ride completely empty. With the plan we are now following from Friday to Sunday, our athletes know that they are well prepared. In addition, their carers can ensure that they get what they need throughout the race.
But athletes are not robots either. We have team riders who want us to calculate what they should eat and drink and when. It reassures them when they have precise guidelines on how many pancakes are ideal for them, for example. Others also say: "Just make sure that the buffet suits the race. I know my body and can judge myself well." Although we have very different riders, we can also calculate and predict quite precisely how many carbohydrates are required for the actual race in an individualised nutrition plan.
How much of the success or defeat is down to the race supply?
I am often asked how important nutrition has become in cycling. The truth is: it has always been important. At the beginning of the 2000s, many athletes were still critical. The teams had good coaches, good equipment and didn't see the need to delve deeper into the subject. They first had to be convinced. Today, it's a completely different story.
Our team consists of 65 riders. The young ones in particular are super enthusiastic, but sometimes get caught up in the details when it comes to nutrition. We then bring the focus back to the basics. Young riders often think that the best in their sport completely avoid unhealthy foods and follow a strict plan at all times. This is absolutely wrong. If you're already doing 80 per cent right, you already have a great chance of success. Sure, if you want to win the Tour de France, you should probably stick to the plan for those 21 days. But before and after that, athletes need a kind of off-season.
What should cyclists look out for in drink supplements?
Although there are good general guidelines for hydration, it is actually very individual. Cyclists should keep an eye on how high their requirements are during training. Three ingredients are crucial in drinks consumed during the race. Water must compensate for the loss of fluids through sweating. Minerals, such as salt, also need to be topped up and help the body absorb the fluid better. We also work with electrolyte sachets, as the average amount of minerals is not enough for individual riders.
Thirdly, carbohydrates come into play again. It makes sense for drinks to provide part of the energy we need. We adjust the quantity accordingly. If there are twelve of us at a road race, we divide up over the course and give the riders perhaps 30 grams of carbohydrates per bottle at the beginning, then 60 later on. On hot days, a rider drinks two bottles per hour. Then there must be fewer carbohydrates in each bottle than when it's cold. On cool days, we provide the riders with warm sports drinks. In summer, these are chilled. This is more pleasant to drink and regulates the temperature of the athletes. When mountain biking, such a detailed plan is not always possible. Bikers should start with the products they are familiar with and ideally have someone to hand them a drink during the race. Relying on the general supply in the feed zone can be tricky.
Powerhouse professional athlete: up to 8000 calories per day
How many calories does a professional burn during a long race?
Energy requirements can vary greatly. In the Tour de France, there are 200-kilometre stages where the peleton decides to ride at a slower pace. They may have the first few gruelling days in their legs and the following day they head into the mountains. On such days, we can observe very low heart rates. The situation is often different in long, tough one-day races. During the race alone, a consumption of 5000 to 6000 calories can be expected. Then there is the rest of the day, so that the total requirement is around 7000 to 8000 calories. This is another reason why we extend the nutrition strategy for our team to the days before the race.
Can this amount of calories be replenished at all?
In the past, some cyclists put on extra weight at the start of a multi-day race because they knew they wouldn't be able to reabsorb all those calories. Today, we go into a race perfectly prepared with a defined body composition. The aim is to maintain the status quo throughout the race. We adjust the amount of carbohydrates and proteins every day so that the athletes do not start the race with an energy deficit. The route profile and tactical plan for a big race are known in advance. We have developed our own tool to create an energy plan for each rider, which we can then translate into individual meals. However, these nutritional recommendations from our three-person nutrition team are not just limited to races. We also try to support them as well as possible at home, in training camps or during altitude training.
First aid for the muscles: immediate aftercare
What should cyclists eat after a long ride?
Cyclists should never come home empty-handed. If you have the feeling that you urgently need a Coke, there is no prospect of good regeneration. Even during the race, riders should have the impression that they will make it to the finish line even if it is a kilometre further away. In a multi-stage race, the rider with the best recovery the next day has the best cards. Those who have refuelled well after the race will not complain of hunger even on a break day. Many athletes feel hungry all day on Mondays after an active weekend. This is a sign that you have not been adequately fuelled in the immediate aftermath. It always makes sense to think about your sports nutrition in advance.
After a sprint finish, a sugary drink helps to combat acute exhaustion and clear your head for the subsequent interview. Recovery shakes are available on the team bus. The protein they contain is the most important building block for the muscles and the sugar fills carbohydrate deficits. In liquid form, these nutrients reach the right place quickly. This allows the riders to regenerate in the shower. However, a shake is no substitute for a meal. Our chefs therefore prepare a personalised recovery box. In it, the team riders will find an attractive dish, such as rice with chicken and vegetables, pasta salad or a burrito. In addition, thanks to our sponsor Lidl, high-protein yoghurts are always available. These products have the same volume as their conventional counterparts, but contain more nutrients and therefore help to replenish energy stores. There is also a fruit basket in the team bus. After abstaining from high-fibre foods in the days leading up to the event, the athletes are always happy to eat fresh fruit.
Jan Timmermann
Editor
