Skilled biking continues to interrupt its personal boundaries, season after season. Earlier this yr, we shared an in-depth function on the game’s ‘pace evolution’ as larger funding and extra data-led evaluation into know-how, coaching, and general efficiency has seen common pace data tumble at a number of main races.
For context, the 2022 Tour de France was the quickest within the trendy period, with a head-turning 42.03 kph common pace. Simply 12 months in the past, we noticed 5 Spring Classics document their fastest-ever editions, with some having solely been set a yr earlier.
Regardless of using solo for the ultimate 60km of the race, Mathieu van der Poel smashed the
race record at the 2024 Paris-Roubaix, finishing the 259.7km route in 5 hours, 25 minutes and 58 seconds, with a mean pace of 47.802 kph.
Now, we hear what you are doubtless saying at this level: Mathieu van der Poel is a naturally gifted bicycle owner, he has entry to the newest in bike tech from his workforce’s sponsors, and he can faucet into knowledgeable recommendation on all points of his elite athlete life-style from workforce employees.
However whether or not you are a fellow professional, an novice rider, or a mere armchair fan, what can we be taught from these leaps ahead in efficiency throughout the professional biking world?
Placing apart cutting-edge bike tech – as a result of entry to that actually is determined by the depth of your pockets or the resolve of your monetary self-discipline – and avoiding a ‘nature versus nurture’ debate on whether or not we are the typical construct for a street bicycle owner within the first place, one space we are able to all try to be taught from is how skilled cyclists prepare and care for themselves.
With this in thoughts, we reached out to a number of WorldTour and ProTour groups for perception into any strategies which might be pushing professional biking’s boundaries time and time once more.
Curiously, and to our considerably shock, a selected matter repeatedly got here up, and it is not a selected coaching regime, nor one thing that takes place strictly on the bike.
Fueling success
After we requested Mathieu Hejboer, Head of Efficiency at Visma-Lease a Bike, to clarify what has triggered such a leap ahead by way of efficiency over latest years, his response was to the purpose.
“It is primarily due to diet, for my part,” admits the Dutchman.
“Diet and efficiency, it is below the identical roof. It is not a very totally different working space. Diet and coaching go hand in hand; in order for you the very best adaptation in your coaching, it’s worthwhile to herald diet in addition to the opposite method round, so they do not [work] individually.
Hejboer, who has been a part of the Dutch workforce’s setup since 2008, made it clear that coaching and diet may on no account be mutually unique if a rider desires to make most efficiency beneficial properties.
Sebastian Deckert, Head Coach of main ProTeam Tudor Professional Biking, was virtually similar in his response when posed the query too.
“I feel one of many massive modifications has been, for positive, diet. I feel if you happen to view how riders can and may gasoline in coaching and racing, [it] has modified,” he replies.
Each coaches imagine this alteration of view in the direction of diet has naturally stemmed from an enchancment within the vary of merchandise.
“The diet merchandise have change into quite a bit higher, and I feel that enables the riders to coach and race on the next degree,” explains Deckert.
When posing these views to Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale’s nutritionist, Dr Julien Louis, he confirms the assumptions.
“Diet has change into paramount in sports activities efficiency, significantly in endurance-type actions, comparable to biking, as a result of it may well clearly make a distinction by way of efficiency and it’s extremely correlated to the capability to gasoline correctly and to make use of the gasoline ingested, as properly, in-race, pre-race and, after all, post-race.”
Louis, who additionally works as each a Reader in Diet and Train Physiology at Liverpool John Moores College and a nutritionist with the French second-tier soccer membership, Paris FC, believes diet performs a extra instrumental position in professional biking in comparison with workforce sports activities on account of restoration being a limiting issue.
“In endurance actions, the place there’s a massive affect on the power standing of the muscle mass and the athletes general, [nutrition is] maybe much more essential than, for instance, in workforce sports activities, the place efficiency can also be very associated to your technical degree, it is much less current within the sport of biking.
“Fueling correctly has change into an increasing number of essential, and each employees and riders have began to understand that it’s key and that is in all probability one thing we are able to optimise,” he provides.
Whereas it could appear to be the messaging round biking diet has flip-flopped as steadily as biking’s vogue tendencies over the previous twenty years, the newest strategy is definitely in favour of high-carbohydrate fueling.
Hejboer reinforces that feeling, particularly in relation to how in-race efficiency has been reworked because of “the provision of high-carb drinks in the course of the stage [or race].”
“The elevated data and the improved data on diet, in addition to clearly, additionally enhancements in coaching applications, enhancements in supplies [too], however I feel diet, and particularly the race fueling, is the largest change and the largest purpose for the efficiency leap,” the Visma-Lease a Bike coach continues.
Traits in diet have developed drastically and shortly, in line with Louis. The final ten years have seen a significant shift from a ‘coaching low’ philosophy to 1 the place carbohydrates are virtually as important because the bike itself.
“Round 2015, we thought coaching low was essential to adapt properly to coaching. And sure, it can be crucial. You may get extra adaptation if you happen to prepare low, however it might be an excessive amount of of factor, virtually, if you happen to do this so intensively or too steadily. So now an increasing number of, we’ve realised that athletes must gasoline correctly, and carbohydrate is king.”
Intestine power
Modifications to a fueling technique aren’t one thing that may be applied in a single day, and so they fluctuate between riders relying on their calls for inside coaching and their physique’s wants.
For Hejboer, although, it is a key basis for a rider’s eventual efficiency on race day.
“One of the essential issues is to coach your intestine as properly.
“It is advisable to make your physique prepared to have the ability to digest all of the excessive quantities of carbohydrates. So you do not begin with that finish of June, that is one thing that is labored on now [in pre-season,]” he provides.
Elevating this matter with Louis, he cannot be clearer on his verdict.
“It has change into essential to coach the intestine. And, these days, we won’t afford to have any riders say ‘no, I simply cannot ingest greater than 80 grams an hour,’ no, we all know it is potential to go increased.”
Hejboer and Louis each element how riders will put aside periods in pre-season coaching to push their intestine power to the restrict. The Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale employees member estimates that it takes a minimum of six or seven periods with a excessive carbohydrate consumption to develop the variety of transporters within the gut.
“We begin in December, within the first camp, and personally, I might at all times advocate having a minimum of one session per week the place they attempt to attain greater than 100g [of carbohydrates] per hour,” he reveals.
In the identical method that several types of riders could have totally different coaching plans, the identical will be mentioned for his or her diet program. Hejboer defines Visma’s strategy with set templates for the kind of coaching and racing that one among their riders is about to undertake.
“In the event you do high-intensity coaching, your carb wants are increased. So then additionally, you will use totally different race remedy programmes, but additionally your diet throughout [race day] will likely be totally different.”
Whereas the relative contribution of carbs, fat and proteins in a rider’s each day weight-reduction plan impacts the determine too, the Dutchman reveals that some Visma-Lease a Bike riders may eat as a lot as 120g of carbohydrates per hour if the calls for of their coaching required it.
“So while you have a look at coaching, you’ll be able to go for 45 grams per hour, or 60, and even 90 or 120, however that is actually depending on the kind of coaching that you simply do,” Hejboer reveals.
Whereas Louis corroborated that strategy, including: “It needs to be tailored to the extent of apply. If a rider by no means trains greater than three hours in a session, I feel there isn’t any level going past 90 grams per hour.
However when the going will get powerful, particularly within the warmth of the WorldTour battle, is there a restrict to how a lot a rider can eat throughout every hour of racing?
Louis did not have a clear-cut response, primarily as a result of it is nonetheless to be explored within the lab. Nevertheless, he did supply anecdotal proof to recommend that some riders can eat above 120g of carbohydrates in an hour.
“We have not examined it within the lab, however I do know a few of our riders can ingest greater than 120g. I do know a few of them can ingest 140g, even 160g, and they’re doing very properly. They do not expertise any points in any respect.”
The Frenchman hints that the ceiling to carbohydrate fueling may lie within the ratios of the merchandise at present obtainable.
“For now it is primarily a one to 0.8 ratio between maltodextrin glucose and fructose. Some researchers are taking a look at a one-to-one ratio, [with] the same quantity of the totally different carbs. I do not know if that is efficient [or] if it may well work, however that is positively a query.”
One other query that Louis and his division are trying into is whether or not a larger carbohydrate consumption is at all times the very best apply. Riders weighing 55kg might battle to eat the identical ranges of carbohydrates as a 75kg teammate, so ought to physique weight decide the suitable degree of fueling?
Biking’s thirst for data
The driving pressure behind this diet revolution seems to stem partially from a change in racing habits and philosophies, Deckert believes. Riders are competing much less steadily than earlier generations, as an alternative spending that point coaching in the direction of a choose few objectives.
“Clearly, what has additionally modified is the strategy to racing. In the event you look again 20 years, you see that the riders did method above 100 race days per yr,” Deckert says. “This isn’t the case anymore, and it is not potential anymore. It is not that the riders are working much less laborious than prior to now, however they’re now spending their days at altitude, working in the direction of these particular objectives. And I feel to know that the coaching intervals can actually elevate the degrees of the riders, mixed with the diet, I feel we require some modifications.”
“I feel additionally, the 2020 [cycling season] has form of proven that you do not at all times want racing to change into a greater bicycle owner,” he provides.
Alongside fine-tuning the racing schedules of their riders, groups on the high degree of the game have additionally dialled of their off-bike approaches for a extra holistic strategy.
The Tudor coach used his personal experiences within the sport over the previous few many years to spotlight the marked change.
“You simply want to take a look at the employees that groups have. I feel you additionally see a distinction between, for example, extra old-school groups and groups who’re possibly slightly bit forward.
“10 to fifteen years in the past, there was actually [just] a coach employed by the workforce, [the] form of individuals have been main a workforce prior to now and likewise making coaching plans for the riders.”
Deckerts feels that now, with riders in a position to faucet into huge assets throughout coaches, physios, and nutritionists, their entire strategy to racing has been reworked, together with their weight-reduction plan and fueling plan. This trickles down from the highest, skilled riders to the stagiaires and neo-pros.
“For Tudor, the kind of riders that we’ve, with fairly some data and expertise, I am speaking about [Matteo] Trentin, or Marco Haller or additionally Julian [Alaphilippe], they’re tremendous open and they’re sharing their data and expertise with the younger riders.”
Louis believes that this altering of the guard has additionally accelerated the understanding and appreciation for diet inside professional biking, including: “It has change into an increasing number of widespread and properly accepted by everyone, particularly the younger technology – they know that properly. Now you do not have to persuade them that it is essential to gasoline correctly. After I began working in biking a couple of years in the past, we nonetheless had the older technology that we needed to persuade.”
Admittedly, although, some habits and cultural customs are more durable to shift than others, no matter biking’s new data-driven age.
“Relying in your tradition, your strategy to diet might be totally different. For instance, I’ve lived in England for plenty of years now, however even between France and the UK, the strategy to diet is massively totally different,” Louis highlights.
He explains how these cultural variations influence sports activities diet and restoration, too, including: “In France, you eat firstly for pleasure. And we are able to discover that additionally in a [French] biking workforce, for instance, in a race we at all times prefer to take dinner within the night as a chance to have a second to socialize collectively.
“In England, I labored in numerous sports activities, and that wasn’t there. I imply, the dinner was not obligatory, and you possibly can have your dinner by yourself or at house or on the membership; you’d resolve what you like.”
With these cultural issues in thoughts, the dietary technique needs to be applied in order to not upset the steadiness between workforce and particular person tradition whereas lowering any potential impacts on restoration. Consuming dinner on the optimum time after a race may work properly from a dietary perspective, however may depart you with a disgruntled group of riders and employees because the trade-off – compromise is essential.
Not simply sooner performances, however sooner restoration too
Alongside an optimised fueling technique permitting riders to get better after an intense race day, improved diet, coupled with a powerful coaching base, additionally aids restoration from crashes and accidents.
The rehabilitation interval for widespread biking accidents like damaged collarbones and fractured clavicles continues to shrink. Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers), no stranger to unlucky damage setbacks, was noticed using lower than per week after he fractured his clavicle on the Clásica Jaén Paraiso Inside.
In a latest interview with Velo, Soudal-QuickStep’s lead physiotherapist Manu Wemel explains how enhancements in knowledge, diet, and coaching have all contributed to slicing down the time away from the bike when a professional bicycle owner suffers an damage.
“These elites are in high type, with the very best weight-reduction plan, the very best well being. All of that’s good for restoration.
“The sleep, the life-style, the diet is part of it,” Wemel provides.
In fact, as talked about initially of this piece, most of us will not be skilled cyclists and could be unlikely to seek out ourselves again within the saddle per week after an damage setback, however the rules will be transferred, even when the time intervals would naturally be longer.
Hejboer seconds this view, emphasising the worth of low season coaching in the direction of a rider’s capacity to get better from setbacks.
“These months are tremendous essential. If you’ll be able to construct a really massive cardio basis for the season, then even a crash like a damaged collarbone should not have an excessive amount of of an influence if you happen to already labored very well earlier than.”
However what sort of dietary modifications can help accelerated restoration from damage?
“It is at all times very tough to measure the results of diet straight on the restoration,” admits Louis, including: “We might at all times attempt to keep their muscle mass and stimulate markers of bone turnover. For instance, if it is a collarbone [injury], we are going to attempt to stimulate bone tissues to regenerate extra shortly.”
That is inspired by means of a high-protein weight-reduction plan, Louis explains.
“We can’t have any restrictions [on their diet], particularly initially, to verify they will get better properly. And maybe we may take into account some dietary supplements, comparable to collagen or vitamin D, to verify they’ve sufficient calcium of their weight-reduction plan once more to optimise the restoration.”
Equally to Hejboer, the Frenchman believes that in relation to diet and damage restoration, good habits and a proactive mentality will guarantee riders are again on their bike faster.
“Within the occasion of an damage, if you have already got [good nutrition] in place, it can assist. It can in all probability be much less effort as properly, you will not must drastically change your days throughout the remaining interval as a result of, once more, it is already in place.”
Will carbs at all times be king?
Lower than a decade in the past, the connection between professional biking and diet was virtually unrecognisable in comparison with in the present day’s panorama.
Groups proceed to pour extra assets into diet and the way it can enhance rider efficiency, however how doubtless are we to see one other drastic swap in route? Louis appears adamant that there will not be one anytime quickly.
“Carbs are the efficiency gasoline and it is a very powerful gasoline for efficiency. We nonetheless must optimise their consumption, and we’re not simply taking a look at it on the bike but additionally pre-race, investigating all of the loading methods.”
With the boundaries to synthesising glycogen, the storage type of carbohydrate within the physique, within the muscle mass and liver, but to be discovered, he believes there’s nonetheless lots to discover.
The identical will be mentioned for dietary supplements, such because the hotly debated ketone shots and bicarbonate tablets.
“For a very long time, we’ve used bicarbonate pre-exercise, earlier than a time trial, for instance. However now an increasing number of, we’re questioning utilisation straight in-race, like in a 4 or five-hour race. How may that work? Wouldn’t it be pertinent to do it? We positively want to research that.”
No matter which route it heads subsequent, although, it is clear to see that diet is not an afterthought on the earth of biking and is now on the forefront of each younger rider’s thoughts of their bids to interrupt into the WorldTour.
