Energy Expenditure and Intake in Professional Cyclists

Cycling is probably one of the toughest sports physically, especially in stage races like La Vuelta a España or the Tour de France, as the body is subjected with barely any rest to long days of exhausting effort. Although we can all imagine that the energy expenditure of these athletes must be enormous as they spend around 6 hours each day on the bike, there is little evidence about the exact energy expenditure of cyclists. However, we do have some studies that show us astonishing data. For example, more than 30 years ago, Dutch researchers analyzed a group of cyclists who competed in the Tour de France and estimated an energy expenditure of more than 6000 calories per day. And not only that, since there were days when they reached 8000 calories of energy expenditure [1]. More recently, other studies have reported similar values. For example, an American research group measured energy expenditure in cyclists during a stage race (10 stages over 6 days). In this case, the authors observed an average expenditure of around 6500 calories per day [2].

Given these energy expenditures, it is obvious that nutrition plays a fundamental role in improving recovery and facilitating performance. It is not only important to compensate at the energy level, but an optimal intake of each macronutrient will also be important. For example, maintaining a high protein intake will help muscle recovery and prevent possible protein degradation that can occur in situations of energy deficit. On the other hand, fats and carbohydrates will have an essential role in energy contribution, the latter being the main energy source for endurance athletes. But how many calories and what proportion of macronutrients do cyclists actually consume?

To answer this question, a Spanish research group analyzed the diet of male and female road and mountain bike cyclists during a training camp they carried out in the preseason [3]. The results showed that men consumed, on average, about 3000 kcal, while women consumed approximately 2200 kcal. These results may even be low considering the energy demands of cycling, although as the authors mention, this fact could be due to the fact that during the preseason cyclists try to control their body weight as much as possible. As for the distribution of macronutrients, it was approximately 20% protein, 40% carbohydrates, and 40% fat. An interesting fact is that, when expressed relative to body weight, protein intake was notably higher than the classic recommendations (they consumed around 1.6-1.8 g/kg, whereas the classic recommendations were 0.8 g/kg). In this regard, there is already extensive evidence supporting high protein intake in athletes, around 1.6 g/kg [4], and as we will see below, other studies in cyclists have even observed higher intakes. Furthermore, as the authors themselves comment, it is striking that, in general, cyclists consumed a similar relative proportion of fats and carbohydrates, when the latter are the main energy source during high-intensity efforts and have been shown to be highly beneficial for performance. However, this could partly be because the study was conducted during the pre-season, when training loads are not very high.

In line with the last statement, other studies have analyzed energy intake during periods of higher training loads or even during competitive periods. For example, the same Spanish research group analyzed the diet of professional cyclists during La Vuelta a España [5]. In this case, the researchers estimated an energy intake of 5400 calories per day, with 65% of the energy coming from carbohydrates (including 90 g/h on average during the stages aside from a high intake after them), 18% from fats, and another 17% from proteins. Thus, we see how during competitive periods carbohydrate consumption is much higher, partly due to the high intake during the stages, and protein consumption also increases notably (reaching an astonishing intake of 3.3 g/kg per day). Similar results have been reported in other competitive events such as the Vuelta a Andalucía (with a consumption of 5600 daily calories coming from 62% carbohydrates, 23% fats, and 15% [3 g/kg] proteins) [6], or the Tour of Scotland (6500 average daily calories coming from 65% carbohydrates, 17% fats, and 15% [2.9 g/kg] proteins) [2].

Conclusions
We see how cyclists are subjected to enormous energy demands, especially during periods of high load such as a stage race (reaching average expenditures of around 6000 calories per day). That is why they must pay special attention to energy intake, trying to match intake to energy expenditure to avoid a deterioration of their performance and health. In addition, they must pay attention to the composition of their diet. In this regard, the evidence shows that during periods of high load professional cyclists obtain most of their energy (around 65% of total energy) from carbohydrates, increasing not only intake during the test itself (90 g/hour on average) but also in the hours afterward to facilitate the recovery of glycogen stores. On the other hand, the high protein intake they have is also quite striking, especially when expressed relative to body weight. Thus, we see that cyclists consume about 1.8 g/kg of protein during the pre-season, but during periods of load they increase this intake to 2-3 g/kg, which could help facilitate recovery processes and prevent muscle catabolism. Although observations in professional cyclists are neither intended nor should they be directly transferable to the amateur population, it is always interesting to know and learn how elite cyclists fuel themselves.

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References
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