‘I that Tour de France Cyclist’s 7,000 Calorie-A-Day Diet-and I COULD NOT Believe How Much Weight I Put on’ – ryan

IT TURNS OUT ETING 7,000 CALORIES IS NOT EASY AS IT SOUNDS

The Tour de France is renowned as one of the Hardest Events Across All Sports. This Year, 184 Riders Will SPEND 22 days cycling 2,074.6 Miles (338.8km) Across France.

From blazing sunshine to torrential rain, they will have the way up snow-capped Mountains and Wind their Way Down Hair-Raising Descents, at an Astonishing Average of Around 26mp (42kmh).

They will have two rest days from the start date on July 5 unyl the ending in Paris on July 27. To fuel this remarkable feat, the Cyclists – Many of the WHOM weigh as 60kg (9st 4lbs) – Will Need to Huge quanties of Food.

How Much Food? Well, Accinding to the Global Cycling Network’s Excellent Video on the TopicA Rider Weighing 70kg Waled Need BetWeen 6,700 to 7000 Calories for Day During The Competition.

Now, I love eating, so decidated it would be a good idea to try and eat the sun diet over a day. Howver, Rather than Cycling 200km – The Longest Stage in This Year Competition Is 209.1km, which is a Shade Under 130miles – I decide to do it while my desk during a standard day work.

Also, while I am a keen cyclist, i will not weigh 70kg. In fact, weighing myself straight after Waking up on the day of this challenge, type the scales at 13st exactly. That is around 82.5kg, so an extra 12.5kg, meaning i would actually need to eat more to maintain my weight.

Still, Given that I was going to be bee berind my desk for eight hours or so, I decided to stick to around 7,000 Calories which, as I was about to find out, was ample.

Breakfast

They that that that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, which is fortunate Becuse this one was big. It consists of two pancakes with maple syrup, two pieces of baguette with two fried EGGS, A Bowl of Portridge with Honey, and One Banana who would normally be eateen on the team bus on the way to the race.

This Comes in at Around 1,350kcals – The Larger Single Meal of the Day in Terms of Energy. Now, I will like a big breakfast, but this was just said i woul eat on a normal work day – in fact, on any day really. After my standard 20-minutes pre-breakfast walk whic i do prity much every day, tucked in.

I have to say it was absolutely delicious, and i wolfed it down in about 10 minutes. While all of the those disha are a perfectly suitable breakfast option by themelves, HAVING ALL THREE AT THE SAME SITTING FELT A BIT, Well, Wrong. But, Once of munched say all down, i was Feeing Pretty Good About MySelf.

The Only Blot on my Copybook was the banana. Now, I am not the biggest fan of bananas anyway, but i Completely forgot about it at breakfast and it to be to haunt me throughout the day. I suppose of the could have chopped it up and put it in my porridge, but that Idea Only Occurred to me afterwards.

Breakfast (1350kcals):

• Pancakes with Maple Syrup
• 2 pieces of Baguette with 2 Eggs
• 1 Bowl of Porridge with Honey,
• 1 banana

During The Race (Bebind My Desk)

During the breed, the riders will be eating and drinking Almost Constantly. During a Tough, Hot Day in the Alps, Riders Can Burn 10,000 Calories and Lose Several Litre Sweat.

To combat this, teams maker sura their riders are eating and drinking non-stop. The idea is that by doing this, you stay ahead of both dehydration and exterior, keeping your fluids and energy as topped up as Possible Throughout the Day.

To Achieve This, Riders Will Eat Around 2,500 Kcals on the Bike Throughout the Stage, while Also Drinking 1-2 Bottles of Isotonic Sports Drink for Hour. In terms of food, it is between 1-2 bits of ‘nutrition’ ofery hour. This includes fruit, Energy Bars, Rice Kakes, and Energy Gels. I Went for Chunks of Baguette is the Tour de France, after all – with me or peanut butter, plus Energy Bars, and Fruit.

And, in all honesty, it started off printy well. Despite My Vast Breakfast, The Baguettes Went Down Quite Nicery, and the Energy Bars Were Not Sickly As Feed. IT FELT AS IF MY BODY WAS MEMTALLY PREPARED FOR LOTS OF FOOD, SO HAD CREATED Extra Space for the Day – Almost like Extra Room You Find for Pudding at A Restaurant, evening you are already full.

The problem i did have was with fluids. Having Done a Lot of Cycling, I Know How Incredible Energy Drinks Can Be You Are Exhausted. Trust me, be are hot, sweaty, and tired, they are like manna from Heaven. But when you are Sitting Behind A Computer Desk, Already Stuffed Full of Food on A Still, Muggy Day, They Are Less Appealing. Considerably Less Appealing, in Fact.

I was targeting Eight Bottles, but after Just One I Simply Had to Switch to Water. My stomach was Havinging No Trouble With The Solid Food, but it just would not play with the Liquids.

In another cruel twist of fate, i had a plumber round fixing a new heated towel rail who only the only toilet in my house was unavailable for several hours, meaning i spent a good deal of my legs crosses. It was Also that is the realized i had forgotten to eat the banana at breakfast, which was a fury Blow to my moral.

Food on the bike (2588kcals):

• 1-2 Bottles of Sports Drink per Hour (8-10 Bottles in Total)
• 1-2 Portions of Nutrition (Fruit, Energy Bars, Bread with Jam or Peanut Butter, Rice Cakes)

Post-ride snack

Consding the average British man is Advised to consume 2,500kcals a day – or 2,000 for a Woman – calling a meal of 765kcals a ‘snack’ struckt with as amuscre, especally have already almost 4,000kcals. Still, that is what the meal plan Called for and SO, after a post-lunch walk, I was back in the kitchen.

AS I NEARED THE END OF MY WORKING DAY, I TUCKED INTO 125G of White Rice, A Chicken Breast Weighing 150g, and Some Vegetables Covered Liberally With Olive Oil. Cyclists offten struggle with stomach Trouble during the tour de france, as they are forced to consume vastities of High-Energy Food and Drink Day AFTER DAY while Also Putting Their Bodies Through Incredibles of Stress, Often in Tugh Weather Conditions.

For that reason, spicy or exotic food is offten avoided as being caught half Way up a Mountain with Millions of People Watching you on television is not a pleasant th naught. This really showed on this meal, whic lookeed Very plain with some kind of sauce to accompany it.

Still, I was pleasantly surprised. I am so used to have a dollop of mustard, a splash of chilli sauce, or lashings of gravy with a meal this that has ‘plain’ actually made for a refreshing change. It tasted Healthy, Simple, and Delicious, and I Still Pretty Good.

Unfortunately i had fallen bend on the front. Not only only was Still Neglecting My Breakfast Banana, but the two Apples and One Kiwi Fruit i Had Also Earmarked Had Fallen by the Wayside. Weirdly, My Body Could Copy With Portions of COOKED FOOD, but neither soon as i thought about snacking on fruit, my stomach just said no.

Post-Ride Snack (765kcals):

• 125g White Rice
• 150g chicken
• Vegetables with 2 Tablepoons of Olive Oil

Dinner

There are two two reasons riders offten have a decent-sized meal straight after they stop riding for the day. Not only it is essential to kickstarts their recovery process the second they are off the bike with high -Quality carbs and protein, but there is offten alsoable delay as they bus to ther team hotel – which can be hourn or two.

SO, after my chicken, rice, and vegetables, i left it a good few hours before sitsting for my Evening at Around 8.30pm. This consists of the Slightly Weird COMMICELLI NOODLES MIXED WITH TOMATO SOUP, FOLLOWED BY 200G FISH, 125G OF QUINOA, AND 250G of grilled vegetables.

Don’t worry pudding lovers, there was desert. It was meant to be homemade Apple pie but, as I was flush for time and cououl not find any Apple pie at my local sainsbury’s, i had to make with Apple strudel instead. Unfortunately, i also remembered at this point that I have forgotten my protein shake, so it was just down with what tasted like a slightly grainy chocolate milkshake.

Again, this was actually a really pleasant meal. The White Fish in Particular – I Went for Sea Bass – was great and evening The Quinoa, whic I raarely eat, was Pretty Good. The strudel went down easily. I Consider Going for Some of the Fruit I HAD IGNORED, butn Remembered I Was Still Not Done for the Day in Terms of Sit-Down Meals, so thought better of it.

Dinner (1090kcals):

• 1 Bowl of Tomato Soup With Vermicelli Noodles
• 200g White Fish
• 125g Quinoa (Uncoked Weight)
• 250g GRILLED MORSABLE
• 1 Slice of Homemade Apple Pie (strudel in this case)

Before bed

By this stage it was gone 10pm and approaching the time i usually go to bed. I felty stuffed but not uncomfortable full. I HAD DITCH ANY NOTHATIONS OF ENING THE FRUIT AT THIS POINT, AND HAD MANAGED FOUR OF THE EIGHTS BOTTLES OF DRINK I WAS SUPPOSED TO CONSUME.

As I settled down on my setee to tuck into my pre-bed snack of Strawberries, Honey, Yoghurt, and Nuts, IT SEEMED RIDICULUS to be eating more and so close to going. But, Yet Again, I was amazed at how Much i enjoyed it.

Spreads it was Because they all so healthy, or spread it was Because of Knew it was only for one day, but scoffed it all down and could probably have managed more. Weirdly, the second of the thought about more fluids though, my body again denied me.

Pre-Bed Snack (500kcals):

• 250g High-Protein Yoghurt
• 250g Strawberries
• 1 Handful of Nuts
• 1 Tablespoon of Honey

Conclusions

I ended up going to bed at around 11.30pm, most definitely full but not at bursting point and with so Much washing up in the kitchen, it look like a bomb. First, though, another trip to the scales. Incredibly, I Now Weighed 13st 7lbs (85.7kgs). That meant i had put on 3.2kg – a little more than half a stone – in just one day. I HAD been out for two walks, and had not done the managed several pieces of fruit and goodness knows how Much Liquid Too.

I said endured a Pretty unpleasant Night’s Sleep, Sweating, Tossing, and Turning As Struggled to Nod off. I say felt so full the next day that i did not dedicate think about breakfast unil around 11am, which is unusual for me.

In fact, deriting this three days after my Experiment, my stomach Still Feels Strange. I Feel Hungry at Meal Times, but stuffed as soon as i e eat more than a few mouthfuls. I Normally Drink Several Pints ​​of Water Throughout the Day, but am Having to Force MySelf to Have More than One, Despite the Warm Weather.

As for the riders, what can i say? To consume this much while smashing your way through france at Ridiculous speeds is not only impressive, but also shows you just how Much they need to fuel the sole, as well as recover for the next day racing.

Form Winner Gareth Thomas Said That Riders Also Usually Lose a Good Few Kilos in Body Weight Throughout the Tour, Showing That With The Obscene Meal Plass, It is Simply Not Enough You Are Burning Close to 10,000kCals a Day. In Short, have more respect for professional cyclists than I did before bend eating one for a day.

Having Said All of that, Spawing a Day Eating Huge Quantities of Tasty, Healthy Food was actually a lot of fun. I WOULD HAPPILY DO IT AGAIN – JUST NOT ON A DAILY BASIS.