"I fogot to eat!" - Is this a real problem for the peloton and how do we fix it?

[RedheadDane]

Great now I'm imagining that instead of soigneurs standing there with the goodie bags it's all the riders moms with lunch boxes.

Some mothers would be more busy than others.
Imagine if all the Druyts were racing at the same time.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Some mothers would be more busy than others.
Imagine if all the Druyts were racing at the same time.

I guess it would be easier for the four Knaven sisters, since they're already riding for their mother's teams.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Demi Vollering after a poor Brabantse Pijl: I forgot to eat!

She finished 2nd and was just beaten by an elite level all-rounder with a strong finish in a sprint to the line that wasn't steep enough for her to have the advantage!

Anyway, as long as it's just something that happens in races and doesn't become something that is a wider problem, like with Janež Brajkovič or Kseniya Tuhai, then it's fine, riders just have to pay attention to their caloric intake. Sean Kelly actually said during Ronde that these are the races where riders are more likely to have this problem, because of the need to constantly be attentive, because of the nature of the races, it isn't like there is long stretches of recovery time where you can tune out and pick up some food from the team car, so riders have to be a bit more responsible for their own caloric intake rather than relying on set downtime as often happens in a stage race or races on wide open roads that keep the péloton together more.

If riders are having this problem then it's actually not a bad thing from a racing perspective, as it means that more is happening earlier on in races and there's less down time where the bunch is just chilling, and also that performances fluctuating and large gains and losses are more possible again. The hunger knock has been happening to riders with no lasting ill effects for as long as bike racing has been a thing, it's not something that needs stamping out, riders just have to think for themselves a bit more - and maybe make like Pierrick Fédrigo and eat some more real food.

 

[Parrulo]

I don't understand the point being made here. A lot of riders these days aim to consume ~120g of carbs per hour when racing, mostly from drinks and gels plus the occasional bit of solid food. That's not always easy to get right when you add in the chaos of racing, potentially missing feeds, trying to eat when your heart rate's through the roof and that sort of thing.

Pretty much this.

I think riders just dumb it down a bit when they explain this to journalists because most people don't get it either way.

This is not your average Sunday ride at 150 Watts where your breakfast and sandwich at the halfway point can get you through. They are riding at 350W/400W+ for hours straight and to do this you need to take in a whole lot of carbs. It gets boring to drink not because you are thirsty but because that bidon has 550ml of sugary water with 80g of carbs. And you have to drink one of those every hour plus 2 or 3 gels to get to that 120/140 g/hr target, for as long as the race goes on! Also they are at such a level that timing is very important and 20/30 minute delay in your carb intake is enough to show a dip in performance.

Also your body's ability to absorve those carbs changes day to day. I was on antibiotics for a week because I had to get some stitches on my chin (yay MTB racing) so my stomach was a complete mess. Went to do a 3 hour Z2 ride with 1 20min high Z3 effort last Friday and thought 3 bidons with 100g of carbs each+2 bars to help digest all that sugar would be enough. I was wrong and got home pretty flat and in a rush to go to the bathroom ... my breakfast and most of that sugar had simply rushed through my gut

So ya, sh*t happens, sorry for the rant.

Now you know why pros simply say "I forgot to eat"

 

[CyclistAbi]

Likely there should be a mandatory stop around each 2 to 3 hours of racing for full half an hour. Where riders would eat some real slow food. And then to proceed with racing. Some bonus seconds could be involved for early arrivals. Or at least for food to not yet be cold.

 

[Volderke]

And don’t forget that there is always the risk of eating too much…

Sam Bennett moest overgeven: “Ik had teveel gegeten”

Een opmerkelijk beeld tijdens Gent-Wevelgem. Na de derde beklimming van de Kemmelberg moest Sam Bennett verschillende keren overgeven. De oorzaak? "Ik had teveel gegeten", zei hij na afloop.Bennett maakte onderdeel uit van de negen man sterke kopgroep. Bij de derde en laatste beklimming van de K

www.wielerflits.be

 

[Elos Anjos]

Likely there should be a mandatory stop around each 2 to 3 hours of racing for full half an hour. Where riders would eat some real slow food. And then to proceed with racing. Some bonus seconds could be involved for early arrivals. Or at least for food to not yet be cold.

No. Absolutely not.

I'm sure in the future all riders will have mandatory nanosensors telling DS their glucose level and what not in real time, so yeah, there goes another skill set right into technology and the fans in general get all the more happy because now "cycling is more fair", meaning, soon we just might simulate the urban and rural environment in a Zwift game and resume cycling to W/kg.

 

[tobydawq]

Likely there should be a mandatory stop around each 2 to 3 hours of racing for full half an hour. Where riders would eat some real slow food. And then to proceed with racing. Some bonus seconds could be involved for early arrivals. Or at least for food to not yet be cold.

Lol.

 

[awavey]

you can literally set up a basic reminder alert on your garmin to prompt you to eat/drink at certain intervals, assuming the UCI dont like the smart alerts that link with your power meter and calorie count for you and even take temperature into account.

But Demi didnt forget to eat, she actually said "A bit of laziness, actually. Sometimes I thought about it, but I was wearing a wind stopper, and then you think I'll do it in a bit, but in the end, it was too late,"

so she knew she had to eat, but her food was in her jersey pockets and it was cold and it was wet, and she was wearing a wind stopper she'd have to unzip to grab it, and presumably SD Worx dont have carbs/energy drinks in their bottles then, and she did that its ok I feel good, I think I got this, and then gets to the sprint, or maybe just beforehand and realises oops too late.

at least she was honest and owned the mistake. I dont think shell be "forgetting" for Amstel

 

[fmk_RoI]

there should be a mandatory stop around each 2 to 3 hours of racing for full half an hour.

What, like a CTC drum-up? How do you decide who gets to carry the primus?

Actually, it used to be that there was a neutralised stop for feeding in bike races. Bring back the ravitaillement?

 

[fmk_RoI]

Drumming up.

 

[CyclistAbi]

@fmk_RoI

First come, first served.

P.S. Breakaway doesn't get much wins these days. At least some good food would be at play.

 

[Oldermanish]

No. Absolutely not.

I'm sure in the future all riders will have mandatory nanosensors telling DS their glucose level and what not in real time, so yeah, there goes another skill set right into technology and the fans in general get all the more happy because now "cycling is more fair", meaning, soon we just might simulate the urban and rural environment in a Zwift game and resume cycling to W/kg.

You mean like the one that cost the rider her place in a recent race? IMO the poetic view of racing is the rider still has a will to perform and an obligation to prepare for it.

Many observers decry the robotic direction some teams strategically take and the amount of data collected is debated as a decline of the "pure" sport. Broadcasters constantly refer to the random contract offer to a new pro based on Zwift/Strava performances.
The UCI can't quite figure out what version of the sport is preferable and ban glucose monitors while allowing livetime monitoring of anything coming from a rider's computer. Then they monitor and direct them from the car. Occasionally, the support can't get food/water to them in time; and example was Nairo Quintana in the Tour when he cracked and Vingo won the stage.
I think the rider ultimately has to know what's going on and take responsibility as their prime strategy. That would include injesting more solid food that is likely awkward to take in very intense competition. Bonks will happen and do cost races but the specter of rider's having backpack bladders with feeding tubes reminds me of the film Idiocracy.
"'Cause Brawndo's got Electrolytes"

 

[Oldermanish]

What, like a CTC drum-up? How do you decide who gets to carry the primus?

Actually, it used to be that there was a neutralised stop for feeding in bike races. Bring back the ravitaillement?

And races were 350 rough road miles in wool clothing on one or two speed bikes......

 

[fmk_RoI]

And races were 350 rough road miles in wool clothing on one or two speed bikes......

Have you been reading a Peter Cossins books?

No stage in the whole history of the Tour de France was 350 miles long. Ever. The stage that photograph was taken on 370 kilometres. More roads were properly paved than people like you allow for. And there's nothing wrong with wool jerseys.

 

[Gratemans]

"How do we fix it?"
We? How bout we do nothing and leave some responsibility to the riders? Knowing and remembering when to eat is as much an aspect of the sport as anything.

So this, basically:

I think the rider ultimately has to know what's going on and take responsibility as their prime strategy.

 

[Oldermanish]

Have you been reading a Peter Cossins books?

No stage in the whole history of the Tour de France was 350 miles long. Ever. The stage that photograph was taken on 370 kilometres. More roads were properly paved than people like you allow for. And there's nothing wrong with wool jerseys.

Well thanks for the background on the photo; I didn't know it was the Tour but I should have referred to it as km, for sure.

As for this: "More roads were properly paved than people like you allow for. And there's nothing wrong with wool jerseys."

I'm not sure what people like you means but I can tell you I've rode plenty of stage races and lost several because my team feeds were not successful.
Several of those losses were in a pro event (as a qualified amateur) where the pros were allowed follow cars and amateurs weren't. In one event we lacked the benefit of quality gap information by our lead moto and when the 2:00 gap I was trying to control for our gc leading teammate, stuck in the field; grew to 5 minutes on the last 15km climb I had to race. That penultimate stage 5 was 180 km and I hadn't gotten a feed since the halfway point. The lead official's car wouldn't allow a feed from them or on the final climb....
I followed the attacks and found myself off solo with a now 6 minute lead on the field and 1 minute on the closest competitor with 5km to go and tunnel vision set in. The officials still wouldn't give me anything but offered me a ride based on what I looked like to them. I got off the bike and leaned on it for awhile and then got back on and crawled to the finish. 20 riders passed me and, fortunately my leading teammate caught the bonking guy I had dropped. I apologized to the team for not carrying enough food after being mocked seriously because the entire race could've been lost. Is that what you mean when you say people like you?

By the way; I've ridden Tour roads and plenty suck to this day. Wool jersies always sucked and this comes from someone that had to train in the rain in a wool jersey. I'm that old.

 

[fmk_RoI]

I didn't know it was the Tour but I should have referred to it as km, for sure.

The clue was in the banner in the pic.

I've ridden Tour roads and plenty suck to this day.

Well if I'd known you'd ridden pre-WW1 Tours and were speaking from experience ... I'd have still said what I said.

 

[Oldermanish]

Well of course you would. Consistent, as always.

 

[Skijumper Roglic fan]

I also think taking in not enough carbohydrates can cause problems for the riders in these Classics.

But the ways of intake are really easy to manage, nowadays. Sugar water and gels can be consumed very quickly. The companies like PowerBar and others have developed great products, with the aim to enable the athlete to get his carbs also in hectic situations within competition.

And to the riders mentioned, I‘m serious, in Girmays case, I fear the „worst“… :-( I honestly think he suffered some more or less „permanent“ damage to his injured eye (Giro 2022)… That‘s so sad, one could cry… :-( Just signed a five-years-contract, beat MvdP in this Giro stage, and then this injury happens. Sometimes life isn‘t fair…

 

[RedheadDane]

My question is;
Do riders forget to eat, or do they forget to factor in the time between "I need to eat", and actually having the food?
And isn't the issue that riders need to eat before they actually feel hungry?

As for what can be done - please don't say what we can do! I am not ready for this much responsibility! - well... riders will just have to come up with ways of reminding themselves.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

As for what can be done - please don't say what we can do! I am not ready for this much responsibility! - well... riders will just have to come up with ways of reminding themselves.

Whenever you fear a rider is forgetting to eat, throw some food at your screen. If it's still there after race, your dinner has already been prepared.

 

[fmk_RoI]

Whenever you fear a rider is forgetting to eat, throw some food at your screen. If it's still there after race, your dinner has already been prepared.

Throwing food I think is what we should be considering. At official feed zones, teams should have some sort of Wallace & Grommit toast machine that fires energy bars (unwrapped) into the mouths of their riders.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Throwing food I think is what we should be considering. At official feed zones, teams should have some sort of Wallace & Grommit toast machine that fires energy bars (unwrapped) into the mouths of their riders.

I was also considering the idea of filling the head tube with small sausages, that could be shot directly into your mouth at the push of a button.

 

[theyoungest]

I was also considering the idea of filling the head tube with small sausages, that could be shot directly into your mouth at the push of a button.

A food transfusion. Or maybe this is one for the clinic.