What Do Professional Cyclists Really Eat? | Nutrition Insights With Nigel Mitchell

Whilst out at the Giro, Ollie talked to the sports nutritionist of EF Education First, Nigel Mitchell, to find out how professional cyclists fuel properly for racing.
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Leave us a comment below!

[@LeoInterHyenaem]

The pink-to-purple gradient colour of the car and the bus is beautiful.

[@gelliot8156]

This is genuinely one of the most insightful interviews I have heard. Thanks GCN and Thanks Ollie!

[@Enigma71559]

Nigel was AWESOME! This is one of the best videos I've ever seen about pro cycling nutrition. He really explained it in quite a bit of detail. Most of the nutrition vids are very general, but this was fantastic. Thanks!!

[@Whitewater11]

Nigel is sure a likeable guy, think I'll be rooting for EF this year.

[@isaacliftsandcycles]

Egg whites, nutritional yeast, peanut butter, potatoes / rice, water, LIFESTYLE, and every free moment I have to spend on the seat, are all factors that keep me lean, fast, and improving weekly! This channel is GOLD! I'm grateful for this community!

[@isaacliftsandcycles]

I forgot my grapefruits as well! :)

[@alaefarmestatesllc]

But they clearly showed cooked whole eggs lol

[@bradford_shaun_murray]

4:12 😛

[@jimbrittain7083]

Absolutely fantastic video! It would be great to see more films related to advanced analyses related to nutrition within the peloton.

[@t1p1may0]

Cracking interview! Great to see Nigel again.

[@clos2132]

I've never been so interested about fecal matter in the bowel and gut biome health in my life. Great job gents!

[@CyberdyneSystemsSkynet]

Try having Crohn's, lol.

[@jonnythelegs2597]

@@CyberdyneSystemsSkynet hopefully the low fibre is only used during races and not between otherwise yeah that's just one of the many issues that will prevail from a low fibre diet.

[@Gipfel_69493]

If you Need further informations about a healthy gut and have a scientific based Knowledge of the microbiome i can suggest the reading of this book from Dr. Robynne Chutkan, the microbiome solution- a radical new way to heal your body from the inside out, 2015 Penguins random House publishing, also available in german 🇩🇪 2017 , narayana Verlag, kandern, www.unimedica.de - no advertising, Not Payed for mentioning nor having any contracts.

[@howesfull8]

2 to 3 kilos of fiber in the gut really changes the power to weight ratio.

[@tyjude7594]

I know im randomly asking but does anyone know of a way to get back into an instagram account? I was dumb forgot the login password. I would love any help you can give me

[@davemackinnon6487]

Wow! That was amazing! I love the GCN tech videos because I always want to know how stuff works. The information provided was stellar!

[@andrewmcalister3462]

Awesome in depth video, without being super nerdy or preachy. Great job guys. And thanks Nigel for spending the time.

[@hedleykerr3564]

Really great piece Ollie, I've always like Nigel and his way of preparing food for the riders!

[@jade4805]

Extremely technical and delicate when dealing with rider nutrition, many thanks Ollie, well done.

[@tomhoggan6008]

Really interesting insight - please provide more of this content! I'm sure its evolved even further in 3 years since the video was created... Thanks GCN!

[@FlatSpinMan]

Thanks GCN. Informative and simple.

[@billinhouston3291]

Great vid. Would have loved something about recovery/dinner.

[@LaszloBeres]

Wow one of the most interesting videos GCN have ever made. Thanks!

[@andrewdeck7945]

As someone entering the health and fitness field this video was really cool. Here is a top level professional nutritionist discussing general methodology of how he works with athletes. Thanks for the video. aweosme!

[@minimumwage2millionaire]

@@82vitt harsh.

[@mareklesniak8768]

I'm impressed with the level of detail he is going into. Very useful!

[@richardkremmen7811]

Great vid, thanks!

[@tubbytoast2]

Nigel is such a great guy to listen to no fluff or over technical ,

[@bteiv676]

Good one guys. Some very valuable info I hope to incorporate into my diet. My hat's off to you guys for always coming up with new pertinent topics. Thank you.

[@workingguy6666]

Still one of my most favorite GCN videos. Watching it again now.

[@yvesdebache2456]

Great video. As always Olie *thumbs up*

[@luludrinkwater]

Really informative! More content like this please!

[@oliw3664]

Love Nigel's inputs.

[@jemilh]

That’s great content ! More please ;) I like that it’s normal food they eat, just more of it. Makes it eays to apply too your own diet.

[@CarlForde]

fascinating interview, thanks

[@jimhansen5395]

Take Home Message: "Don't drink soft drinks because they are acidic/low PH, unless it's a really really hard mountain stage, then go for it, if it makes you happy!"

[@INeed8Quid]

Brilliant video.A massive thank you should go out to Nigel

[@owltune5496]

Great questions and what incredible insight on nutrition for riders. Excellent video. Thank you. 😎🚴🚴🚴

[@Tronickification]

Ollie is really starting to get comfortable as a presenter. Enjoyed this video a lot.

[@timmclaughlin1787]

Great interview and direct simple answers. Well Done!

[@lechprotean]

I was subscribed to GCN a long time now, but this is a real good quality content, with easy lessons about food we can all prepare, even when not on the Giro...

[@gcn]

Thanks so much for the long standing support 👍

[@janpaulwiewer7881]

fantastic video! keep it up guys

[@Shuttle89]

Informative - thanks!

[@Simte]

Asking the right questions right here!

[@liammcgough9969]

Yeah, that was great! Totally had my attention. Really packed with information that is practical easy to grasp. So much mystic is put around diet and performance. It's not enough to be slim, but, slim and healthy is so much better. No weird diets required, which is a relief. Thanks to Ollie and Nigel Mitchell, great interview and Nigel's insights.

[@paolobramucci3609]

Great video! I found very informative and learnt a few things that I had never giving any thought about before. Thank you, and keep up the good work, it is very much appreciated.

[@gcn]

Cheers for watching Paolo!

[@enotracoon9244]

Very interesting, thanks a lot !

[@julesandpatch]

Fantastic! Confirms a lot for us. More of this please. Thank you! 🚴‍♀️🚴💕

[@tombukowski3839]

The best GCN video ever made I love it. 🤙

[@jasonmcgrody9472]

Those station wagons (Estates) in the background are GORGEOUS!!!!

[@mrtcz]

Jason McGrody Škoda Superb

[@JediMasterHilljr]

Jason McGrody - They really are! I do miss the Cannondale green though

[@edsfishing3965]

What a fascinating bloke. Really enjoyed this one

[@gcn]

Cheers Ed, Nigel really knows his stuff!

[@hwangsunghyun9180]

THIS was the video I was looking for

[@manibelaproject2522]

Very informative and helpful

[@dirtylilfunker]

Great vid!

[@paulobrien4794]

I really love that permeable paving.

[@ooojamaflip]

A good curry always fast tracks a few kilos of faecal mass from the system.

[@albr4]

don't worry, coffee usually sorts that out for me.

[@tiborforro97]

You just gave a polcorrect definition for diarrhea

[@johna6327]

Amazing insights.

[@deweq6717]

I would like to become a rider. Ive gotten a lot of tips, BIG THANKS! Must been lucky, first video and so much info.. Great video!

[@Ahoey717]

Great vid

[@JackChickenwing]

Ollie asks really good questions!

[@cyclingnerddelux698]

Thanks for the useful tips.

[@gcn]

You're very welcome, glad you enjoyed it

[@omarachahbar9590]

Thanks you

[@carlodabandan3579]

sa loob ng 3 taon ko ng pagiimprove sa bike ngayon ko lang sinimulang kinonsider ang diet. thanks gents for the info!

[@iacoponesi7593]

Great insight in the realm of racing team nutrition! But what about dinner? I think it would be really interesting to see what they have on their plates for the last meal of the day. Cheers!

[@MrTeff999]

What about bananas! You didn't mentioned Bananas! How do you ride without bananas? Gotta have my bananas.

[@HooxNZ]

High in amines

[@gohsam515]

😂

[@dambuster6387]

Try GCN Rice Cake.

[@jonahconner1111]

at least they show bananas in 9:49

[@MrTeff999]

@@jonahconner1111 Whew! Thanks for pointing that out.

[@1988jein]

Good Information

[@oliverwarren1074]

One of the most interesting videos on the channel

[@gcn]

Glad you like it!

[@lloydhlavac6807]

Very interesting. Back when I started racing in 1980, on the bike race food for me consisted mainly of bananas and a plastic baggy of sliced apple pieces dipped in lemon juice (prevented oxidation/browning). I raced till 2008, so yes, I made it to the energy bar and carbo gel era.

[@Goggles1]

Apples are a great source of Malic acid. That could be why they were used so much. The following is taken from the livestrong site. An article about malic acid states this. Malic acid helps boost energy levels. It is an essential component in the Krebs cycle, a process that turns carbohydrates, proteins and fats into energy and water in your body. If there isn't an adequate supply of malic acid in the body, the Krebs cycle can't function properly, leading to fatigue. Eating foods or taking supplements containing malic acid might help your cells carry out the Krebs cycle normally and therefore support energy production.

[@goldfever4570]

Great interview. The team cars look awesome, better than the kit!

[@55Reever]

Very informative and practical application for a total amateur rider like me.

[@vincentcampagna3254]

The number of time we saw Nigel on interview for GCN, this guy must be consider as a GCN presenter...

[@smbm459]

Savage Poet bard seeming as we’re correcting peoples grammar... weigh it. And amount of time is perfectly acceptable. Amount isn’t directly linked to weight , it can be used to describe the extent of something. Also see phrases like ‘volume of time’.

[@UbzUnclemax]

@Savage Poet bard You are right that 'number of times' is correct in the sentence above, but it's not due to the reason you think. 'Amount' is used in reference to mass nouns (uncountable) and 'number' is used in reference to count nouns (countable). It does really have anything to do with 'weight'. Besides, the second-person singular form of the verb 'to weigh' in the indicative present simple is 'weigh', not 'weight'.

[@sudduthaaron]

20 years ago my mom would cook me scrambled eggs and oatmeal for breakfast before a soccer game or track meet. Moral of the story: eat a breakfast your Mom would make!

[@thefilmandmusic]

Fascinating ..

[@jodaefauser2911]

Great insight - Danke and regards from Germany 🇩🇪

[@gcn]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@stephenlewthwaite4084]

EF doing very well this season.

[@kamucho]

Ollie knocking out of the park again!!

[@heytreacle]

Why isn’t the bloody answer 1 large bar of chocolate, two glasses of red wine and a pork pie??

[@jaguarjack4366]

You Can't Reason with Madness R/wooosh

[@beeble2003]

Chocolate melts in your pocket and makes such a mess. And have you ever tried using a corkscrew while riding a bike? Nightmare!

[@jaguarjack4366]

beeble2003 R/woosh

[@indonesiaamerica7050]

You can eat the chocolate during the ride and the rest after. It's your problem if you gain too much weight.

[@FLMKane]

@@beeble2003 that's why you buy a Campagnolo corkscrew!

[@shadoguy1]

This man went from keeping it simple and water porridge to grams of carbs/hr/ in accordance to a riders stool cycle.

[@user-dd8cu7hd5m]

"A lot of teams now doing JUICING". Well, it's been known for years I guess.

[@Animal-752]

I hear its dope!

[@BenDoverII]

I’m more of a ‘Hot Sauce’ kind of guy!!!

[@Goggles1]

Juicing is great for detoxifying. That's what the body is doing every minute of every day. This supports the digestive system as your getting the concentrated nutrients in the form of juice, whilst saving energy because the body doesn't have to break down those foods to use them. I favour 'Vegetable & Fruit juice over 'Fruit & Vegetable' Juice. This is because fruits can be acidic. Kale and spinach contain high amounts of oxalic acid so we limit the use of these in our juices. Juice regularly and you will remain healthy with very little or zero sickness through the season!

[@andrewbarratt8551]

As always a great and informative video. Any chance of a recipe for the rice cakes?

[@eteran23]

There is one in Nigels book: Fueling the Cycling Revolution. Well worth the read not only for the recipes.

[@mtbrichard]

Google Allen Lim rice cakes. They are everywhere.

[@favorites673]

www.denverpost.com/2013/08/19/recipe-allen-lims-rice-cakes-savory-easy-on-an-athletes-stomach/

[@nightowl6393]

CLIF energy gel shots really help me during my rides. After workouts I eat white rice with seafood and vegetables it works for me.

[@graemecrichton5858]

Being 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 , and lived in Scotland all my life.... I have never had, or heard of porridge with whisky and cream. Some romantic made that one up!

[@Goggles1]

lol! He was throwing a bit of humour in there Graeme! He may as well of mentioned the ubiquitous deep fried mars bar lol!

[@magebrin]

Can we get the rice cake recipe?

[@rendezvous_with]

www.efprocycling.com/team-recipe-on-the-bike-rice-cakes/

[@stuartmcgill5065]

Thanks Ollie & Nigel! Superb content! A pragmatic/ holistic 'fuelling' approach which, without too much effort, any rider could adopt. My 'take-away?' Eat smart, Train smart, Perform better!

[@gcn]

Cheers Stuart, glad you found it useful.

[@Scoop940]

All very interesting, he was fascinating to listen to but we need a GCN does science.. does the type of beer you drink the night before affect your performance. Happy to volunteer to be part of the study.

[@massimoacerbis8138]

Actually my best race i got drunk the Night before

[@dangurtler7177]

@@massimoacerbis8138 I have always wondered if drinking the night before doesn't increase the glycogen stored in the liver (assuming you don't get dehydrated enough to have a hangover).

[@bradford_shaun_murray]

13:10 whisky

[@nickhumby7601]

Great video, very informative but you forgot to ask about pudding Oli!

[@princeedmunddukeofedinburg]

lol

[@cyclingnut2122]

You idiot were you not watching the video???? Check out the question at 12:41 and LISTEN to his answer

[@ugastronomie1237]

@@cyclingnut2122 why so angry lol

[@DrJRMCFC]

fascinating

[@ronbyers9912]

This was one of the better GCN videos. Nigel Mitchell was very, very instructive and is obviously very thoughtful. I bet the riders don't have a clue how much thought has gone into each day's nutrition.

[@beeble2003]

I think you do the riders a disservice. Sure, they probably don't know all the details, but they're not dumb. And, remeber, they have to feed themselves when they're not at races.

[@jeffroetzel9239]

I loved what he gave us but I suspect that was a 10,000 foot overview holding back their best tricks.

[@ronbyers9912]

@@beeble2003 Didn't say they were dumb, but the modern team is designed to allow riders to focus on winning races. In part that means they don't have to worry about somethings, like food, that they would have to think about if they were on their own.

[@drp1036]

RICE! I'm gonna start trying RICE! Thank you for the great video

[@garethhelliwell9736]

It's a real shame to see that beer plays no part in a pro cyclists diet. No wonder I'm slow 🤣🍻

[@m97120]

Couple years ago I was bike touring in Croatia. Then I met a guy from Slovenia who was also touring. We rode together for about 2 hours and went to have lunch. When we ordered he was like "yes, we're cyclists, we need beer and pasta" and ordered a mega glass (like a liter) of beer. And after the food he ordered another. When we continued riding I had to wait for him several times and eventually I just didn't see him anymore. Beer, as sad as it is, does not help with performance or recovery in any way.

[@gavcentral7943]

Max Kueng I agree with your response! Beer is amazing after a ride. Although it’s a depressant, so yes it’s not helpful with performance. I’ve rode after having beer, I became tired and dehydrated. Personally I prefer low carb/ high fat diet. I feel as Energy from fat is more substantial, over longer durations. So yes I’m a cyclist that doesn’t carb load, my performance is Optimal.

[@lefenec]

Because you didn't reach full potential yet

[@peterzakharov7178]

@@gavcentral7943 Agree. A small handful of macadamia nuts sustains more than anything.

[@wyomingadventures]

I watched a show about the tour de France and it had the old timers drinking beer. I can't remember why they were doing it. I know it wouldn't help me. Does anyone else know about this?

[@PC-Elect]

Great vid. What is the recipe for the rice cakes?

[@suminshizzles6951]

I posted this on a similar GCN clip so i copied and pasta. Since i collect musettes i will tell you what i found in mine over the years. The following was collected during the 2019 worlds in yorkshire: The Portuguese were not too keen on the days ration of quinta de coro carne de membrillo. It is actually quite nice but maybe had too much sugar for their liking. Carne de membrillo is a jam like substance made from quince. It has tones of honey and is very sweet. It, if cooked right, is orange color and has a spongy texture unlike jam. Very nice indeed. What the portuguese also left behind was cooked rice mixed with berries and berry juice. It was purple rice cake essentially. The portuguese also left the rice mixed with turkey. I loved it. They took most of the gels and bars. One thing i like to add about the portuguese was that they left me with two pina colada gels. A flavor not readily available here in the UK. They were really, really, really nice. Prozis was the brand name. Womens elite race The swiss (Steve Morabitu) took all the rice cakes and other wax paper wrapped stuff but left the gels and the bars (how do i know it was steve? The musette had his name on it). Mens elite race The germans left all the wax paper stuff and took the gels and bars. This was the mens under 23 race...kids...all they wanted was sugar. The norwegian Edvald boasson hagen liked his real food as well it seems - that bag thrown to me also has his name on it. EBH. He took all of the rice cakes and wax paper covered treats and left me with a few gels and bars. Mens elite race What i found on the side of road after i left the feedzone to collect stuff: Brioche buns with various fillings such as nutella and banana slices, ham and cheese, various flavored rice cakes - turkey with pea's and it seems vegetable stock - quite nice as it is a bit salty and is real food, berry flavored rice cakes, coco powdered rice cakes - not nice at all, kinda bitter and was like eating a tea spoon of coco powder. Raisin topped brioche buns - supermarket brand wrapped in plastic individually. Jam roll - supermarket brand wrapped in metallic waxpaper like foil. The bottles contained either a very diluted electrolyte solution, watered down tea - i think it was green tea or water. The spanish had the best tasting one. The french left behind the most nastiest tasting gel i have ever tasted. No wonder it was left behind. It had a twist top and was yellow. I tasted it and only forced it down since it was free and i had to do quite a bit of miles to get to the next days feedstation where i camped. What i liked most was the turkey and pea rice cake, the berry rice cake, the ham and cheese brioche as well as the nutella and banana slices.

[@Freakysantana]

based on the L Mortan's GBDURO its Irnbru and Dime bars!

[@timetrialist]

I would hire this guy

[@AussieInJapan]

Great video & information from Nigel. Can you guys do the rice cake recipe in a video as I keep hearing about this stuff but never seen or eaten it. A lot of the bars have too many calories.

[@erikwolfe3187]

Skratch Labs (Allen Lim, who Nigel mentioned a few times) have an excellent cook book with tons of really good recipes for rice cakes etc..

[@AussieInJapan]

chemboy0103 good work.

[@alwynmcmath]

Very nice video. Surprisingly open and honest with good advice. I used to just eat loads! 🤦🏼‍♂️ One question - if the pH of our stomach is about 2.0, why is drinking coke at pH 2.5 a problem?

[@nickjames6070]

I was thinking similar thoughts. What I came up with is most of the food and drink they put in their body isnt going to be that acidic so the stomach acid will be diluted but not so much with the coke. I've herd a shot of apple cider vinegar isn't bad for you but that's pretty acidic too. So I think the volume of the acidic substance plays the largest role when it comes to cokes. Just some thoughts of my own.

[@Kim_Miller]

I can imagine the rider's conversations after juicing: Mine is a handful of kale, blueberries, raw cacao, half a banana, a cup of beetroot, five walnut halves. What's yours? The NutriBullet has a lot to answer for. :)

[@JuneBuggJr]

That uncomfortable gut feeling he mentioned happened to me yesterday. I did my turbo trainer for 1 hr 30mins and at first I was drinking water every 15 mins and felt I was drinking too much and got lower belly pain, but when I drank water every 25 mins/30 mins I felt great. I am on the heavy side with a belly.

[@JuneBuggJr]

I have that Cyclops Super Magneto turbo trainer. Good for me now. After loose more weight and see if I continue to be serious with it then I will get the more expensive smart turbo trainers that cost 1,000

[@JuneBuggJr]

@@kaa13 oh okay. I had it on lightest resistance so can keep going for a long time. Some days I do the hard intervals, but just happen to be doing that when had lower belly pain.

[@Marcus538]

Fascinating all that fuss for rice

[@mehmd1913]

Actually, pretty informative.

[@DMalek]

Someone clearly needs to make a Lager tasting sports drink for those long and warm summer rides!

[@hansschotterradler3772]

Very informative video; however, I would highly recommend an enema 1 hour before each stage to reduce the retention of fecal mass.

[@pphedup]

Dehydrating. .?

[@mikekeysaer923]

Great video! If you haven't seen it, check out Eat, Race, Win on Amazon Prime.

[@Skywalkaaa]

Rice cakes are without a doubt the best food during a long road race.

[@dambuster6387]

Eat to much for breakfast and I feel bloated and uncomfortable riding the bike

[@zln25]

I'm gonna need the recipe for those rice cakes.

[@jeronimosuarez7957]

Food? Straightforward. Dope, not so simple...Before, during or after the stage? 😂😂😂

[@dambuster6387]

For My breakfast I have a mix of Quiona and porridge with honey and fruit mashed banana and ground up 4 seed mix then two egg omalett and a smoothie which is full of carbs this really does give me a tremendous boost with two bananas added. But I have to watch I don't over do it will make me feel bloated.