Pro Cycling Nutrition - What Do Riders Eat In A Race?

What's actually in those bags at the feed zone?

The musette is a cloth bag handed out in the middle of a stage which essentially serves as a rider's lunch - it contains all the nutrition that these athletes need to complete a hard day in the saddle. These are typically made up of 2 bottles filled with water or an electrolyte mix, energy bars and gels, plus homemade portables that the soigneurs prepare. The rice cake is a popular choice - many teams pride themselves on their own specific recipes. Paninis, sweet cakes, bananas and small 'mixer size' cans of cola all feature in Matt and Simon's cross section of pro team feed bags.

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Leave us a comment below!

[SashaTromsa]

I was honestly expecting the giant-alpecin musette to have at least one shampoo bottle.

[tranquil]

I like the Cannondale choices the most!

[xboxgolfdude]

I'm not surprised the musettes are so full but what confuses me is when they eat all this stuff. Immediately after passing through the feed zone you see they eat a bar or a gel usually but after that I rarely see riders eat, I guess it just happens off camera

Also I love how the guys don't bother to mention brands until SIS gels come about :P

[durianriders]

CARBS ALL DAY ALL NIGHT!

Great vid guys! I will share this with all the buffoons on the forums that still think one can perform during ketosis.

[AllAboutMarkus]

wow the video quality is amazing! well done chaps

[swites]

Those rice cakes look delicious. Never had them but they look perfect for racing.

[scottthomson]

That lotto jumbo soungneir was stuck in the feed zone too long

[MauricioAlsinaLee]

I missed this a lot! Thank you, guys.

[larsvanveen]

I like the food video's so much. Please make more of this kind?

[koDiacc]

the moment you are a pro rider going to the feed zone and seeing some 2 stupid guys from youtube pointing to "later-added-thumbnails" in the air LOL! @4:30

[BGUK]

If only that banana came in its own packaging!

[RixterNow]

Coke is obviously the cola of choice for a pro rider.

[wesw]

Interesting video! Also interested in whether the Pro cyclists supplement additional vitamins, minerals, ... on top of their (quality) diet and recovery shakes?

[karst]

Can you guys do some behind the scenes videos of the production of your videos? I'd honestly love to see you just mess around with each other.

[canadianguy]

matt stevens: "cheeky little can of coke...they wont mind if i take this...or these gels...or this bar....or this rice cake"

[martywild]

Forgive me for what might be a stupid question, but is racing unofficially neutralised during the feeds? Or do the main contenders keep up the pace and expect the domestique to shuttle some goodies to them?

[Dave-lfkv]

"cheeky little can of coke" that is so funny to say :D

[Theparadoxd]

Couple of questions, those rice cakes what are they? Are they just squished down white rice with nothing added or do they have added things to them?

[jonthedoors]

Was hoping to see an OGE musette full of pies

[wallacepei]

Racers who finish top 10 of a race, normally finish everything in their musette? In the heat of attacks, how does one swallow at the top of their zones? Is there an art to opening the home made rice cake packages of the reynolds wrap? requires for me to take both my hands off the bar which by then I'm sitting up and dragging air.