How many hamburgers should you eat to win the Tour de France?

The 17^e 2021 Tour de France stage It seems like an impossible challenge. from 70^e The kilometer begins as a slow ascent to Bagnères-de-Luchon, before a series of three passes at more than 1,500 metres, with barely one or two kilometers of flat between each ascent, ending at the end of 16 kilometers by 8.7% miles. And no time to rest: the next day, the Col du Tourmalet and the 2.115m wait for the runners at 94^e kilometer.

With these 21 stages and 23 days of racing, the Tour de France is definitely not a fun piece. And in order not to get stuck in the middle of the climb, it is better to take Solid breakfast. For more than 20 years, John Eric Joffe, a researcher in exercise physiology at the University of Lynchburg in the United States Go through each stage of the tour with a fine-tooth comb. Through relief analysis and Speed Runners, he managed to predict the arrival time with diabolical accuracy. But above all, he was entertaining himself with an account number of calories A runner spent during the entire 2020 race.

The power of the microwave in your legs

« The average cyclist produces about 250 to 300 watt Dr’energy in 20 minutes The researcher explains. Tour professionals can use up to 400 watts, or even 1,000 watts while climbing very steep. ” It’s about the power of the microwave ‘, compares John Eric Goff on the site Conversation. But unfortunately all that energy wasn’t used to move the bike forward, because resistance From’air and wheel friction. With these “losses” in mind, the average cyclist should produce a voltage of 325 watts continuously over an 80-hour race (remember that the average cyclist produces no more than 300 watts in 20 minutes).

220 Big Mac or 431 Beans or Chocolate

Starting with an average muscle efficiency of 20% (i.e. the amount of food energy converted into energy physique), John Eric Goff was able to calculate how much food a rider had to eat to win (or at least finish!) the Tour de France. Verdict: 120.649 calories, or about 5,745 calories per step. This corresponds to a total of about 220 Big Macs at 550 calories, or 431 pain chocolate at 280 calories. ” For some stages, like 17^e From the 2021 trajectory, energy expenditure could rise to 8000 caloriesThe researcher adds. During the three weeks of the race, the runner will burn about 40 kilograms of fat. »

Energy bars and fruit jelly

The problem is that the runners are pretty weak, so you don’t have to be fat with extra pounds. 2020 Slovenian Tour winner Tadej Pogačar, Weighs only 66 kg. Julian Alaphilippe a pet french poster for him 62 kilo Naked on his scale. Therefore, fat reserves are almost non-existent.

In order to compensate for the huge energy losses And despite a solid breakfast taken before departure (often consisting of rice and omelette, Potatos or pork), so runners must constantly eat calories. Of course, they’re not going to stuff themselves with Big Macs or pain chocolate. Rather, their energy intake consists of fast sugars, such as energy bars,” gels » Sweet or fruit jelly. ” It is recommended to eat every 20-30 minutes “,” explains to Goal Laurie-Anne Marquet, Team Cofidis Dietitian. ” You can also change your carb intake hour by hour, depending on the format of the race In the round, the slightest failure can be fatal.