Tour de France is not only a race of steel legs, but also a place for finishers to "eat to survive, survive to win". On a sunny day in the North of France, Ben Healy made a miracle in the 6th stage of this year's tournament with a machine that operated with the most accurate speed.
Healy crossed the finish line. This is the best day of his life. His personal caregiver, Soso Roullois, has witnessed dozens of days like this during his 18 years working with the EF Education-Easypost team. Joy is always the same, but the process is not.
When Healy stopped and collapsed to record the winter, the first thing Roullois did was to put a cold towel around his neck. The second thing, just a few seconds later, was to bring a box of cherry juice. The EF team calls it a priority intervention. This special cherry contains a large amount of antioxidants, helping to eliminate unwanted chemical byproducts after a day of exercise.
The role of nutrition
On the team's bus, there was a competition outside the main race. Each of the eight trackers owns a Tamagotchi - a pet-style mini PC game. These pets need to be fed, drinking and cleaned regularly. The winner - whoouts the longest pet - will be chosen for dinner for the whole team in Paris (France). The 8 races are also taken care of like no other. Tour de France is not only a cycling race but also a test of endurance. Not feeding Tamagotchi? It died. Not getting enough energy? You too.
After Richard Carapaz withdrew, EF shifted from conquering high mountains to hunting for victory. Tactical decisions directly affect fuel receipt. In the 6th stage, they put their hopes on Healy - the 24-year-old Irish racer who finished 3rd in Liege-Bastogne-Liege, Alex Baudin of France and Neilson Powless of America. They ate more calories at dinner the day before.
We plan almost every millimet what the racer will do, Anna Carceller, the teams Spanish nutritionist, said. We study the race, the role of each racer, the water points and predict the level of effort.
Many factors are of interest, but the most important is breakfast. Everything was carefully calculated, with Healy eating 1,103 calories, including 225g/carb, 24g/protein, and 14g/fat. The "special order" dish includes rice congee, white rice balls, bananas, eggs and maple syrup. No excess, no shortage.
Why? Long stage 6, steep hills, hot climate and high competition - 3 factors that can overwhelm any racer if their digestive system is not accompanying them. We plan every millimeter. There is no space for randomness, Anna said, as her eyes are not off the screen, it displays electrolytes, sodium, and sweat composition.
Powless and Health - Time -trial to increase speed, both use Hydro Mauuren Bicarb gel - containing bicarbonate sodium - help reduce the effects of lactic acid, making your legs less painful. This gel when entering the stomach will freeze, helping to enter the intestine faster, where it will dissolve and absorb easily. The effect lasts all day. However, the product is only used limited to the tour because it can cause water retention, causing the racer to gain weight in front of an important mountain. EF uses it shows that they are "playing all hands".
Hot races, body must cool
Temperature in Normandy is up to 27°C. For ordinary people, it's cool, but for Tour de France runners, it's a pan of fire on two wheels. Each racer reacts differently to heat. Some people need to drink 50% more than others, due to different sweat levels. Before that, some applied the "monetized" plan to supplement sodium.
We are not only measuring the speed of sweat, but also the composition of sweat, Carceller said, Since November, we have been studying runners at all levels of heat that they will encounter on the Tour, so now we know what to do. The ingredients are unchanged, but we will freeze the gel - turning it into slushy, adds Dr. David Hulse. When entering the stomach, it absorbs heat and helps cool the core of the body. Otherwise, you can't survive the last third of the way.
EF even bought a cup of slushy from TikTok shop. If the cup has been frozen in advance, it will immediately turn the pineapple juice into gravel with just one rotation.
Support tactics
On the journey of the race, feed zones are an important part - to provide bidons (water depots) and musettes (geal and food bags) for the runners. Soso leads, holding water for energy drinks, while Hulse has water for filming behind, in that order the racer knows who is holding what. When Hulse jumped up to celebrate after the successful handshake, people understood how important that was.
The real challenge is eating during the race, when the body is at its peak, the speed can reach 60km/h and crow between 176 other runners. We have two types of AMACX gel, with different flavors, Carceller said, Then two types of energy bars, each with two flavors. Add Rice Krispies and 2 homemade products from soigneurs. In total, there are about 9-10 options".
On the bus at Vire- Normandie, when the runners had not yet arrived, an Oreo- flavored Rice Krispies were presented. The most popular is Biscoff. Cold, thick and flavorful chocolate cake. Healy alone, in phase 6, consumed 6,300 calories, consumed an average of 116g of carbs per hour, which is more than 1kg of carbs per day - nearly 5 times the recommended for normal people.
Separate, accelerate and... survive
With 100km left, Healy entered the group with the biggest names: Mathieu van der Poel, Simon Yates, Quinn Simmons. Healy knew he couldn't wait until the water receded. Van der Poel is too strong. He decided to attack when he was 42km away, choose the right steep, technical route, and start from behind the group. This is the most important kilometre of your life, said sporting director Tom Southam from the support car. Go, thats it!
Measurement data shows: In the first attack, Healy reached 8.98 watt/kg in 41 seconds, at a speed of 61.6 km/h. In his first 3km solo effort, he maintained 5.85 watt/kg - after racing 160km. On the bus, the soigneurs stopped to cut the watermelon, staring at the screen. The gnocchi pot is being cooked on the stove - a dish after the stew - and is temporarily forgotten. Because Healy spent too much effort to break the group, the team was still worried.
During the course, Healy consumed 7 chewing energy bars, 3 gel packages and 4 and a half bottles of energy drink. Thanks to that, he maintained 5.6 watt/kg throughout the 1 hour attack.
Achievements of the whole team
2 minutes and 44 seconds is the distance between Healy and the nearest finisher when Heady finishes. He looked up to the sky, calmed down for a few seconds, then laughed. This is something I have worked for my whole life, Healy said. Not only this year, but the whole process. Every hour, every working hour of so many people".
Returning to the cool bus, Healy's teammates downloaded data from the bicycle watch and recorded the amount of food consumed. This determines the dinner portion sizes. After cherry juice is recovery milk - about 20 - 30 minutes after reaching the finish line is the "golden time" for the body to turn sugar into glycogen. Then there is gnocchi - while Healy is on the podium, he takes the opportunity to eat green eggs and rice.
That dinner brought a festive atmosphere - including hummus, sweet potatoes, pasta with homemade sauce. BBQ grilled chicken breast is the main dish. The runners also eat dessert - banana cakes and mixed fruits. Each runner has a glass of champagne - a reward for victory. Healy lifted the trophy and thanked each member of the team.
Tour de France is not only the fastest cycling. It is a competition for perseverance, tactics, nutrition, mentality and... digestion. Healy's victory proves that, to win a Tour, not only a strong pair of legs is needed but an entire ecosystem is needed.
