Throughout the 2025 Tour de France, we'll be answering some of the most common questions that we get asked each year about the race. Not the big overarching questions, such as 'who's going to win the race this year?', but the fascinating minutiae like 'how many calories do riders consume each day?' and 'why are cyclists shaped the way they are?'
Next up, we reveal how it's possible that riders can put on weight during the race.
You might wonder how cyclists who ride for 21 days around a lap of France at warp speed can finish heavier than when they started – but for some, that’s the case.
“It’s easily done,” says Will Girling, former EF Education team nutritionist. “Sometimes their appetite can go through the roof, and if they’re not doing calorie controls and being directed how much to have [they can add weight].”
Riders being dragged along in the middle of the peloton on easier days aren’t doing much work, so it’s easy to overconsume, and the same is true on rest days and time trial stages, where the effort is short.
Then there’s inflammation, from the strain the body is put under during the race, and water retention.
“A rider we had would, like clockwork, immediately gain 1.5kg, hold it through the race and lose it 24 hours after getting home,” says Girling. “It can be sodium-related.
“If you have a low sodium loss rate [through sweat], then when you consume all the products with sodium in, you’ll retain water. I’ve seen riders gain up to two kilos through a race.”
Fakeaway food
One thing is for sure in 2025 – they’re not going to add weight by eating badly.
As more money has come into cycling and nutritional know-how has become ingrained within teams, riders have been treated to a better standard of food at the Tour de France.
Nutritionists such as Girling, and top chefs such as Hannah Grant, have become full-time employees – Girling worked 100 days on the road with his old team in 2024.
This means the days of white pasta and boiled chicken are over, with high-quality meals cooked every night. Some of the less healthy stuff – such as pizzas and burgers – is still on the menu, albeit with a healthy spin.
“We’d do pizzas, less loaded with cheese, and burgers with lean mince,” says Girling. “For the day, there’d be blondies made with sweet potato. The riders aren’t denied anything.”
