This article was first published in Rouleur Issue 140
Professional cyclists live in a parallel universe. Meals are portioned to the gram, chefs and nutritionists decide every bite, and recovery drinks are given the moment riders finish training. When your livelihood depends on shaving fractions of a watt per kilogram, skipping dessert is not a matter of willpower, but part of the job.
The trap for the rest of us is believing that the same rules apply. They do not. We have careers that must last for decades, not peak at the age of 30. We have mortgages, families and social lives that cannot be put on hold for training camps. The rigid routines that just about hold together in the WorldTour often collapse under the weight of real life.
I see this in talented amateurs who run out of energy midway through a ride, often because they skip breakfast or jump on the bike straight from work without a snack. Convinced they are copying their heroes’ meticulous routines, they fall into the trap of following professional rules without living professional realities.
As a professional rider for 13 years, nutrition was central to my job. I worked alongside world-leading performance scientists and dietitians, learnt from them directly, and saw how their research shaped practice in the peloton. My coaching psychology insights now supercharge the way to transmit this expertise effectively – nutrition is an integral part of the human performance ecosystem.
One of the most influential ideas to emerge in recent years is ‘Fuel for the Work Required’. The term was first coined in 2016 by Professor James P. Morton, then Head of Nutrition for Team Sky, together with sports scientist Samuel G. Impey. Their paper, Fuel for the Work Required: A practical approach to amalgamating train-low paradigms for endurance athletes, set out the principle of adjusting fuel to the demands of the session. It transformed how we as professionals thought about nutrition. No longer was it a one-size-fits-all model. Instead, fuelling became dynamic, flexible and closely aligned with the purpose of each day’s training. For riders at the highest level, this was nothing short of revolutionary.
For everyday cyclists, the same principle applies, but it must be adapted to the context of real lives, rather than professional sport.
Fuel for the work required
At its heart, fuelling is about matching what you eat to what you ask of yourself. Some days that means supporting heavy physical work on the bike. Other days it means bringing energy and focus to your job, or the patience to help your children with homework after a long commute. All of it places demands on the same body.
The details of macros: protein, fats and carbohydrates matter, but not in a perfect ratio or strict plan. What matters is the bigger picture: eating in a way that supports health, recovery, provides stable energy, and leaves you able to enjoy both your sport and your life.
The old advice to eat the rainbow is more than a slogan. A variety of plant foods helps your body’s immune system, recovery, and even mood. But this does not mean counting vegetables or obsessing over numbers. It means looking for variety when it fits naturally, and not letting food become another source of pressure.
And perhaps most importantly: food is social. Sharing pizza with friends or enjoying a glass of wine occasionally with friends is not a failure. It is part of living fully. The benefit of joining in outweighs the nutritional compromise.
Flexibility, not perfection, is what sustains long-term performance.
On-bike fuelling
Sports nutrition research gives us clear principles. The longer and harder you ride, the more fuel you need. For short spins, your regular meals and some water may be enough. As the hours build, extra carbohydrate makes a difference – sports drink, a banana or something from your back pocket. For really long days, variety helps, and hydration always matters.
Data certainly helps, using power meters or apps to link energy output to fuelling needs for greater precision. Others prefer to listen to their body. Both approaches work, as long as you remember this: your needs are unique. What fuels a professional in a race, or even your strongest training partner on a group ride, is not necessarily right for you.
When to look deeper
Like anything you want to improve, progress comes faster with guidance. A qualified sports dietitian can look at your individual ecosystem, your physiology, your lifestyle, your training, and help guide your fuelling journey in a way generic advice never can. Context is king.
Some riders also find it useful to track food for a short period. Food coaching apps have increased in efficiency and usability, hence can serve as an excellent learning tool. Simply understanding what balanced fuelling looks like, and how different foods affect your energy, can provide lasting insight. The aim is not permanent measurement but education, followed by trust in what you have learnt.
Perspective and performance
Here is the truth professionals rarely admit. Many found their strictest regimes miserable and unsustainable. I have shared conversations with riders who said their racing-weight diets left them depleted and unhappy. The tide is changing – hallelujah! Now strategic fuel means higher performance. The ones still thriving on the bike decades later are those who learnt to fuel well, to balance, and to integrate cycling into a full life.
That is the perspective worth holding onto. Professionals have teams of scientists, unlimited time, and their income on the line. You have different success metrics: consistency rather than perfection, longevity rather than peak numbers, enjoyment rather than sacrifice.
Celebrate the fireworks of the Tour de France, and set your own ambitious goals, but measure yourself differently. The real victory is still riding fast and joyfully 20 years from now.
The art of cycling is not only about fuelling watts. It is also about fuelling a wonderful life.
