BILZEN (Belgium) – We feature Gorka Prieto before he leaves Belgium to reach Romandie. The nutritionist of the UAE Team Emirates moves with ease between Spanish and Italian, with the necessary forays into English. The team is a true multinational and The nutritional plans of all athletes pass through his hands, including the development of supplement products based on their needs. The words of Pino Toni The possibility of Van der Poel staying on the attack for dozens of kilometers thanks to the right amount of carbohydrates has piqued curiosity. Since Pogačar is also known for attacking from afar (the upcoming Liège will prove it), we thought it would be interesting to discuss this with those in charge of his nutrition and the entire team.
How much has the way of eating during competition changed in recent years?
What's changed is that now we eat more. And more generally, everything is more precise: breakfast, the race, the post-race. Everything is weighed and measured to avoid mistakes at any stage, including recovery.. Furthermore, while a few years ago the products were those on the market, today we collaborate with those who produce them. We have energy and the products we use we developed together. At the end of the year, we talk to the riders, then we get what I want as the team nutritionist and we have a meeting. And with our instructions, they can produce what we need. Some things then go into production, others remain reserved for us, but after a while they end up on the market anyway.
During races now is it more the liquid component or the solid one?
I can't give a 100 percent answer because it depends on the race, the rider, and also the temperature. When it's hot, they drink more fluids, but on a cold day like the Fleche Wallonne, maybe they take a water bottle throughout the race Because they can't drink from the cold. What changes is the amount of carbohydrates, but it's difficult to say whether they come more from solid or liquid foods because there are variables to consider.
So, the famous 120 gram carbohydrate threshold is reached each time with different compositions?
With solids, liquids, and whatever else we have available. You can make a water bottle with Enervit's Isocarbo, which contains 60 grams of carbohydrates, plus two pieces—a bar or gel—that each contain 30 grams, for a total of 120.
Does each race have its own nutrition plan?
Yes, each rider has their own plan based on the type of stage and the role they will have in the race. I tell him how much he should eat every hour.Those who have to work up to 50 kilometers from the finish eat more before someone else in the group and perhaps will eat more later because they will need to produce more watts to sprint. Each one has its own role and its own metabolismRunners' plans for the same race are more or less similar, but they vary based on their weight. The team and I recorded everything. For example, we know how much porridge each person eats for breakfast because we evaluated weight variations during training camps and established the right amounts. We do everything on one app, where each rider has his own nutritional planWe calculate their basal metabolism, estimate how much they will spend while running, and establish a plan.
Given the same weather conditions, are the great classics similar in terms of nutrition?
Yes, in the end what changes is how long the race lasts. What matters is that in the end they manage to eat more or less the same amount every hour.Maybe it changes what they eat for breakfast or before starting, it might change their recovery, but if one race lasts an hour and a half longer than another, they'll eat more during the race.
Is a race like Liège divided into sectors as far as your management is concerned?
The sports director places the points where the staff are and at that point I evaluate the temperature, the route and what the rider wants. Then I organize the refueling points, meaning this person gives carbohydrates, another gives water, another gives electrolytes. It's no coincidence that there are always two of us at various points, because if a rider can't catch me, he knows he'll have another with the same equipment. And if the captain doesn't catch him and the domestique does, he'll have to hand him over. Like when the captain gets a flat tire and the domestique gives him the wheel and then waits for someone to bring him a good one.
One of the most frequent scenes is the rider who receives the water bottle with the taped gel and throws it away every time: why?
In the end we always put something more. Better this way than to give less and find out that the rider is hungry.If you already have one in your pocket or feel you don't need it, then throw it away. At races, there's one person every 10-15 kilometers, and very often they give you a gel with the water bottle. Instead, for example, the other day At the Flèche Wallonne it was difficult to open the gel and eat solid food, so we made water bottles with more carbohydratesAt least if someone takes a bottle with more “carbs” and manages to drink it, we can be sure that he is not completely empty.
Under normal conditions, do they know by themselves when and what to eat?
We talk to them a bit, but it's something they have to figure out on their own. I don't have to tell them when to eat, because I don't know how the race is going. So the target of eating every hour is set and it's up to the riders, who are professionals, to understand when and where to do it. Every 15 minutes they swallow something and have to remember it, even if they're not hungry. If someone forgets, they end up with a hunger crisis, but in this modern cycling, as they call it, that almost never happens anymore. If someone arrives empty, it means they haven't eaten in the last hour..
You mentioned solid foods, are they bars or something else?
The team chef prepares rice cake, or we talk about a sandwich with jam or Nutella. For the rest, 80-90 percent eat bars, gels, jelly and even sweetsWe have everything. There are even new products we have because we asked for them.
Do you really have everything?
We have several bars. One with sodiumHave you noticed how all the riders turn white with salt when it's hot? It happens because they lose sodium, so they have to replace it. POI three bars made just for usBrownie, no flavor, and peanut butter. We have the gel, also in different flavors. A gel with sodium, exclusive to us, as well as the one with caffeine. Then we have an electrolyte supplement, including sodium, developed at our request. And other products like Cherry, that red drink they drink after the finish.
So sodium isn't just added to water bottles?
It's always in the water bottles, but a lot of it gets lost. That's why they made a bar that's a little salty, the peanut butter one, peanut butter, which is really good.
Are these things requested by riders?
No, I asked for them, because I saw that after a while many people had cramps or turned white from the amount of sodium they lost.And in that case, performance also drops a bit, so all the products we're developing have a strong scientific basis. Even the recovery they make for us is based on the indications we gave them and contains carbohydrates and proteins.
But usually, post-race recovery isn't just dust or anything else. In short, after the Flèche Wallonne, Formolo ate gnocchi...
In fact, that's usually what the chef takes care of. Ten years ago they ate rice and potatoes, now everyone has a tray with something that suits their taste., otherwise they get bored of always eating the same thing. In fact In today's cycling, we eat a lot: before, during and after the raceThey're all skinny, but they eat the right amount. Maybe they used to eat less, I don't know, but now they eat because they need it to sustain certain performances, and they eat everything and in the right amounts.
Where do you keep all this goodness?
It's all on the truck. It's important to have everything with us, because weather conditions in racing can change quickly and you need to have everything you need.
