BILZEN (Belgium) – We meet Gorka Prieto before he leaves Belgium to reach Romandy. The UAE Team Emirates nutritionist moves easily between Spanish and Italian, with the necessary episodes in English. The team is a truly multinational and the nutritional plans of all athletes pass through his hands, including the development of supplement products based on their needs. Pino Toni’s words on the possibility for Van der Poel to stay on the attack for tens of kilometers thanks to the right amount of carbohydrates sparked curiosity. Given that Pogacar also usually attacks from afar (the upcoming Liège will demonstrate this), it seemed interesting to us to take stock with those who take care of the nutrition of him and the entire team.
How much has the way of eating during competitions changed in recent years?
What has changed is that we eat more now. And more generally, everything is more precise. Breakfast, the race, after the race. Everything is weighed and measured so as not to make mistakes in any phase, 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 Enervit and we developed the products we use together. At the end of the year, we talk to the runners, then we take what I want as the team’s nutritionist and we have a meeting. And with our guidance, 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 racing now is it more the liquid component or the solid?
I can’t answer 100 percent because it depends on the race, the runner and also the temperature. When it’s hot they take more fluids, but on a cold day like the Freccia Vallone, 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 is difficult to say whether they come more from solid or liquid foods because there are variables to consider.
So do they reach the famous threshold of 120 grams of carbohydrates every time with different compositions?
With solids, liquids and everything we have available. You can make a water bottle with Isocarbo from Enervit, which contains 60 grams of “carbo”, plus two pieces – bar or gel – which have 30 each, and six at 120.
Does each race have its own meal plan?
Yes, each runner has his own plan based on the type of stage and the role he will have in the race. I tell him the amount he should eat every hour. Those who have to work up to 50 kilometers from the finish line eat more before someone else in a group and perhaps will eat more later because they will need to produce more watts to sprint. Each has its role and its metabolism. More or less the plans of the runners in the same race are similar, they change based on the weight. We recorded everything with the team. For example, for breakfast we know how much porridge each person eats, because in training camps we evaluated weight changes and established the right quantities. We do everything on an app, where each runner has their own nutrition plan. A calculation of the basal metabolism is made, the amount that they will spend during the race is estimated and the plan is established.
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 leaving, it can change their recovery, but if a race lasts an hour and a half longer than another, they will eat more during the race.
Is a match like Liege divided into sectors also with regards to your management?
The sports director places the points where the staff people are and at that point I evaluate the temperature, the route and what the runner wants. Then I organize the replenishment points, meaning this person gives carbohydrates, the other gives water, yet another gives electrolytes. It’s no coincidence that at various points there are always two of us, because if a runner can’t take from me, he knows that later he has another with the same equipment. And if the captain doesn’t take it and the wingman does, he’ll have to give it up. Like when the captain gets a flat tire and the wingman gives him the wheel and then waits for them to bring him a good one.
One of the most frequent scenes is the runner who receives the bottle with the taped gel and throws it away every time: why?
In the end we always put something more. Better that than to give less and find that the runner is hungry. If he already has one in his pocket or feels he doesn’t need it, then he throws it away. At the races there is one person every 10-15 kilometers and very often they give a gel with the water bottle. Instead, for example the other day at Freccia Vallone it was difficult to open the gel and eat solid foods, so we made water bottles with more carbohydrates. At least if one takes a water bottle with more “carbo” and manages to drink it, we are certain that it is not completely empty.
Under normal conditions, do they know for themselves when and what to eat?
We talk to them a little, but it’s something they have to figure out on their own. I don’t have to tell him when to eat, because I don’t know how the race goes. So the target of eating every hour is defined and it is up to the runners, 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 are not hungry. If someone forgets this, they end up in a hunger crisis, but in this modern cycling, as they call it, it almost doesn’t happen 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 the rice cake, or we are talking about a sandwich with jam or Nutella. For the rest, 80-90 percent eat bars, gels, jelly and even sweets. We have everything. They are also new products that we have because we asked for them.
Do you really have everything?
We have several bars. One with sodium: have you noticed that when it’s hot all the runners turn white with salt? It happens because they lose sodium, so you have to put it back into your body. Then three bars made just for us: brownie, 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 take after arrival.
So sodium isn’t just supplemented with water bottles?
It’s always there in the water bottles, but a lot of it is 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 runners?
No, I asked them, because I saw that many people had cramps after a while or turned white from the amount of sodium they lost. And in that case the performance also drops a bit, so all the products we are developing have a considerable scientific basis. The recovery they make for us also comes from the indications we gave them and contains carbohydrates and proteins.
But usually the recovery after running isn’t just dust or anything else. In short, after the Freccia Vallone, Formolo ate gnocchi…
In fact, that’s usually what the chef thinks about. Ten years ago they ate rice and potatoes, now everyone has a bowl of something that suits their tasteotherwise they’ll get bored of eating the same thing over and over again. In fact in cycling today we eat a lot: before, during and after the race. They are all skinny, but they eat the right amount. Maybe before they ate less, I don’t know, now they eat because they need it to support certain performances and they eat everything and in the right quantities.
Where do you keep all this goodness?
It’s all on the truck. It’s important to have everything with usbecause racing weather conditions can change quickly and you need to have everything you need.
