There have been a lot of reasons posited for why pro bike racers are getting faster including fancier bikes, aero clothing, altitude camps and heat training but an area that has really become one of deep focus is nutrition. In 2024 we saw the appearance of books and videos that encourage good eating habits both for performance and enjoyment.
One trend taken on by almost every World Tour team has been the inclusion of chefs and nutritionists. In 2010, Hannah Grant, a young Danish chef, was brought on by the Saxo Bank team to improve the diets of the riders and was with the team for five seasons. She has written a number of cookbooks and we were very impressed by the “New Grand Tour Cookbook”, a follow-on to 2013’s “Grand Tour Cookbook.” This is a beautiful publication that is enjoyable to leaf through and offers a lot of simple but attractive recipes for the home cook/cyclist.
- Read the full PEZ “The New Grand Tour Cookbook” review HERE.
Alan Murchison is “The Cycling Chef,” who has worked in Michelin-starred restaurants as well as being a keen amateur athlete, with impressive accomplishments in duathlon as well as cycling time trials. His third book came out this year and again features inventive recipes as well as superb book design. A pleasure to own and an excuse to really dial in your food preparation for specific training and racing periods.
- Read the full PEZ “The Cycling Chef On The Go” review HERE.
Of course, getting the real story from the front line of the World Tour is always worthwhile and this short video produced by Precision Fuel and Hydration, features interviews with the nutritionists from Lotto Dstny at their training camp:
- See the full PEZ “Chowing Down With The Pros” article HERE.
But maybe the very best video series of the year was that which was produced by the Giro d’Italia. It featured a young Italian chef who, in 21 “stages” covered all the different days of the 2024 Giro focused on the regional specialties of each area it would pass through. A lot of what he was making probably would not constitute an ideal diet for a racing cyclist but do we care? It’s Italian! And wonderful!
- See the full PEZ “Giro d’EATalia” article HERE.
# Stay PEZ for more great book and video review from Leslie Reissner in 2025. #
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