The Tour of Italy, also known as the Giro d’Italia, is one of the most prestigious stage races in professional cycling. Covering over 3,400 kilometers (2,113 miles) over the course of three weeks, the Giro is well known for its grueling mountain stages and challenging racing conditions. For the professional cyclists competing in the Giro, completing the three-week race requires immense physical exertion and an incredible calorie burn.
Daily Calorie Expenditure
Professional cyclists burn an enormous number of calories every day during Grand Tour races like the Giro d’Italia. According to physiologists, during a three-week Grand Tour a rider will burn between 6,000 to 8,000 calories per day during stages. This immense calorie expenditure is fueled by the long daily distances covered in the Giro, which average over 200 kilometers (124 miles) per stage. The hilly and mountainous terrain of the Giro also increases calorie burn as riders have to push hard to ascend massive climbs like the Mortirolo or Stelvio passes.
To fuel these efforts, it’s estimated pro cyclists need to consume between 7,000 to 9,000 calories per day merely to maintain body weight throughout a Grand Tour like the Giro d’Italia. Consuming enough calories is crucial for replenishing glycogen stores, maintaining strength and energy, and avoiding excessive weight loss.
Calories Burned Per Stage
The calorie expenditure for a pro cyclist during a Grand Tour stage will vary depending on the length and difficulty of the stage. However, here are some rough estimates:
– Flat stage (100-180 km): 3,000 to 5,000 calories burned
– Hilly stage (150-220 km): 5,000 to 7,000 calories
– Mountain stage (150-220 km with major climbs): 6,000 to 8,500 calories
– Time trial stage (30-60 km): 2,000 to 3,500 calories
So for a typical 21-stage Giro, a rider can expect to burn between 60,000 to 170,000 calories from racing alone. This does not even include calories burned during training rides and other off-the-bike workouts.
Factors That Increase Calorie Burn
There are several factors that influence the calorie expenditure for pro cyclists:
– Stage distance – Longer stages mean more time in the saddle.
– Elevation gain – Major climbs substantially increase calorie burn.
– Stage pacing – Harder, higher intensity stages burn more calories.
– Rider weight – Heavier riders burn more calories at a given power output.
– Weather – Cold, wet, windy days increase calorie needs.
– Position in peloton – Expending energy at the front uses more calories.
– Racing aggressiveness – Frequent accelerations and attacks are energetically costly.
Additionally, the cumulative fatigue that builds up over three weeks of racing will increase daily calorie needs due to decreased efficiency.
Calories Burned By Climbing
One of the biggest calorie burn factors at the Giro d’Italia is climbing. When fighting gravity up steep pitches like the Zoncolan or Gavia, pro cyclists can burn calories at astonishing rates. Here are some estimates on calories burned per hour of climbing:
– 5% gradient at 300 watts: ~700 calories
– 7% gradient at 325 watts: ~850 calories
– 9% gradient at 350 watts: ~1,000 calories
– 11% gradient at 375 watts: ~1,150 calories
– 13% gradient at 400 watts: ~1,300 calories
– 15% gradient at 425 watts: ~1,500 calories
As these estimates show, on super steep climbs like the Mortirolo or Angliru which often exceed 12% gradient, pro cyclists can burn well over 1,000 calories per hour. A single major 30-45 minute climb can necessitate consuming 800-1200 extra calories to compensate for the huge energy expenditure.
Calories Burned By Race Leaders
The overall race leader in the Giro d’Italia tends to face even higher calorie demands than other riders. This is because the race leader bears the physical burden of controlling the race, defending attacks, and responding to other contenders. Additionally, the pink jersey often has extra media duties and obligations after each stage.
For a race leader, the added physical and mental toll can increase daily calorie needs by 500-1000 calories. Over the whole Giro, defending the pink jersey for all 21 stages may necessitate an extra 10,000 to 20,000 calories burned compared to other riders.
Estimated Calorie Burn for Full Giro
Given the various factors and estimates listed above, here is an overall look at the total calories a pro cyclist may burn over the course of the entire Giro d’Italia:
– Total race distance: ~3,500 km
– Average calories burned per kilometer: ~15 (factors in both flat and climbing terrain)
– Calories burned racing: 3,500 x 15 = 52,500
– Daily calories burned off the bike: ~2,000 (easy rides, massage, media duties, etc.)
– 21 days x 2,000 calories = 42,000
– Total Giro calorie expenditure: ~95,000 calories
However, this number could range from 80,000 to 120,000 calories depending on the rider’s size, team role, and exact power outputs. Completing a Grand Tour truly requires prodigious calorie consumption for three straight weeks.
Meeting Caloric Needs During Giro
For pro cyclists to meet the immense caloric demands of a Grand Tour like the Giro d’Italia, they utilize these key nutrition strategies:
– Consuming carbohydrate-rich foods and drinks during each stage – gels, bars, carbohydrate drinks, rice cakes, bananas, etc.
– High-carb recovery meals or drinks immediately after each stage
– Massive dinner meals with plenty of carbs and protein
– Snacks and smaller meals throughout the day
– Limited junk food or empty calories
– Taking advantage of rest days to super compensate calories/glycogen
Team chefs also prepare the huge quantities of food needed to keep riders fueled day after day. Meeting caloric needs requires diligent meal planning and eating constantly throughout the day, even when exhausted after a stage. Recovery nutrition is also emphasized, as refueling well after each stage helps a rider maintain power day after day.
Fueling Methods During Hard Stages
On the most demanding mountain stages, extra in-race fueling strategies are utilized:
– Consuming up to 90 grams of carbs per hour to provide energy and spare glycogen. Combination of sports drinks, gels and solid foods.
– Front-loading calories by eating more in early part of long climb.
– High fluid intake to deliver fuel and prevent dehydration.
– Caffeine gels/drinks for central nervous system stimulation.
– Electrolyte tablets or powders in bottles to replace mineral losses.
On a huge climbing day, a rider may consume over 1,000 calories during the stage itself. Refueling after these marathon efforts is also critical. This maximizes recovery for the next day and completion of the entire three-week Grand Tour.
Weight Loss During Giro
Despite the massive calorie intake, completing the Giro d’Italia still necessitates tapping into body fat stores and results in weight loss:
– High daily calorie output combined with physical stress of racing makes maintaining caloric balance difficult.
– Typical weight loss is 1-3 kg, however can be as high as 5 kg in some riders.
– Majority of weight loss comes from loss of body fat stores.
– Some muscle loss and power declines also occur by third week.
– Core strength exercises help maintain muscle mass during long stage races.
The weight loss accumulated during three hard weeks of racing requires substantial recovery nutrition in the days and weeks after the Giro ends.
Calorie Differences Between Riders
While all the pro cyclists in the Giro d’Italia are burning enormous calories daily, there can be major differences between individual riders:
– Lighter riders (under 150 lbs/68 kg) will burn fewer calories at a given power output vs. heavier riders. Smaller riders may expend 80,000 calories in a Grand Tour, while larger riders (over 170 lbs/77 kg) may exceed 100,000 calories.
– Riders with a higher percentage of slow twitch endurance muscle fibers are more efficient and burn fewer calories at sub-maximal intensities.
– Domestiques and support riders burn fewer calories as they do less time at max effort compared to team leaders and contenders.
– Older riders tend to be slightly less efficient than younger competitors.
– The more time spent at the front dictating pace, the higher the calorie expenditure.
So while all the competitors are burning huge calories, the exact totals will vary considerably based on multiple individual factors.
Calorie Comparison to Other Sports
The calorie expenditure demanded by Grand Tour cycling is unmatched by most other sports. For comparison:
– Tour de France: ~110,000 calories burned for the typical rider
– Ironman Triathlon: ~15,000 calories for entire race day
– Marathon: ~2,600 calories to complete 26.2 miles
– Soccer match: ~1,500 calories burned
– NBA basketball game: ~1,000 calories burned
The extreme endurance and average 5-6 hours of daily exercise makes Grand Tours like the Giro the pinnacle of calorie burn in athletics. Even other ultra-endurance events like multi-day running races cannot match the sustained high-intensity effort of a three-week pro cycling race like the Giro.
Conclusion
In summary, completing the Giro d’Italia requires pro cyclists to become calorie-burning machines. Riders expend phenomenal amounts of energy meeting the demands of high daily mileage, tough terrain, and three weeks of hard racing. Top pros burn anywhere from 80,000 to over 100,000 calories over the course of the Giro, necessitating a massive daily calorie intake. Meticulous nutrition and recovery strategies are essential just for a rider to maintain body weight throughout the 21-day race. The incredible calorie expenditure of the Giro underlines how Grand Tour cycling represents the apex of athletic endurance, power, and stamina.
