Cycling

Fuelling the Lloyds Tour of Britain: 3 Lessons from the Pro Peloton

Cycling / Intermediate

After the Women's Tour a few weeks ago, the men are now taking on the Lloyds Tour of Britain: five days of racing from Lincoln to Earlston, over rolling Wolds, Dales climbs and coastal headwinds.

At OTE Sports, we're proud to be fuelling both the Handsling Alba Development Road Team and Team Storck – MRW BAU. Whether it's the Scottish-based Alba squad nurturing the next generation of women's talent, or the German-based Storck – MRW BAU men's team, home to UK sprinter Matthew Walls, the same science sits behind every rider's race plan this week. Here's how it works, and how you can steal it for your own riding.

HOW MANY CALORIES DO CYCLISTS BURN IN THE LLOYDS TOUR OF BRITAIN?

Over five stages and roughly 880km, riders are burning through 3,000-6,000+ calories on the toughest days. The Helmsley to Leyburn stage, cutting from the North York Moors into the Dales, is the standout "queen stage" where the GC is expected to be decided.

Consecutive days of racing without full recovery is exactly where amateur riders, and even inexperienced pros, come unstuck. Miss your fuelling window on day one, and you're playing catch-up for the rest of the week. This is why our first big learning applies just as much to a club rider tackling a sportive as it does to a rider chasing the leader's jersey into Earlston.

Here's how a rider's intake shifts based on the terrain:

Metric	Rolling / Sprint Stage	Climbing Stage
Stage Duration	3–4 Hours	4–5 Hours
Total Calories Expended	3,000 – 4,000 kcal	5,000 – 6,000+ kcal
Carb Intake Target	80g+ per hour	Up to 120g per hour
Estimated Work (kJ)	1,800 – 2,600 kJ	3,200 – 4,200+ kJ

HOW DOES THE RIDER FUEL EACH STAGE?

07:30 – The Breakfast Foundation

The morning starts high-carb and low-fibre: white rice, pasta or porridge with an omelette for lean protein and fruit juice for a fast glucose top-up. With five stages back-to-back, there's no room to start a day already running a glycogen deficit.

On the Bike: The 90–120g Rule

Riders target 90-120g of carbohydrates per hour on the road, taking on a mix of "real food" and technical fuel from the very start of the stage rather than waiting until they feel it's needed:

Super Gels – used for rapid hits before a climb and throughout the stage. 40g of carbs in one gel.

Super Carbs – on the tougher stages, chewing solid food becomes difficult. This is where a high-carb drink mix comes in, delivering 80g of carbohydrate in a single 500ml bottle through a dual-pathway blend of maltodextrin and fructose, absorbed via two separate intestinal transporters.

Energy Chews – a structured part of the fuelling plan, sustaining power output and cognitive sharpness deep into the stage. 23g of carbs per chew.

Post-Stage – The 30-Minute Window

The moment a rider crosses the line, refuelling starts.

Cherry Juice to help with recovery and muscle repair.

A protein Recovery Drink with a 3:1 or 4:1 carb-to-protein ratio jumpstarts glycogen resynthesis, followed by a plate of white rice or pasta with lean chicken or fish to replenish the day's expenditure.

Evening – Repair and Prepare

Dinner is about muscle repair and topping up glycogen stores for the next stage: lean protein for amino acids, plus a final hit of slow-release carbs like rice or potatoes, so riders wake up with a full tank for the road ahead.

3 LESSONS YOU CAN TAKE FOR YOUR OWN RIDES

You don't need a start number at Lincoln or Cockermouth to benefit from this. The principles of Tour of Britain nutrition apply just as well to a long training ride, a sportive, or a multi-day charity tour. Fuel like Alba and Storck – MRW Bau by following three rules:

Fuel earlier, fuel more: For long rides, aim for at least 60g of carbs per hour. Don't wait until you're hungry, plan your fuelling using gels, chews, drinks and bars, and always take extras.
Train Your Gut: Just like your legs, your stomach needs training. Practise your fuelling strategy in training so you can tolerate high-carb intakes on the day it matters.
The 30-Minute Window: Never finish a hard ride without a protein recovery drink, paired with cherry juice for its antioxidant support. It's the difference between feeling fresh the next morning and suffering from heavy legs.

FUEL LIKE A PRO WITH OTE

The science fuelling our riders on the roads of Lincoln, the Yorkshire Dales and the Scottish Borders is the same science built into every OTE Sports product. Grand Tour or home Tour, performance is impossible without a meticulous approach to fuelling and recovery, and your own riding is no different.

Ready to fuel your own Tour of Britain? Explore our Super Carbs Drink, Super Gels and Recovery Drink, he exact fuelling system behind our Alba and Storck – MRW Bau riders all season long.