"He normally gets three hundred grams of pasta, he still asks for a second plate" - INEOS Grenadiers chef on Filippo Ganna's eating habits

In modern cycling, the diets and general eating habits of riders are under more scrutiny than ever before. Extra work for INEOS Grenadiers chef, James Forsyth.

"When I joined the team, there was no question of weighing food at all. As a rider you just had to sit down at the buffet and make your plan," Forsyth recently detailed in conversation with Geraint Thomas on the Welshman's podcast. "But it is only in the last three years that we have started to look at it dish by dish and dose by dose. We are now much more concerned with nutrition on an individual basis."

One rider in particular stands out to Forsyth for his eating habits, Filippo Ganna. "He usually has a nutrition plan, but when it's an important day and he normally gets three hundred grams of pasta, he still asks for a second plate," the chef laughs. "If he sees a jar of chocolate spread on the table, he can't restrain himself and sometimes it only takes him two or three days to go through a full jar. He especially likes the Italian chocolate spread 'Nocciolata', because it is healthier and better than Nutella."

"Yes, when you are that big and burn so many calories, you need a lot to keep the engine running," Thomas adds with a smile.