How much do World Tour riders eat? "Until I'm about to burst, I swear" new Visma signing laughs
Cycling
Nutrition is one of cycling's most important factors and weight management is absolutely key for riders at the top level. Whilst it seems counter-intuitive, new Team Visma | Lease a Bike rider Filippo Fiorelli says that he is eating more than ever, but is no longer experiencing issues maintaining his best form.
The Italian is one of Visma's nine signings this winter. The Dutch team didn't sign any huge reputable name, but has put a lot of emphasis in riders who haven't raced at the highest level previously. Part of the plan is to unlock potential in riders that otherwise wouldn't be expected to win at the highest level. One of them is Fiorelli, making his World Tour debut at age 31.
A few food pictures on Instagram triggered an interesting topic. “I posted those photos precisely because I was impressed by the food. The food at Visma is extraordinary," Fiorelli said in words to Bici.Pro. “You know that weight has often been an issue. I never thought about quitting for that reason, but I couldn't get to the bottom of it. It wore me down".
"Not because I couldn't eat what I wanted or dessert, but because of the quantities. If I ate too much, my weight went up. Here, on the other hand, they make me eat a lot. At training camp, I thought more than once that I wouldn't be able to finish my meal because I thought it was too much.”
Eating until you can't anymore
The former Bardiani rider finds in Visma a completely different environment, but one that he is enjoying thus far. It is known that in training camps, riders not only train their form but also their gut, and use these weeks away from home to adapt to new preparation methods. In this case, nutrition, which came as a bit of a shock to the Italian.
“Until I'm about to burst, I swear. It's absurd. To give you an idea, when I was doing four hours, I ate up to 500 grams of cooked rice in the morning, which is 250 grams of uncooked rice, made into porridge. I was bursting. Even on rest days, there's always food to eat. And I asked: how is this possible?”
Tadej Pogacar famously said that he often takes up to 45 minutes to have breakfast, and the large amounts of food seem to be part of the modernized way of feeding riders in ways to allow for higher power outputs. But none of this is being done by chance, and Fiorelli is following a set program for him.
“I ate what was written in the app, and the fact is that I'm still the same. I haven't gained weight. In the past few months, if I ate an extra leaf of lettuce, I gained weight. Here, however, they explained to me that I have to adapt my body and get used to eating," he explains. “But if they tell you to do it, there's a reason".
Out of all changes, this is the biggest one for Fiorelli when comparing his time at Visma with Bardiani. "Eating is the main difference, and I really wasn't expecting it. Everything is portioned out. We have the FoodCoach app, which tells you what you need to eat. You arrive at the buffet, and there are three scales. You weigh this and weigh that, go to your table, and start eating. And it feels like Christmas dinner.”
Fiorelli at the 2025 Giro d'Abruzzo
Read also
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
claps 3visitors 3
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- When Thomas gets the bullet from INEOS he can get a job as a comedian.
Senna196013-11-2026 - Right on. The more the merrier.Occam13-11-2026
- Remember, Del Toro struggled in this Tour. He is great, no doubt about that, but comparing him to a four time gt winner is absurd at this point. He has the potential. We'll have to see how he develops.awp13-11-2026
- what did Jonas gift and to whom? just curious, haven’t heard about this.mij13-11-2026
- You don't gift grand tours as it has come to light that Jonas has come to regret doing such.
Front24213-11-2026 - Exactly you said it urslf - he outclimbed del toro by 19 sec. 19SEC and you say hes alot better than del toro still lol? And can also do the same where del toro did that to jonas even and del toro dauphine numbers better than jonas all year so why this hard whats the issue its super easy stuff - del toro wasnt that before. Then factor in both their trajectory the last years and the answer is self explonatory like i said. Nothing against jonas like many do but the typing is no the wall and so stupidly easy as its so self explanatory now. Have a good daymiguel13-11-2026
- Dirty ex doperFront24213-11-2026
- As far as points go they need to take a page or ten out of the Astana playbook!Lozza13-11-2026
- Ah, seems he’s been busy elsewhere! 😆Lozza13-11-2026
- Where is he when you need him!? Wake up man! You’re missing an opportunity!Lozza13-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment