"In extreme cold, riders no longer have any fat" - Sep Vanmarcke theorises strictly regulated diets could be risking riders health in cold weather

At the recent La Fleche Wallonne, it was perhaps Mother Nature who landed the decisive blow to most of the peloton, with pre-race favourite Mattias Skjelmose worryingly forced to abandon the race shaking uncontrollably with hypothermia symptoms.

Pictures such as those of Skjelmose being literally carried out of the race led many to ask what more can be done to keep the riders safe in such extreme conditions. For ex-pro Sep Vanmarcke, a root cause of the problem may actually be the stricter and more regulated diets riders have been given to increase performance over recent years.

“It is the trend of recent years. Thanks to science and better nutrition, they know exactly what is needed and what is not needed. If there are no competitions, less nutrition is consumed. Everything is calculated perfectly, which reduces fat mass even more. In extreme cold, riders no longer have any surplus, which also has an impact in the event of falls,” Vanmarcke explains on the 'Wuyts & Vlaeminck' podcast for HLN.

“Every rider is guided. But that limit is blurring, you may wonder whether the performance limit is also the health limit. Everything is focused on performance. If you can cycle a little faster by losing weight, then try that," Vanmarcke continues. “But there is no anorexia in the peloton, riders still eat what the body needs.”

Whilst Belgian cycling expert, Michel Wuyts doesn't have the same rider viewpoint as Vanmarcke, he does too share the concerns. “I think people are walking on the edge and the margins are extremely small," he worries. "Dietitians are extremely important in cycling. There is much better guidance than before. Then a lot of riders were too thin. When they fell, they immediately broke something.”