Tadej Pogacar's diet at the Giro d'Italia in detail: 'Oatmeal, rice, jams, juices, waffles...'
Cycling
We know that in 2024 nutrition is key to the performance of an elite athlete and in a sport where physique is absolutely everything like cycling, nutrition is especially essential. Thus, Tadej Pogacar's performance in the current Giro d'Italia and in his career in general is partly due to his attention to every detail in this regard.
Spanish news outlet AS have interviewed Gorka Prieto, the nutritionist of UAE Team Emirates, who explained how a rider prepares nutritionally before facing a big stage race:
"It is focused, above all, on carbohydrate intake. What is done a month before is to plan all the menus together with the cooks and every day they are adjusted based on the energy expenditure of the rider, although, for example, for breakfast each cyclist has a menu already established".
The Basque specialist gives examples of the type of food that cyclists eat to be prepared for the beating they take during the stages, placing special importance on the fact that the diet should be varied: "Oatmeal, rice, homemade bread that the cooks make, especially simple sugars such as jams, syrups, fruit juice, we have pancakes, we make waffles... They have a varied diet and plenty to choose from".
Another important point is the recovery after the stage. Obviously, mid-stage feeding is absolutely key, but the focus of Prieto's words were on the pre and post-ride during the big races: "We have a recovery protocol, in the sense of carbohydrate, protein and fat intakes per rider. It varies based on the estimation we have made before, then they have small snacks after the stage to recover the glycogen they have lost and then what is adjusted for them is dinner."
"If you eat hamburger or pizza, our own cook makes them and we control the quantities," he concluded. Certainly, this Sunday night there will be a lot of pizza all around the UAE Team Emirates camp as they - if nothing goes wrong - will be celebrating the victory at the Giro d'Italia.
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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.
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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.
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- I think Tadej will be working on his new C7 TT position for the Tour de France :-)frieders304-11-2026
- Every great cyclist has at least two Giro/Tour doubles, and in modern cycling or what we call modern cycling, Miguel Indurain is the only guy to do it twice. I think Tadej should go for it and commit if he is putting up good numbers somewhere around January/February.awp04-11-2026
- the 6th TDF is a more record breaking opportunity than a 2nd Giro. Jonas can double up. For Remco its TDF. For Sexias it will be a good opportunity but as usual TDF will be his main goal For del Toro, yes good opportunityabstractengineer04-11-2026
- Well, this is something which isn't all that common
Rafionain-Glas03-11-2026 - He lives in MonacoRafionain-Glas03-11-2026
- It's also highly significant for Lorenzo Finn as he won there last year. Also Mateo Ramírez and Henrique Bravo if they goRafionain-Glas03-11-2026
- This is a phenomenal course design. I do wish that they'd stretch these tours for the women to at least 2 weeks.RidesHills03-11-2026
- This is an amazing route, honestly. Let's hope that it attracts riders to make it a compelling and competitive race. Side bar amusement: going to Slovenia and passing pretty close to Pogačar's house. I wonder if they were tempting him to get all 3 jerseys at once after winning the Tour and Vuelta. After all, only a very few have ever had all three at the same time (Froome being the last).RidesHills03-11-2026
- He was a child two years agoRafionain-Glas03-11-2026
- A great route aswell. Col d'Arpy is a toughieRafionain-Glas03-11-2026
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💙 3 riders can reach Rome with the Maglia Azzurra. The scenarios⤵️ 🇸🇮 @TamauPogi : Needs 6 points 🇩🇪 Georg Steinhauser : Needs all 83 points today, and Tadej can't take more than 5 points 🇮🇹 Giulio Pellizzari : Needs all 83 points today, with Tadej taking 0 #GirodItalia
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