Team Sky’s approach to nutrition + video

Team Sky have released a video with their nutrition partner CNP explaining the importance of nutrition to their success.

“When you consider the challenge of trying to win the Tour de France... you need a talented athlete, for sure, but nutrition is absolutely paramount,” says team principal Dave Brailsford.

“Managing the energy levels of the riders during a three week stage race is a challenge in itself, but then you have the recovery aspect so it’s not just nutrition as fuel, it’s nutrition to recover, it’s hydration... Nutrition for us is a greater percentage of our performance than in any other sport.”

Of course, Team Sky are hardly going to say nutrition is unimportant in a video put together with CNP, who are their official supplier of sports performance and hydration drinks but, on the other hand, they wouldn’t spend as much time and effort as they do getting it right if nutrition wasn’t vital.

“A lot of the things that we have now available to us have come from the riders – the riders tastes, the riders likes,” says Bradley Wiggins. “That’s really good as an athlete because we’re out there for seven or eight hours some days. It’s very important that what you are consuming on the bike you like.”

Dave Brailsford and Sky rider Geraint Thomas also speak about the importance of knowing that are products used by the team are uncontaminated, riders being responsible for everything in their system.