Even all that food may still not be enough for the riders, Lim said, because their bodies still break down muscle during the Tour. The workouts are so intense, he said, that they can easily end up looking skeletal.
To keep the riders at an optimal weight, Lim weighs them before and after each stage. For him, feeding the riders is a science. He has calculated exactly how many calories and grams of protein each rider needs each day and at each meal.
Over all, though, he said riders are often free to eat what they want, particularly with Fowler in the team kitchen. With at least one exception.
“They would love to finish a day in the Tour and have a nice ice cold beer, and that’s something we’ve never offered to them,” Lim said. “But I’m sure by the end of this thing that might be something all the guys would really enjoy.”
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