SPOKES MAN

Life on the road according to professional cyclist Tejay van Garderen

Fitness: “Cyclists in general are fairly unfit. We’re really only good at one thing. We’re lethargic but put us on a bike and we can go fast. We have good hearts and lungs, but we’re always hunched over.”

Sleep: “Some days are better than others but residual fatigue accumulates. One day of under-fuelling or a night’s poor sleep can affect not just the next day, but can have lingering effects throughout a race.”

Food: “In the morning, an omelette and porridge. During a race, gels. After, it’s rice and a protein recovery shake. Dinner is pasta, protein, salad. On an average day we burn 3,000-5,000 calories.”