Rider’s view: Tom Yiangou

Ambitious young racer Tom Yiangou, 20, stopped eating animal products three years ago. CW spoke to him to find out why

What level do you ride at?

I'm going into my third year as an under-23, and was racing with Neon Velo until the end of last year [when the road team disbanded]. I’m currently at university, so aiming to get a pro contract for 2019.

Why did you go vegan?

For environmental rather than nutritional reasons. I'm studying climate change, and learning that if everyone followed a plant-based diet we’d be able to feed hundreds of millions more people was enough to convince me.

Was it challenging?

At first, yes, as I’d grown up going to training camps and paying attention to what professional cyclists were eating — loads of eggs and dairy. It was a gradual transition. First I cut out cow’s milk, then realised there were loads of vegan products available. In fact, I’ve just got back from a threehour ride and am sitting in a vegan cafe, Ancestors Coffee, in Norwich — finding vegan food is easy!

How do you get enough protein?

Just plenty of high-quality sources such as quinoa and red kidney beans, as well as supplements from Myprotein. I’ll have some protein before bed, and make sure I’m getting between 50 and 60 grams in total each day; slightly more if I’ve done a really tough session.

How has it affected your riding?

I've seen a massive performance gain since going vegan: my power keeps going up year by year and I haven't seen any negative effects.

What have you learnt?

At first I was restricting calories, trying to get super-lean and that didn’t work at all. I soon learnt that on a plant-based diet you don’t need to worry about calories. My FTP has increased from 330W while trying to lose weight to 370W now, at 71kg — a massive increase mainly through just not giving a toss about weight loss and enjoying food.

Tips for other riders considering going vegan?

Do some research — look online; get some protein supplements with branched-chain amino acids to have before bed on harder training days. Once you’ve done that, it’s a win-win situation.