What does it take to fuel Team Sky to Grand Tour success? It’s always hard to argue with a track record of success, and in the case of Team Sky, that record is especially formidable and difficult to argue with. Not only has Team Principle Sir Dave Brailsford’s squad already achieved its initial aim of a British Tour de France winner three times over since its formation in 2010, but it has also emerged triumphant in a wide range of other top-line cycling competitions. Team Sky riders both past and present, such as Chris Froome and Geraint Thomas have already become household names, and in 2016, we here at Science in Sport (SiS) became the team’s official sports nutrition supplier. All of the right ingredients for victory As Sir Dave Brailsford has previously explained, Team Sky chose to link up with SiS for various reasons: “The philosophy behind Team Sky is marginal gains, this is something we have deeply in common with Science in Sport, they are committed to making sports nutrition more effective and more convenient. Trust is also vital in elite sport and with SiS we have that. We trust the SiS manufacturing process and truly believe it’s second to none.” Unsurprisingly, then, Team Sky’s riders use a wide range of SiS products to help them achieve their stellar results, including our GO Isotonic Energy Gels, GO Electrolyte, GO Energy Bars and REGO Rapid Recovery shake. But have you ever wondered what other fuel Team Sky riders might need to edge past the rest in an immensely prestigious Grand Tour like the Tour de France? Well, wonder no more, as we have put together an infographic detailing precisely what it is that fuels this already-legendary cycling team to triumph after triumph. The right nutrition is all-important Any elite athlete is acutely aware of the integral role of the right nutrition for powering themselves ahead of the pack – it was the principle on which SiS was founded back in 1992. But even so, many would struggle to be as well-prepared for Grand Tour victory as Team Sky’s incredible riders. In the infographic below, we have detailed everything that leading riders need to fuel themselves with at every stage of a Grand Tour, from the pre-race breakfast and the flat stage, right through to the mountainous stage and time trial – as well as, of course, the post-race recovery. It’s all enough to make you think twice about the notion that you could win the Tour de France with anything less than the very best sports nutrition products on the market – and you would be hard-pressed to find any products in which a wide range of elite sportspeople have greater trust than those of SiS. 24 medal-winning athletes or teams at the 2012 London Olympics used our products, while we are also the official sports nutrition supplier to Team Wiggins, the developmental cycling team founded by Sir Bradley himself. Whatever you do, don’t trust any company other than SiS to provide you with the truly world-leading sports nutrition products needed for elite sporting success. Written By Ben Samuels Ben is a Performance Nutritionist at Science in Sport
