Van Aert struggled with his meal after brutal Giro stage: “Eating is important, but it should still be enjoyable”

“It was a tough day, I burned 7,300 calories,” Van Aert said after stage 16. “Just shy of a personal best,” he added with a smile the next day. “On the Mont Ventoux stage in the 2021 Tour, I burned 7,500 calories,” referring to his legendary solo win in the Tour de France.

With over 7,000 calories burned, dinner was no small task either. “I could barely finish it. After the stage, we had a sweet recovery meal, kind of like a pudding, and something I’m not a huge fan of. In the evening it was mostly rice with a bit of steak.”

Luckily, the Belgian doesn’t usually have issues eating enough. “I’ve never really struggled with food. I don’t mind eating a lot. But it is important not to let it become a chore. Fortunately, our chefs mix it up and keep meals enjoyable. If you can’t finish your food, there’s no point forcing it, especially if it keeps you from sleeping properly.”

“We knew it was going to be a hard stage, so I ate a lot beforehand,” continued the Visma | Lease a Bike rider. “Luckily, we have smart people on our team who calculate everything and put together a menu that’s as easy to digest as possible,” Van Aert said, referring to the team’s nutrition experts.

One of those “smart people” is Stephanie Scheirlynck, who works with Lidl-Trek. “In modern cycling, we track everything closely. We make predictions about what a rider will need, although you can still be caught off guard,” Scheirlynck explained.

“All the top teams manage to monitor nutrition correctly. For some riders, it gives peace of mind to have everything calculated for them,” Scheirlynck added. “They don’t overthink it and fully trust us. But some of the more experienced riders still go by feel.”

And the favorite dessert among the Lidl-Trek riders? That would be tiramisu. “After every stage win, tiramisu has been the dessert. With six stage wins so far, it’s been served quite a few times already,” Scheirlynck said with a smile. “There’s some leeway in the calorie count. The most important thing is that it stays enjoyable.”