Fast Food--Spuds Fuel Tour de France Cyclists

Along with carb-laden bars , fortified drinks, bite-sized French sandwiches with meat, cheese and butter, racers on the move in stages of the Tour munch on potatoes, sometimes baked, sometimes boiled.  This year the Tour began in an obscure peninsula in the Vendee region, Ile Noirmoutier,   known for its special "new" potatoes, the Bonnottes. Cultivation of this variety dates back to the 1920's and was always done by hand. In recent years production of La Bonnotte has been revitalized, especially as Bonnotte pairs beautifully with the local oysters. It is entirely possible, therefore, that yesterday's racers were mindlessly stuffing themselves with carbs from rarified potatoes prized by gourmandes.

Athletes who need 6000-7000 calories per day  eat cooked potatoes the way more sedentary types eat apples. At the feeding stages, team helpers hand long bags of supplies to their racers, trying to connect as cyclists flash by at 30-50  miles per hour. You can see the cyclists stashing supplies in their kangaroo pouches, tossing wrappers and bottles to the winds as they scarf or slurp something down. Fast food for the athletes, slow cleanup, for someone.

Comments

[Cynthia]

I hope they're saving the rare potatoes for a more appreciative audience.

I do think it's interesting that they picked potatoes. I love potatoes, and they are certainly a fine source of carbohydrate, but they are also the source of substantial amounts of bulk, and it seems like an inefficient way of fueling up while riding. Isn't there something else, such as coconut, that would supply a high level of nutrients and calories with less bulk? Or is it just because the French, after an uncertain start, are so in love with their pommes de terre? Just curious.

[Foodie]

Potatoes are easy to eat, though, Cynthia--coconut takes a load of chewing, no?
As for bulk, well today Lance pulled off the road to deal with his inner bulk, evidently, and the entire peleton slowed down to a Tour-level crawl. Honor among cyclists!

[Cynthia]

Just saw Lance Armstrong on TV a few days ago. He said that he needs to consume 6,000 calories a day and maintain his weight. No flab on that boy! (And that's a lot of potatoes!)