Originally Posted by
Rowan
The fat burning thing with ordinary riders is OK, but if you look at the physique of the typical Grand Tour hill-climber in particular, they carry very little fat if any to have available during their hard efforts in the mountains. For the sprinters, it is different because they cruise for much of the day, and only sprint for less than 5 minutes in total.
I also have to say that early season long moderate rides for a pro rider would be much like a moderate couple-of-hours spin for the average guy... not much energy intake needed. For the pros, it comes down to what I consider to be a much better metabolic efficiency.
There have been several articles over the past few years on the food and the volumes of it that a GT rider will eat each and every day. For ordinary people, it is enough to literally make them sick.
It's a bit amazing how little effort riders in the peloton have to expend when they're not climbing. They are frequently in zone 1. I think they do burn fat when going easy.
Dr. Jeukendrup has power data on a world class cyclist riding in the peleton during a stage of the Tour de France for six hours at an average speed of 40 km/hour. Because of the effect of drafting in the large group his average power output was 98 watts.
Chapple makes a good case for increasing total wattage through increasing fat burning in
Base Building for Cyclists.