Weekly Briefing - New Science on Functional Foods, Pro-Level Strength, and Lessons from the Tour's Final Week

As the 2025 Tour de France reached its crescendo in the Alps, the peloton offered a masterclass in pushing the limits of human endurance. We witnessed the brutal, attritional warfare on the slopes of the Col de la Loze, where Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard traded blows after three weeks of relentless racing.We saw the tactical brilliance and raw power of solo stage victories from riders like Ben O'Connor and Thymen Arensman, who found another gear when others had none left to give.These are the moments that define a Grand Tour.  

But beyond the spectacle of the race itself lies a more profound question: how is this possible? What allows these athletes to not just survive, but to attack with ferocity deep into the third week? The answer isn't just about grit; it's about science. The performances we see on screen are the final expression of a meticulous, evidence-based strategy happening behind the scenes. This is the engine room of elite performance, powered by cutting-edge research into nutrition, recovery, and strength.

This week, we go deep into that engine room. We'll unpack the latest peer-reviewed science on "functional foods"—compounds that do more than just fuel the body—and explore a new, comprehensive framework for recovery. We'll look at how WorldTour pros actually use strength training and reveal a new on-bike alternative. And, of course, we'll break down the tech that gives the peloton its edge. The gap between the science available to the pros and the knowledge accessible to dedicated amateurs is shrinking, and this report is your guide to closing it completely.

The Performance Plate: New Science on Fueling, Recovery, and Functional Foods

The evolution of sports nutrition has moved far beyond simply counting calories and carbs. The latest research reveals a more sophisticated approach, focusing on specific bioactive compounds that actively enhance physiological systems and a holistic framework for managing the cumulative stress of training. It represents a paradigm shift from reactive fueling—simply replacing what's lost—to proactive performance enhancement, tuning the body's systems for greater efficiency and resilience.

Beyond Gels: Unlocking Power with Functional Foods

A comprehensive new review published in Sports Nutrition illuminates the power of "functional foods" and "bioactive compounds"—ingredients that deliver targeted performance benefits beyond basic energy.These are the key players that should be on every serious cyclist's radar:  

• Dietary Nitrate: Found abundantly in beetroot, spinach, and arugula, dietary nitrate is converted in the body to nitric oxide (NO). This molecule acts as a potent vasodilator, improving blood flow, modulating skeletal muscle function, and enhancing mitochondrial efficiency. The result is a reduced phosphocreatine cost of force production, which can directly translate to improved time trial performance and higher peak power output. 
• Omega-3 Fatty Acids: These essential fats, found in sources like salmon, mackerel, and flaxseeds, play a powerful dual role. They have been shown to enhance muscle protein synthesis via the mTOR-S6K1 pathway, contributing to strength gains. Simultaneously, their potent anti-inflammatory properties help downregulate pro-inflammatory cytokines like IL-6, leading to reduced exercise-induced muscle damage and lower perceived soreness after hard efforts. 
• Bioactive Peptides & BCAAs: While amino acids are the building blocks of protein, short-chain bioactive peptides—found in high-quality sources like whey protein and whole eggs—are absorbed more rapidly and efficiently. They are potent stimulators of muscle protein synthesis, accelerating the repair and growth of muscle tissue post-exercise. 
• Caffeine: A well-established ergogenic aid, caffeine's effectiveness is multifaceted. It acts as an adenosine receptor antagonist, which reduces the perception of pain and effort, thereby delaying fatigue. At a muscular level, it sensitizes calcium channels in the sarcoplasmic reticulum, increasing calcium ion release and leading to stronger muscle contractions. Studies confirm its ability to improve both endurance time trial performance and maximal strength in lifts like the bench press and squat. 

The Pro View: Fueling for the Mountains

These scientific principles are not just theoretical; they are applied at the highest level of the sport. Gorka Prieto-Bellver, head of nutrition for Tadej Pogačar's UAE Team Emirates-XRG, recently detailed the team's strategy for the Tour's queen mountain stages.Their approach provides a real-world look at the 4Rs in action:  

• Extreme Refueling: For a key mountain stage, riders consume around 3.5 grams of carbohydrates per kilogram of body weight at breakfast, four hours before the start. During the race, the target is an astonishing 100-130 grams of carbohydrates per hour—an intake level that requires significant gut training to tolerate. 
• Individualized Rehydration: Echoing the science, the team conducts sodium tests to determine how much each rider loses per hour, allowing for highly individualized sodium and fluid replacement strategies during the stage.This meticulous attention to detail is what prevents the kind of dramatic collapses that can define a Grand Tour.  

Training Room: Smarter Sessions for Road, Gravel, and the Pain Cave

Effective training is about maximizing results within the constraints of real life. For amateur cyclists, this means prioritizing quality over quantity, developing specific skills for their chosen discipline, and leveraging technology to make every session count. The latest findings and platform updates reflect a mature training landscape where smart, targeted work yields the greatest rewards.

The Weekend Warrior Vindicated: Maximize Fitness in Two Rides

For years, the "weekend warrior" was a term of derision. However, new scientific findings highlighted by Cycling Weekly suggest that two well-executed rides per week can be all you need to achieve significant fitness goals.This approach is a game-changer for time-crunched athletes. A "Perfect Performance Weekend" could be structured as follows:  

• Saturday: The Intensity Ride. This session is dedicated to high-quality work that pushes your physiological limits. This could be a structured interval workout featuring protocols like the highly effective Norwegian 4x4s (4 minutes at ~90% max heart rate, repeated 4 times) or longer, sustained Sweet Spot efforts (blocks of riding at 88-94% of FTP) to build muscular endurance. 
• Sunday: The Endurance Ride. This is a longer, steady-state ride primarily in Zone 2. The goal is to build aerobic base, improve fat oxidation, and enhance fatigue resistance without adding excessive stress, allowing for recovery before the work week begins. 

Gravel Skills Lab: Master Climbing and Cornering

Gravel riding demands a unique blend of endurance and technical skill. Drawing from expert-led skills clinics, here are actionable drills to improve your confidence and efficiency on loose surfaces. 

• Climbing Technique: On steep, loose climbs, traction is paramount. Shift your body weight forward by moving to the nose of the saddle and lowering your chest towards the handlebars. This keeps weight over the rear wheel to prevent spinning out while also keeping the front wheel from lifting. Maintain a high cadence in a low gear; getting bogged down is the fastest way to lose momentum and be forced to unclip. 
• Cornering Technique: Unlike on pavement, aggressive leaning is counterproductive on gravel. The key is to control your speed before the turn. Brake in a straight line, then release the brakes as you initiate the turn. Keep the bike more upright, choose the smoothest line, and use subtle body English and weight distribution to guide the bike through the corner, always looking where you want to go. 

Indoor Intel: What's New on Zwift & Wahoo SYSTM

The indoor training ecosystem is no longer about choosing a single "best" platform. It has evolved into a diverse market where users can combine the strengths of different services. The latest updates reflect this specialization.

• Zwift: The recent v1.94 game update focuses on enhancing the in-ride experience and data tracking. Users can now customize their Heads-Up Display (HUD) to show new metrics like average watts/kg and average speed. Crucially, a server-side fix now ensures that outdoor rides recorded on Garmin or Wahoo devices will correctly count towards your in-game ride streaks, a long-awaited quality-of-life improvement.Zwift has also rolled out Pack Dynamics v5 to all races, which improves collision avoidance and makes it easier to find the draft, refining the core racing experience. 
• Wahoo SYSTM: Wahoo continues to build out its content library, focusing on high-production value and immersive experiences. The latest content drops include a new "On Location: Costa Blanca" ride and additional "Inspiration" workout videos.These offer engaging alternatives to structured interval sessions. However, it's worth noting that some users are now migrating to other platforms due to SYSTM's current lack of AI-driven adaptive training plans, a feature that has become a key differentiator in the market.This highlights the trend of users seeking the best training engine from one service and the best virtual world from another, exemplified by the official integration between platforms like TrainerRoad and Zwift. 

The Finish Line: Pro Racing Roundup

It was a packed final week of July in professional cycling, with the conclusion of the men's Tour de France and major action in the women's peloton and other stage races. Here are the results you need to know.

• Tour de France 2025: After three weeks of thrilling racing, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) secured his fourth overall victory. He was joined on the final podium in Paris by Jonas Vingegaard (Visma–Lease a Bike) in second and Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull–Bora–Hansgrohe) in third. 
• Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift: The race has been defined by French success in the past week. Maëva Squiban (UAE Team ADQ) took stunning back-to-back solo victories on Stage 6 and Stage 7.After seven stages, Kim Le Court Pienaar (AG Insurance-Soudal) holds the coveted yellow jersey as the race heads into its decisive final weekend. 
• Ethias-Tour de Wallonie: Corbin Strong of Israel–Premier Tech clinched the final overall victory after five tough days of racing in Belgium. The final stage was won by Clément Izquierdo (Cofidis) in a dramatic finale. 
• Looking Ahead: With the Grand Tours in the rearview mirror for now, the focus of the men's peloton shifts to the one-day classics. The next major event on the WorldTour calendar is the Clásica de San Sebastián on August 2nd, a hilly and prestigious race in the Basque Country that always attracts a star-studded start list.