Why do Tour de France riders drink so much coffee?

The hotels that teams are put into are decided by the race organisers, but whether it’s a bog-standard Première Classe or something more upmarket, French hotel coffee is universally poor.

Will Girling, who’s travelled with WorldTour cycling teams as a nutritionist, says he can’t recall a pro rider not enjoying coffee, and the desire for it can go to extremes.

“I know cyclists who’d bring their own machines on tour – from an AeroPress to an espresso machine,” he says.

“Last year [EF Education] were sponsored by Oatly [the oat milk drink brand] and they organised a machine to be transported from hotel to hotel, complete with a barista setup.”

Caffeine is partly the reason cyclists love coffee so much; the physical and mental boost it gives prior to a stage primes a rider for action.

Such is their espresso intake that caffeine supplementation, via energy gels and the like, is a thing of the past.

“They’re smashing so many coffees in the lead-up, caffeine is already in their system,” says Girling.

But if caffeine is the sole appeal, why not tea or other caffeinated drinks?

It’s often coffee because of the long-standing cultural and ritualistic tendencies towards it, on club runs and team outings.

Also, let’s face it, it tastes way better than tea.

You might think riders would struggle to sleep after such high coffee consumption. “Sometimes [this happens], particularly in Spain, at the Vuelta, where the finishes are late and they might not get to their hotel until 10pm,” says Girling.

“Tart cherry juice, an anti-inflammatory, is taken after stages and before bed, and its naturally occurring melatonin can help with sleep. They can also use caffeine chewing gum [just before a race], which has a quicker peak and exit from the body.”