When Team LottoNL-Jumb is away from home for a long time, like during the Giro d’Italia this past month, they’ll need a well-balanced and thought through meal plan. The team does this in collaboration with Daily Fresh Food from Geleen. Together with culinary advisor Marcel Bisselink, a meal plan is designed that is adapted to the needs of the riders.

 

“There are many aspects we have to keep in mind,” Bisselink explains. “One of them is food safety, the foods cannot contain pathogens, harmful elements or unnatural aspects. We have our own farm where we keep cattle. The steaks we are able to provide, are steaks we know through and through. We are pretty accurate with our knowledge of what might be in them. The riders only get to eat our own cattle. 

“The way we heat our food is also different from the way food is normally heated, we use the sous vide technique. This means that we don’t boil the potatoes in a pan, but we place the potatoes in a bag so they can cook slowly and at a lower temperature. This ensures you maintain all flavors and nutritional values. Next to this, the sous vide technique enhances the expiration date.

 “Together with the team we decide what the riders will eat during a race. Together with nutritional expert Marcel Hesseling we decide which race needs which kind of meals. In general, the riders can order what they want, but we make sure there’s variety in their meals and that it’s tasty. Every race is different of course, the meal plans are adjusted to the stages of a grand tour, where we vary per day with calories, carbs and fibers.” 

 

Team chef Jesper Boom represents Daily Fresh Food during the races. It’s nice for Team LottoNL-Jumbo’s cyclists to have a regular chef, but it’s also great for Jesper who claims to have “an amazing job.” 

“I have a lot of interaction with everyone around me and for this reason I consider myself to really be one of the team. This is mostly because I’m one of the few who go to all three Grand Tours, and I’m also present during each important race. For me, this is my dream job. I get to combine two of my favorite things; cooking and cycling.

“When I’m working,  I have to pay attention to food safety. Next to this, I make sure I mainly use fresh ingredients of a high quality. Because I regularly consult with  Daily Fresh Food and Marcel Hesseling, I know which ingredients I can and cannot use. 

“In the morning, I get up about two hours before the riders do. I start with baking bread, I boil eggs, make oatmeal and put the toppings on the table. When the riders get to the breakfast table I start making omelets with ham, cheese, or just eggs. Sometimes all riders arrive at the same time, and then I really have to work hard to make sure they can all eat in time. After breakfast I clean up my stuff, eat something myself and get myself ready to drive to the next hotel.

“When I get to the next hotel, I meet the staff and request to get introduced to the chef. He’ll appoint me a spot in his kitchen, after which I set up my gear so I can start working. 

“The first thing I do when I get to the next hotel is make smoothies, wraps and/or sandwiches for the riders. They get those the minute they arrive in the hotel, as their second recovery meal. They get the first one directly after the finish, in the team bus.

“Once the riders get their massages, I start preparing for dinner. I make a salad, a nice dessert, and the main course. Once the riders have had their meal, I join my colleagues to have dinner myself and drink a wine. After that, the day’s over for me, and the next morning it all starts again.”