THE SHORT ANSWER
Murchison left a Michelin star to feed Olympic cyclists, so he comes at fuelling from both ends — it has to work physiologically and it has to be something you'll actually eat. His non-negotiable on race day: rehearse it in training. The day of an event is the worst possible time to find out a gel doesn't agree with your gut. He's matter-of-fact that landing 90 grams of carbohydrate an hour takes practice, not just willpower, and that the gut is trainable like anything else. The pros aren't surviving on engineering alone — most of what they eat is real food, dialled in over months. Practise the fuelling like you practise the intervals and the bonk stops being a surprise.
WHO IS ALAN MURCHISON?
Alan Murchison is the chef who left Michelin-starred fine dining to feed Olympic cyclists, World Tour riders, and Formula 1 drivers. He spent over a decade running L'Ortolan in Berkshire to a Michelin star and four AA Rosettes, then walked away from the restaurant world to build Performance Chef — the food operation behind Specialized Factory Racing's Olympic medals, World Cup podiums, and the British Cycling consultancy that fuels riders from first-time finishers to gold medallists. He matters because he is the rare voice who can talk credibly about both the precision of fine-dining technique and the metabolic demands of racing a bike: the food still has to taste good, and it still has to land 90 grams of carbohydrate an hour without wrecking the gut. His Cycling Chef book series and his work with Canyon-SRAM have set the modern standard for what a serious amateur's kitchen actually looks like.
MURCHISON ON IN-RIDE FUELLING
Murchison’s key positions on in-ride fuelling.
- Quality of food matters more than macros — chicken, rice, and broccoli twice a day will fuel performance and produce a malnourished athlete at the same time.
- Race-day nutrition has to be rehearsed in training — the day of an event is the worst possible time to discover a gel does not agree with your gut.
IN MURCHISON’S OWN WORDS
Verbatim from Alan Murchison’s appearances on the podcast.
“The day of a race is the worst day in the world to find out a gel does not work for your stomach. You rehearse the fuel the same way you rehearse the pacing.”
“most the mistake a lot of athletes a lot of cyclists make is they under fuel training so you know they go out and they'll do three hours and they'll be very proud that they've had a bottle or a banana in the back pocket and then what happens is they have a calorie deficit it could be 1800 to 2 000 calories and then there's each ship for the rest of the day”
“I certainly know this from experiencing people that I know that are writing pro athletes will be taking on you know 90 to 110 120 grams of carbs per hour they'll be on a low raised diet low residue diet essentially which is low fiber a lot of the time whilst the racing”
HEAR IT ON THE PODCAST
Episodes where Alan Murchison covers in-ride fuelling and related ground.
FREQUENTLY ASKED
What does Alan Murchison say about in-ride fuelling?
Murchison left a Michelin star to feed Olympic cyclists, so he comes at fuelling from both ends — it has to work physiologically and it has to be something you'll actually eat. His non-negotiable on race day: rehearse it in training. The day of an event is the worst possible time to find out a gel doesn't agree with your gut. He's matter-of-fact that landing 90 grams of carbohydrate an hour takes practice, not just willpower, and that the gut is trainable like anything else. The pros aren't surviving on engineering alone — most of what they eat is real food, dialled in over months. Practise the fuelling like you practise the intervals and the bonk stops being a surprise.
What is Murchison's main point on in-ride fuelling?
Quality of food matters more than macros — chicken, rice, and broccoli twice a day will fuel performance and produce a malnourished athlete at the same time.
Which Roadman Cycling Podcast episodes cover Alan Murchison on in-ride fuelling?
Murchison discusses in-ride fuelling in these episodes: "What Pros Actually Eat to Win | Alan Murchison", "The UNTOLD Story Of Success | Alan Murchison".
MORE FROM MURCHISON
EXPLORE THE TOPIC
Cycling Nutrition— The Complete Guide →OTHER EXPERTS ON IN-RIDE FUELLING