A traditional diet that includes dairy can hinder a cyclist’s recovery, team nutritionist Anna Carceller said. “If a rider is lactose intolerant, she can have very severe digestive problems, which disappear when lactose is removed from her diet. During intense racing, some athletes have functional intolerances with complex molecules like lactose, developing negative symptoms that can impact their performance and overall wellness. Both of these are medical conditions that have to be addressed and managed properly. Eliminating dairy from a rider’s diet can often solve these problems.”

At a race like the Tour, a rider’s ability to recover after the demands of each stage is of paramount. Cutting out dairy may also have anti-inflammatory benefits that can help riders recover faster, enabling them to meet the demands of the following day’s stage.

As more and more studies have been published in recent years in support of a dairy-free diet for elite athletes, the idea that began as a curiosity became increasingly appealing.

“A dairy-free diet is compatible with high performance,” Anna said. “Food science has shown us that nutritional diversity can be met in a dairy-free diet, allowing an athlete to have an excellent diet while going dairy-free without problems.”

Team CEO Jonathan Vaughters said, “This is a nutrition strategy we’ve discussed over the years but have never before implemented. With Oatly coming on board as a partner, it finally makes sense to go dairy-free at certain races. In regards to nutrition, as well as flavor, we can give our riders what they need through Oatly products.”

Our team chef and Anna, along with Oatly, have collaborated on designing a menu that fulfills our riders’ nutritional needs in order to take on the Tour de France Femmes while also ensuring they will still have the flavors and textures they enjoy.

“Creating new recipes is always exciting and re-thinking the origin of our supplements and protein sources is really interesting and gives us the opportunity to grow,” she said.

“At Oatly, we’ve been researching oats, oatmilk and their nutritional benefits for over 30 years. Our products offer the same creamy taste, frothy feel, and functionality as cow’s milk, while generally having a lower environmental impact (1), enabling an easy, great-tasting swap for riders so they can properly fuel and focus on the race ahead,” shared Sarah Sutton, Oatly’s Director of Media, Partnerships and Culture.

EF Pro Cycling has always been at the vanguard of sports science, from equipment to nutrition. Preparing for a dairy-free grand tour has been an exciting opportunity, Jonathan explained.

“We’re not afraid to do something new,” he said. “We have the science to back up going dairy-free and we have Oatly which keeps our riders happy and healthy.”

“We’re thrilled to showcase how Oatly can fit into both elite athlete and non-athlete diets alike by powering a delicious, dairy-free TdFF for EF-Oatly-Cannondale, building on similar successful collaborations Oatly has done with organizations like SV Babelsberg 03 in Germany. We, at Oatly, believe in the inherent power of oats, and can think of no better way to demonstrate this than by acting as the ‘Official Performance Partner’ of this squad as they gear up for a race as pivotal as this one,” added Sarah.

Anna agreed, adding, “Planning a dairy-free grand tour has given us the opportunity to be creative in our way of addressing nutrition in a race as important as this. It’s led us to reflect on the relationship between sport nutrition and the enjoyment of eating. It’s been fun and eye-opening to embrace a completely dairy-free Tour de France Femmes and to show that it is possible to meet the needs of our riders. It is always exciting to explore new paths.”

(1) Poore, J., & Nemecek, T. (2018). Reducing food’s environmental impacts through producers and consumers. Science, 360(6392), 987-992.