The medical chief of the ICU warns fans about the risk of imitating professionals

Xabier Bigard, head of the medical staff of the UCI, has warned about the danger posed by the trend of many amateur cyclists who begin to imitate the nutrition guidelines of professional cyclists based on inaccurate information and assumptions they obtain from social media.

Social Media and Imitation Endanger the Health of Amateur Cyclists

Once again, social media is in the spotlight, and once more for the imitation effect it generates. In this case, it concerns the increasing number of amateur cyclists who try to emulate what professional cyclists do in terms of nutrition in search of improving their performance.

This imitation, however, is not based on a personalized nutrition program tailored to the specific needs of each cyclist, but rather follows general guidelines that are published on social media and could jeopardize not only the cyclist's performance but also their health.

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The head of the UCI medical services was emphatic about this: “I am reading absolutely terrifying things that have no real basis,” an aspect that is fueled, pun intended, by the misinformation circulating on social media and the lack of qualified professionals when it comes to outlining a sports nutrition plan aimed at performance.

However, he does not criticize the main trend of current sports nutrition, focused on maximizing carbohydrate intake, exceeding 140 g/hour, figures that just a few years ago were considered unthinkable. “Glucose is the essential fuel for muscles, especially at high levels,” he explained.