In the amateur ranks, passion is the driving force of dedication. It’s unlimited. Time and resources, however, are not. Life is a complex and unpredictable interplay of family and work and the unforeseen that makes structure a challenge. We train and race around an unreliable routine. When we can, not always when we want. Nevertheless, we still aspire to be better. We still try. It’s not simply a devotion — it’s an addiction. Of the good sort. Every amateur watches the professional and, at some stage, wonders — what if? Maurten can’t give the gift of time or streamline the day in, day out by stripping away the layers of life. But we can offer the support of nutritional expertise and an ecosystem of specifically designed fueling products.

LOG 1 — introducing Thibaud

LOG 2 — Moving in the right direction

LOG 3 — Thibaud x Axel Laurance

On July 7, 2024, Thibaud crested the Col de Couillole — the finish line of the Étape du Tour. 4,600m of climbing over 140km were now in his rear-view mirror, and yet more than 1,000 riders had already finished ahead of him. It can be hard to feel fully satisfied with what you’ve overcome when there’s a nagging sense that it could have been better. His process of self-critiquing started almost immediately.

“I felt like, in the last climb, there was a moment where I was kind of just dreaming, or I was not really pushing as hard as I could. And in the end, I don't know, there were two or three kilometres when I was able to accelerate a little bit. Maybe, if I had been focused the whole climb, and really sticking to the power and the rhythm, maybe I would have reached my goal then.”

Some things you can focus on and change. Come back more prepared. But the timing of life rarely allows a seamless route to the next start line. “So this year was really special because my daughter was born one month before and we didn't know the exact date. So I knew that my preparation was not going to be perfect.” The joy of being a father is of course unmatched, but it doesn’t diminish the importance of holding on to some small goals in life. “I tried to not have too much ambition for this year’s Etape because I didn't know if I could really be 100%. In the end, I arrived at a good level, but I became sick a few days before, so it was really my most difficult experience at the event. I didn't sleep well the days before and I just had no energy. It was really, really hard to finish. I don't know, mentally and physically I was completely empty.”

A hard experience makes you wonder if it was even worth trying. And with a growing family, naturally there will be some guilt. “I was not with my partner and my daughter, so that added to the difficulty and the emotions at the finish.” The goal of finishing inside the top 1000 slipped away.

This year is different. It has been about ironing out the wrinkles and striking a balance. Fostering a home life that understands everyone’s mindset and personal needs is important. Thibaud’s partner, a keen trail runner, shares a similar passion and that can make cooperation easier. “It's a lot of scheduling communication with my partner, but we try to make it work for the best.” Spending time training is easier to justify because Thibaud knows he will be able to give his partner equal time to achieve her personal goals. It’s a negotiation process that’s relatable to many homes.

Cycling offers fans of the sport a rare gift — to experience the same roads as the professionals. On the one hand the gap in performance can feel humbling. On the other hand it’s a spectacle of possibility.

“Recently we had the presentation of the route for 2026, so I was really excited to know exactly where we are going to ride. It's something that really drives me on a day-to-day basis — a way to dream bigger. With my abilities, I want to get the most out of it and try my best.”

Riding the same roads is one thing, but through the Fueled for a Year project Thibaud will benefit from the same insights and expertise that helps many professional riders compete at the biggest races in the calendar — the likes of INEOS Grenadiers, SD Worx, UNO-X, and FDJ Suez. Tapping into that knowledge reserve is something that Thibaud is particularly motivated by. “You have this expertise of helping elite athletes that I really admire. I really hope to benefit from the same help they have. So at my level, what is the best nutrition strategy on and off the bike and how should I use the Maurten products?”

Thibaud will access nutritional education and fueling advice for both training and racing, but some race day essentials have already been confirmed.

“Everything is already planned. I will have my partner and my daughter with me, which is really great motivation. I think it's something you have to share — it's too big do it alone.”

LOG 2 — Moving in the right direction

LOG 1 — introducing Thibaud

LOG 3 — Thibaud x Axel Laurance

A harsh European winter may have limited Thibaud’s time outside on the bike, but in this second log we learn that he has started the year feeling stronger than ever before.

Relentless rain, frequent winter storms, and unpredictable forecasts rendered conditions across much of Europe too hostile for riding outside throughout January.

“I've still been able to train a good amount. I think probably one of my best winters. I was able to focus and do what I planned. I think that this project has given me an additional motivation because I'm already thinking about L’Étape du tour. I feel more prepared already than I was at this time last year, for sure. Like I have more knowledge — more information. And it's not only about nutrition, because when you start digging into one topic, then you think about all the other aspects.”

In his first session with the Maurten Nutrition Team, Thibaud acquired a wealth of new understanding. It’s detail that isn’t just practically applicable in the ride, but also confidence-boosting for the whole process as well. It has directed the spotlight into areas that Thibaud had not previously considered. “I think another breakthrough for me has been that I was taking the carbs every 15 or 20 minutes, but not really considering how the course was going up or down. I should take advantage of the sections where I'm not putting in big efforts, because in these sections my ability to take in and digest carbs is higher. So I should have an average intake and then adapt to the profile. I completely didn't have this in mind.”

This is reinforced by Ben Vriends, Maurten’s Global Education Manager, who also commented that, “real progression comes from being curious, consistent, and methodical. By testing himself and his fuel strategies in training, Thibaud will build the confidence he needs when making decisions for race day."

With help from the Nutrition Team, Thibaud is also learning how to train his body to tolerate more carbs, by fueling specific sessions appropriately. “I was unsure if I should use more drinks or gels or solids, and the team were able to really give me good reasons to use one or the other.” With support from the nutritionists, Thibaud is also gradually increasing his carbohydrates per hour.

“They convinced me to try to go higher, but also gave me very precise protocols to get to that level because it needs to be tested and trained. So it’s all very practical on how I can implement that in my current training to progressively get to the new target. That has been something really helpful.”

“I would say I'm at the end of base season and transitioning to more medium level intensity sessions.” It’s the right time to start really considering how to use fuel appropriately — during the workouts that are hard enough to deplete the body of its glycogen and lengthen the recovery window. These are the sessions that, when fueled right, can lead to incremental training adaptations. “On the turbo, I do a maximum of 2 hours. And when I do these sessions, I try to be somewhere between 60 and 90 grams an hour. Although it depends, because if it's a key session, I will push fueling towards, or even over, 90 grams.”

Thibaud has his eyes forward for the next period of training, as he also looks to include to local racing.

“I have a better idea of how to train. And I already have a really structured plan until July, not necessarily day-to-day, but I have the idea. I feel more prepared and, I would say, confident that I can do a good race — better than the years before. So yeah, confident and excited.”

Coming next:

Log 3 will continue to explore how Thibaud’s training is progressing, as the longer daylight hours and warmer days enable him to add both intensity and volume.

LOG 3 — Thibaud x Axel Laurance

LOG 1 — introducing Thibaud

LOG 2 — Moving in the right direction

Our Fueled for a Year athletes have told their story, they’ve spoken with the Maurten Nutrition Team, and now it’s a chance to get real insights from the elite athletes. Thibaud chatted with Netcompany INEOS rider, Axel Laurance about how to fuel in the mountains. Axel also imparted some of his mindset knowledge that helps him to stay calm in the peloton and strike a balance between personal time versus the hectic schedule of a professional cyclist.

Thibaud:
When I was talking with Ben, the nutritionist at Maurten, he was telling me that if I go with a strategy of, say, 120 g/h for the Étape du Tour, I should adapt it during the race — maybe take a little less in the climbs and more in the easier sections. Is that something you do yourself in training and in races?

Axel:
Yeah. For example, if I take Milan–San Remo, which is a very long race. When I know the pace is lower, I'll prefer solid food because it's much easier to eat solid food when things aren't going as fast. But then I'd say that for at least the last two hours — maybe even the last three hours — I'm almost exclusively using gels. So often, when I know there's going to be a lot of stress in the peloton and that we don't really have the opportunity to fuel properly, I prefer to use bottles containing 80 g of carbohydrate. 

At the start, for example, I'm using bottles with around 40 g, and then in the final part of the race I think I took two 80 g bottles. In the last 80 kilometers, that allows me to get away with taking only one gel. As a result, I also have far fewer digestive issues. 

That's really the main thing to manage. On the climbs, the effort is close to maximal, so it's difficult to eat. In those situations, we'd rather drink and limit the amount of solid food. And then, on the flatter sections, you can take out an energy bar. That allows you to eat something solid, which is still important on a very long day. 

So yes, that's really what it's about — managing that sequence and knowing how to pace your fueling. Understanding when the body really needs to be completely focused on the effort, and therefore dialing back food intake, and on the other hand taking advantage of moments when the pace eases off a little to eat more.

Thibaud:
How did you progressively, step by step, increase the amount of carbohydrates you were able to consume?

Axel:
I think the key is really to do it during endurance rides, because those are the sessions where the body isn't working at maximum intensity. As a result, digestion is generally easier. So I increased things progressively. For example, I used to take around 40 grams of carbohydrate per hour on endurance rides. Then I increased that to 60 grams per hour and would do 4–5 hour rides like that. 

I'd spend a week doing it this way, making sure that every endurance ride was fueled at 60 g/h. Not necessarily during interval sessions — those are different because we're already used to consuming a bit more during harder workouts. For those sessions, I'd generally stay around 60–70 g/h. But on endurance rides, where you can really focus on nutrition, I'd gradually increase to 80 g/h and eventually even 100 g/h. 

Once you get to around 100 g/h, you start to find your limits. That's really the point where you need to push a bit more, because sometimes during a long endurance ride you genuinely feel like you've had enough—you don't want to eat or drink any more. But if you can push through and get up to 120 g/h, your body starts to adapt. Then you'll be able to handle those intakes during major races and high-intensity efforts. So the process is really about gradually increasing carbohydrate intake during endurance sessions. Over time, the body adapts, and that makes it much easier to consume more carbs later on, during hard interval workouts and races.

Thibaud:
OK, and specifically, how do you make sure your peak form arrives exactly when you want it to? And I have another related question, this time more about the mental side of things. When you're targeting a performance on a very specific day, but it's not a stage race, do you have any techniques to stay mentally calm and composed? How do you strike the right balance between putting yourself under enough pressure to perform, but not so much that it becomes counterproductive? And then, when race day arrives, how do you make sure you're able to execute your plan the way you intended?

Axel:
Yeah, I think that, first of all, if you really want to have a chance of being in top form, you need to trust your coach. That's something that's really important. If you don't genuinely trust what you're doing and the process you're following, then it's probably not going to work very well. So I think that's the first thing. 

In the end, for me, it's really about staying relaxed. I don't put too much pressure on myself anymore because, in the past, I put myself under too much pressure. And every time I did that, I ended up missing the key moments—the moments when I really wanted to perform. 

Sometimes the best results have come on days when I wasn't the leader. I was at the end of a training block, so I was carrying some fatigue, and I wasn't even sure whether I was going to be good or not. 

So I went into the race without huge expectations. I knew what I was capable of, but I wasn't telling myself, "I absolutely have to win this race at all costs." Since those experiences I've understood that being relaxed is incredibly important. At the end of the day, it's a bike race. I've been doing this since I was a kid. I know what to expect, I know how races unfold, and that's what allows me to perform on the big day. I always try to keep things in perspective. 

For example, if I get a puncture, well, that's just how it is. There's nothing I can do about it. Getting angry only wastes energy. So it's really about staying calm and always focusing on what you can still do in the race. I think that's what's truly important. When you stay focused on the actions you need to take, it helps you stay focused on your objective.

Thibaud:
So if I understand correctly, what you're saying is that it's mainly experience—the process of doing it over and over again, preparing properly, and seeing that you can actually get there—that has allowed you to develop this sense of calm and perspective. How do you manage to stay clear-headed enough to make the right decisions and adjust your plan? Do you have any particular cues, frameworks, or inputs that help you with that?

Axel:
Yeah, so for example, I’ll take this year’s Strade Bianche. In the first sector, I almost went down — I was really close to crashing. And after that, my chain got stuck. At that moment, I didn’t panic at all. I just told myself: “OK, I’ll go down the descent without being able to pedal,” and I stopped. 

When things like that happen, you just try to understand what’s going on. And you think: “OK, how do I get back to the peloton without completely burning myself out?” Because that’s the key — you’ve got a problem now, so the question becomes how to return while staying as fresh as possible. 

Of course, you still have to spend energy, but you try to be smart about it depending on the terrain and the situation. I took in information to try to understand how I could fix the situation. When they told me the car was still far behind, I knew that in any case the best option was to ride to that point to get my wheel. If I waited behind the car, it would be over—my race would be finished there. So I really try to gather as much information as possible in order to make the best possible decision. 

And also, you try to keep perspective. You see others having problems too, and you tell yourself: “OK, I’m not the only one,” and everyone is in the same boat.

Thibaud:
For you cycling is a job, even if I imagine it’s also a passion. But I imagine it’s very demanding. How do you manage to fit it into your personal life — the fact that you’re constantly travelling, all the constraints, everything that comes with it?

Axel:
I also try to keep a bit of balance. For example with nutrition, I think it’s important to allow yourself some enjoyment from time to time. I don’t want to feel restricted. Some people can eat perfectly clean for three months straight with zero exceptions, but I personally prefer to allow small treats here and there. It helps maintain mental stability and performance. 

I think I used to be even more focused on cycling than I am now. Nowadays, on days like this, I do my training and then I don’t necessarily think about cycling all the time afterwards—I focus on other things. I try to vary things and mentally disconnect from cycling whenever I can. I think that’s really the key: finding a balance that works. 

And with travel, you just get used to it over time. When I’m at home, I really appreciate it, and I can do what I want. The calendar also helps nowadays—they try to give us one or two weeks at home sometimes, or training blocks where we’re not racing. That allows us to disconnect a bit and then refocus during the periods when there are a lot of races.

Thibaud:
To help me be ready for the Etape, do you have any tips for you go about preparing for a race? What will you do to prepare for your next race?

Axel:
Well, we look at the previous year’s edition. We start to get to know the key moments of the race, so we go back over what happened. And then we go into more detail on Veloviewer. And there, we really look at the key points, the gradients, and then we use StreetMap so we can actually see the route in detail. We also get recommendations. These are done before the race, and it really helps to stay fresh and keep a clear mind.