What does it take to fuel two stage wins at the Tour de France Femmes or a world number 44 tennis player? We sat down with Gino Devriendt—nutritionist to UAE Team ADQ and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova—to explore the science, strategy, and human nuance behind elite performance nutrition.
From Fueling Plans to Personalized Plates
Nutrition at this level is about more than carbs and calories. Gino builds day-to-day strategies for each rider using performance data synced directly from training files. The process? Anticipate the demands of the day, calculate what’s been burned, and deliver the exact amount of fuel to restore, repair, and ready the athlete for the next stage. It is important to calculate exactly what each rider needs to stay in energy balance, because when you’re racing back-to-back stages, you can’t afford to dig yourself into a deficit.
"My role is to strategically manage their energy balance so they're always one step ahead of the race." - Gino Devriendt
To make this possible, Gino uses TrainingPeaks data and custom software that syncs a rider’s watts and output to create a tailored nutrition plan—right down to the gram. If Elisa Longo Borghini burns 3,000 kcal and Brodie Chapman burns 2,200 kcal, their plates may look similar, but the quantities are dialed in precisely.
Nutrition in Motion: During the Race
Climbers, sprinters, domestiques — each athlete races a different kind of race. Two riders on the same team may end the stage with wildly different requirements. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach. Gino works with each rider to build an in-race fueling strategy that fits their physiology and preferences. Also, absorption, tolerance, and the realities of racing (like heat or gut discomfort) all come into play.
“Nutrition is science—but it’s also deeply personal.” - Gino Devriendt
Gino maps fueling points onto race profiles. He accounts for heat, effort, and timing to decide when to recommend turbo gels, isotonic drinks, or bars. Riders are encouraged to aim for 100–130g of carbs per hour, but individual response drives the final plan.
What about fueling a tennis-player on pro level?
Gino also supports top-level athletes outside of cycling — including tennis player and Amacx athlete Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. Anastasia is a Grand Slam finalist, Olympic gold medalist, and former world No. 11 — with 12 WTA singles titles, six in doubles, and over 50 Grand Slam appearances. One of the tour’s most consistent and versatile players, she’s now focusing on recovery and nutrition, leaving nothing to chance as she adapts to the later stages of her career to stay strong to compete at the highest level.
The crossover brings fresh insights: fueling for explosive movement vs. endurance, managing unpredictable match times, and working with athletes that are new to sports nutrition. Gino targets 60–75g of carbs/hour for matches for Anastasia, leaning on quick-absorbing options that match intensity.
“She was underfueling—now we’ve implemented structured pre-match and in-game fueling with Amacx. It’s a game-changer.” - Gino Devriendt
Gino works with athletes across football and volleyball too. He notices that nutritional awareness varies between sports. In classical endurance disciplines such as cycling, where fuel intake is directly linked to performance, athletes tend to be more advanced in their knowledge and habits. In team and skill-based sports like football and volleyball, the role of nutrition has historically been less in the spotlight — but that is changing fast. More and more players are recognizing how the right fueling strategy can help them prepare for a match, recover quicker, and even reduce the risk of injuries. While the connection may never be identical to endurance sports, the awareness is growing every season, and nutrition is becoming an increasingly powerful tool for team athletes to raise their level.
Just like Gino, we at Amacx are on a mission to close that gap — spreading knowledge, elevating standards, and helping more athletes in more sports fuel with purpose. Because when your body gets what it truly needs, it enables athletes to unlock their full potential.
Summary
Despite the science, it always comes back to reality. Some riders want 130g of carbs per hour. Some can’t tolerate tomatoes. Some forget to eat. That’s why Gino and other nutritionists are there, not to control, but to guide, adapt, and help them go further help them go further by using science and high quality nutrition.
If there’s one thing to learn from Gino’s approach, it’s this: precision matters. But it’s not just about hitting the numbers — it’s about listening, too. Whether you’re racing the Giro or training for your next marathon, your nutrition plan needs to match your performance demands and respect what your body can actually handle. Real precision means finding that balance between science and individual feedback, and building from there.
And if you're not sure what’s right for your race? It might be time to stop guessing and start planning with the right fuel, at the right time, in the right format.
“Fueling is the one thing athletes can fully control. When they get it right, you feel it—not just on the bike or court, but in the confidence they carry to the start line.” - Gino Devriendt
If you don’t know where to start, we have some great resources for you in our blogs. Check the below articles to understand the basics, and build up from there.
