Nutrition and diet plays a big part of how a rider performs today.
MotoGP riders have to be light (both James Toseland and Ben Spies decided to lose 5kg when they entered the MotoGP class) that helps save something on those 21 liters that the bikes consume and strong enough to handle the G forces under braking.
Dani Pedrosa suffers from gluten intolerance and stays away from anything that contains wheat, while Jorge Lorenzo eats whole grain Kamut pasta with vegetables.
Casey Stoner discovered he suffered from lactose intolerance after spending half of the 2009 season sick and eats more carbs, proteins and vegetables and avoids any dairy products.
Valentino Rossi likes red meat and pasta, while Nicky Hayden favours fish.
We gleaned the riders dietary habits during a race weekend from hospitality cooks, like Ivan from Alpinestars, Omar from Honda, Renzo from Yamaha and Marco from Ducati.
Even Pramac Ducati’s Hector Barbera decided to review and better his diet and recently underwent food intolerance tests to find out what to cut out of his eating habits to help his diet and training regime which will avoid stomach problems and give him more energy and strength.
Barbera will be working under the guidance of CEVEP (Centro Valenciano de entrenamiento para Pilotas) trainer Rafa Olcina, who also trains Sergio Gadea and 125cc World Champion Nico Terol.
