The Swedish supplement brand supported the Dutch FDJ-Suez cyclist with a nutrition strategy that saw her average 110g of carbohydrates per hour across nine days and 1,174.5km of racing.
She consumed as much as 130g per hour during the particularly demanding fifth stage.
“Winning a race like this isn’t decided in one stage,” a statement on Vollering’s win from Maurten read. “Nine days of repeated intensity, requiring consistent fueling to push through the effort in front of you — and recover in time for the days to come.”
The success for Maurten comes just four months after it helped fuel Kenyan athlete Sabastian Sawe to become the first person to break the two-hour barrier in an official marathon.
Elsa Hugot, team nutritionist of FDJ United-Suez, told NI that the nutrition strategy behind her win on Aug. 9, 2026, had been scientific and precise, leaving no room for error.
“Every stage of the 2026 Tour de France Femmes was demanding,” Hugot said. “There were no ‘easy’ stages where we could afford to make mistakes with nutrition, either on or off the bike.”
Fueling tactics
Vollering consumed a total of 9,050 g of carbohydrates during the race, with Maurten supplements contributing 3,450g to that total.
She consumed 47 bottles of Drink Mix 160 and nine bottles of Drink Mix 320, alongside 20 Gel 100 sachets, 10 Gel 160 sachets and six Gel 100 Caf 100 sachets.
The products are formulated using Hydrogel Technology - a delivery system designed to improve the tolerance and absorption of carbohydrates.
The Drink Mix provided a steady carbohydrate supply and hydration, and the gels were used as strategic top-ups before climbs, intense race moments or when drinking opportunities were limited, Hugot explained.
Essential fueling
Hugot noted that the fueling objective was to minimize cumulative carbohydrate and energy deficits across the entire race.
“Over a nine-day stage race such as the Tour de France Femmes, nutrition is not only about maximizing performance during each stage—it is essential for preserving the capacity to recover and perform again the following day,” she said.
She explained that during racing, both muscle glycogen and liver glycogen play key but distinct roles. Muscle glycogen provides the primary fuel for working muscles, particularly during high-intensity efforts, while liver glycogen helps maintain blood glucose availability, which is essential for both the exercising muscles and the central nervous system. Exogenous carbohydrate sources help sustain blood glucose concentrations while reducing the reliance on both endogenous glycogen stores.
“This is particularly important because recovery time between stages is limited,” Hugot explained. “Although post-exercise nutrition stimulates glycogen re-synthesis, it is not always possible to fully restore glycogen stores before the next stage, especially after very demanding days.”
Even small energy deficits can build up over nine stages and reduce performance, Hugot noted.
“By maintaining a high and consistent carbohydrate intake, we reduce glycogen depletion, limit the overall energy deficit, and maximize carbohydrate availability for the following day.”
Individualized intake
The strategy was deeply personalized, matching Vollering’s intake to each stage’s demands while supporting gut comfort.
She explained that achieving carbohydrate intakes of more than 100 g/h requires specific gut training.
“Just like the cardiovascular or muscular systems, the gastrointestinal tract adapts to repeated nutritional practice,” Hugot said.
The key was to progressively increase carbohydrate intake during training in order to improve tolerance to high carbohydrate intakes.
“The adaptation process is highly individual,” Hugot noted. “Some athletes adapt within a few weeks, while others require several months of consistent practice.
“For professional athletes, gut training is integrated throughout the season rather than being something introduced only before a major race.”
When designing her personalized fueling strategy, Maurten tested Vollering’s exogenous carbohydrate oxidation capacity, measuring how efficiently her body converted ingested carbohydrates into usable energy during exercise.
The assessment involved a five-hour protocol that mirrored race demands, with Vollering consuming 120g of carbohydrates per hour while completing four hours of outdoor riding followed by an hour of indoor testing.
By analyzing blood lactate levels, breath samples and energy expenditure data, Maurten determined how much fuel Vollering used from her carb intake versus her glycogen stores, helping her nutrition team optimize her daily energy intake and race-day fueling plan for peak performance.
Maurten utilized a carbohydrate oxidization breath test to discover she could efficiently use ingested carbohydrate, oxidizing more than 77% during a five-hour test.
James Moran, UK-based registered dietitian and head of nutrition at Uno-X Pro Cycling Team who also used Maurten products during the 2026 Men’s Tour de France, recently told NI that personalized fueling strategies were imperative to riders in this years tour.
He explained teams increasingly place greater emphasis on optimizing carbohydrate timing, delivery and tailored intake based on stage demands, rider role and physiology, rather than simply pushing higher carbohydrate intakes across the board.
“With increased testing possibilities and understanding of exogenous carb oxidation, things have become much more individualized,” Moran said.
