What a Continental Cyclist Eats on a Training Day

Ville Merlöv is 21 years old, 1.93m tall, and a two-time Swedish Under-23 Elite Road Race Champion. Hungry for more racing and more experience, he made the decision to compete full-time on the European circuit — and it is shaping him into a better athlete.

Last year he took a stage podium at the Tour of Estonia. This year he stepped onto the senior national championship podium against World Tour athletes and lines up at Paris–Troyes — a UCI 1.2 race — racing for BHS-PL Beton Bornholm on the Continental circuit.

That kind of progression demands that everything has a purpose — training, recovery, and what goes in between.

Morning

Ville starts the day with Pillar Performance Ultra Immune C and Collagen Repair (Tendon & Ligament). Daily consistency before the work begins.

On the Bike

On a 4-hour ride, Ville targets 80–120g of carbohydrates per hour, adjusting up or down based on intensity. He uses Precision gels, Precision Chews, Precision Energy Drink, and Plasmaide to hit those numbers — mixing formats to keep the gut working and the effort consistent.

That range is not arbitrary. Current sports nutrition research supports 80–120g per hour for trained athletes using multiple transportable carbohydrates, which allow the gut to absorb more than a single carbohydrate source alone.

Off the Bike

An OTE Recovery Shake goes in straight away. Protein in the recovery window supports training adaptation — the sooner the better.

Before Sleep

Pillar Performance Triple Magnesium and a Plasmaide gel on back-to-back high-intensity days. Sleep is where adaptation happens. Supporting it is part of the process.

His nutrition is intentional. What he takes, when he takes it, and how much all shift with the demands of the season and how his body is responding.

Everything Ville uses is available at Endurance Kollective. Use his code VILLE15 at checkout.