I noticed that in pro races a lot of riders get a Fanta immediately after they crossed the finish line by their team staff. Saw it yesterday at Brabantse Pijl again with Thomas Pidcock. They always get one within the first minute and it seems that the staff member is almost forcing him to drink it immediately as well.
Not quite sure why that drink in particular and why so soon after the race, when the athletes are still gasping for air. Of course fueling is important and hydration and glucose are important. But what is it about Fanta and why the hurry?
I imagine that drinking it 2-3 minutes afterwards would be still very good. Also I wonder if there aren´t any other fancy Maurten, SIS, Gatorade, etc. that would be better suited?
Because if you have won the race the next hour can be taken up with dope control, podium presentation and media interviews. So easy to forget or not get anything down. Like I said a can of sugary drink is quick and its the convenience, easy to get hold of etc.
Rider preference I suppose. If you ever see Sagan winning again, you’ll notice he downs a handful of Gummybears rather quickly after a victory.
It’s really about the sugar. Especially in a stage Race, it’s important to begin the recovery the second after you finished a stage. That also includes fueling.
Also: there isn’t really any difference between Fanta (or any Soda) and Sportsdrinks. Just the taste and the marketing.
There was a local Tri club where someone new to the club was asked to bring Coke to a training day and I’m not sure if it was on sale or if he thought he should get the healthy option but he brought Diet and people were not happy.
A sugary soda is a great immediate post hard ride recovery fuel. Lots of sugar and (ideally) some caffeine. Try it sometime and the you will immediately understand!
Why Fanta? Fanta is pretty popular in Europe, not a niche brand like in the US, so its not as weird a choice as it might seem. Could be sponsorship too. Coke owns Fanta so there is the resources to pay to have it at the finish.