Can an Average Joe Complete the Tour de France?

Originally posted on Outdoors on SI | By Sean Langan | Last updated Jul 21, 2025 12:30 PM ET

Cycling "Grand Tours" are the pinnacle of endurance exercise performance. These are 3-week long stage races contested over 21 days of racing (with 2 rest days). Italy, Spain, and of course France all have their own version. Each covers ~2,000 miles or more, and the Tour de France is king.

The other Saturday I clocked 75 miles with 4,600 feet of elevation gain, averaging 16-17 mph. When I got home, thirsty, tired, and ravenously hungry, I remembered the cyclists in the Tour de France would have went further, faster, and ready to do it again the next day. They cover ~100 miles per day for 21 days. Not to mention the >8,000 feet of climbing per day, and average speeds that surpass of 25-30 mph.

My longest ride to date suddenly felt unimpressive. It then made me think: "How long would it take the mortals among us to finish the Tour?". Also, what is the physical cost?

Average Joe Versus a Professional Cyclist in a Grand Tour

In 2024, we got a hint to the answer. A collaboration of European and US scientists compared someone who finished the 2023 Tour de France, and a recreational cyclist attempting the course one week earlier in an effort to raise money for leukemia.

It took him 100 hours longer (87 versus 191 hours), but it's not like he was unfit. He was training up to 20 hours per week in his preparation, highlighting how impressive the professionals are. For the physical cost, the professional burned 7,000 calories per day, and the recreational fella burned a bit more at 8,500 per day (or about 7 pints of your favorite Ben and Jerry's flavor).

This was mainly due to his greater body weight, but also because he couldn't take advantage of drafting in the peloton, which saves a ton of energy. In such a grueling event, finding any way you can to preserve energy is the name of the game.

Burning ~8,000 calories per day is thought to be close to the limit for humans over a 3-week duration. And for a while, biologists and sport scientists thought only elite athletes had the capacity to sustain it. But, with some training, even the mortals among us can push the body to similar levels.

Don't expect to be moving as fast as them though. Despite the average Joe's impressive feat, it took him about twice as long to finish each stage. So while he did technically complete the Tour, if he was subjected to the official time limit rules, he would have been bounced on the first day.

The Tour of Eating

Nutrition is deeply ingrained in endurance sports, and the sports nutrition industry is thriving. Pro cycling teams invest a significant amount of money in nutrition science to ensure riders are adequately fueled for high performance. Everything down to the gram is accounted for.

This was demonstrated by the pro cyclist not losing any weight throughout the Tour, meaning he had to eat about 7,000 calories each day for 3 weeks. On the other hand, our average Joe lost 4-5 pounds, and I imagine he started feeling quite low on energy towards the end. For the ultra-endurance enthusiasts, calories are king. Your fitness goes a long way, but there comes a point where refueling those calories can determine success versus failure.

If you're planning a mock Tour de France, or similarly crazy feats like rowing across the Atlantic Ocean or the Lake Tahoe 200 mile run, it's within the capabilities of all of us. But, expect lots of training and lots of calories.

This article first appeared on Outdoors on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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