Performance Nutrition in Elite Sport
With over 10 years of experience in elite sport and high-performance environments, I have worked across professional cycling, football, basketball and alpine skiing, supporting athletes and teams at the highest level of competition.
My international experience spans professional teams, high-performance centres and multidisciplinary environments, where I combine performance nutrition, applied physiology and evidence-based practice to develop practical strategies tailored to the demands of each athlete and sport.
Below you can find some of the most relevant ones:
Maurten – Lead Performance Dietitian Europe
Tudor Pro Cycling Team (Switzerland)
INEOS Grenadiers Cycling Team (United Kingdom)
Apex 2100 Ski Academy (Tignes, French Alps)
Deportivo Alavés S.A.D. – Saski Baskonia S.A.D. (Vitoria, Spain)
Liverpool Women FC (Liverpool, United Kingdom)
Maurten – Lead Performance Dietitian Europe
As Lead Performance Dietitian Europe at Maurten, my role focuses on leading nutrition across Europe, working at the intersection of science, performance and practical application.
I work closely with athletes, teams and different departments within Maurten, contributing to athlete support, nutrition education, research initiatives and product development.
My work involves translating scientific evidence into clear and practical nutrition strategies, supporting sponsored athletes and teams, delivering educational content and collaborating with R&D, Marketing and Sales to ensure that our nutrition approach is evidence-based and relevant to the demands of endurance sport.
I am also involved in research and testing initiatives exploring areas such as female athlete physiology, energy expenditure, carbohydrate utilisation and fuelling strategies, with the aim of continuing to develop our understanding of performance nutrition and its practical application in sport.
Tudor Pro Cycling Team
As Head of the Nutrition Department and part of the coaching group, my role involved working closely with the performance, medical and general staff, including sports directors, coaches, doctors and soigneurs, to create science-based protocols with a strong focus on practical delivery.
I provided on- and off-race support, both on-site and remotely, to all riders on an individual and team basis, working towards performance and health-related goals.
My responsibilities included body composition management, physiological and metabolic adaptations, fuelling strategies, recovery, and both theoretical and practical nutrition education.
I also worked with external collaborators, including hotels and sports nutrition brands, to ensure the effective implementation of nutrition strategies throughout training camps and competitions.
INEOS Grenadiers Cycling Team
As a sports nutritionist, I was part of the team that won two consecutive Giro d’Italia titles in 2020 (Tao Geoghegan Hart) and 2021 (Egan Bernal).
My role combined personalised nutritional support for each rider with the planning of the team's overall nutrition strategy, working closely with chefs, sports directors and soigneurs to implement nutrition strategies before, during and after racing.
This involved extensive planning and execution adapted to the group, the nutritional demands of each stage, race strategy, the role of each rider, environmental conditions and the logistical characteristics of the race.
In this video you can discover the nutrition strategy we implemented with Tao for his 2020 Giro d’Italia victory.
A Grand Tour such as the Giro d’Italia presents a particular level of complexity when designing a nutrition strategy.
It consists of 21 consecutive days of racing, with stages lasting 4–5 hours and elevation gain that can exceed 4,000 metres. Race tactics, the role of each rider and weather conditions all play a crucial role when designing a nutrition strategy for each day and every hour of competition.
Tao's victory at the 2020 Giro d’Italia was unexpected compared with our initial plan, but it was not simply a matter of chance. Teamwork, focus and a carefully planned strategy were the key ingredients behind the victory of the Trofeo Senza Fine.
“We had an excellent working relationship and I achieved some of my best results during this time!”
“I worked very closely with Ainhoa for two years.
Around races, we planned every aspect of nutrition, especially during Grand Tours, from energy intake during the race to recovery strategies and, at times, working towards weight-maintenance goals.
We had an excellent working relationship and I achieved some of my best results during this time! Many good and valuable memories.”
Tao Geoghegan Hart, UCI WorldTeam cyclist with INEOS Grenadiers and 2020 Giro d’Italia winner.
Apex 2100 Ski Academy
I worked within this innovative project, where the school format is integrated with a high-performance centre, allowing skiers aged 12 to 21 to live, study and train with the ambition of becoming professional athletes and competing for victories at World Championship and Olympic level.
My role covered different areas, including the education of the skiers through the creation and delivery of an educational curriculum for the different age groups, as well as education for staff, chefs, coaches and parents of the residents.
From a performance perspective, I worked on redesigning the catering service, creating new menus and recipes, developing nutrition protocols for training, camps and competitions both at home and away, and working with the medical team on blood testing, hydration, and injury prevention and management.
Deportivo Alavés S.A.D. – Saski Baskonia S.A.D.
As Head of the Nutrition Department, I covered the nutritional needs of the first teams of Alavés and Baskonia, potential academy players, and athletes from the Baskonia-Alavés International Academy.
My role combined daily work with players, including weight monitoring, anthropometric measurements for body composition assessment, supplementation strategies and nutritional planning adapted to training requirements.
At team level, my work focused on menu design with the catering service, as well as communication with hotels for away matches, including travel plans, competition menus and adaptations to travel logistics.
Key competitive achievements:
Deportivo Alavés:
Copa del Rey Final against Barcelona FC (2016–2017 season)
Best first half-season in the club's history, reaching 4th position in the league table (2018–2019)
Baskonia:
ACB Play-Off Final 2018: Baskonia – Real Madrid
EuroLeague Play-Off Final 2019
“You are working with someone who understands, looks for what is best for the athlete and does it through consistent, controlled day-to-day work.”
“What I would highlight most from my experience of working with Ainhoa is the joy and kindness with which she works. She is very easy to work with; you can see that you are working with someone who understands, who looks for what is best for the athlete and does it through consistent, controlled day-to-day work.
The combination of all of this gives the player a great deal of confidence.”
Bojan Krkić, Vissel Kobe football player (J1 League, Japan) and former player of Barcelona FC, Roma FC, Stoke City FC, Deportivo Alavés and Montreal FC, among others.
“For me, the three fundamental pillars that every athlete, or person in general, should take care of are food, the body and the mind. With Ainhoa, I learned that without these three foundations, both my professional sporting career and my life could have been much more complicated. I am grateful for the year we worked together at Baskonia, where I learned that without my body I am nobody, neither in my family life nor in sport.”
Rafa Luz, Bilbao Basket basketball player and former Saski Baskonia player.
Liverpool Women FC
Consecutive champions of the FA Women's Super League in the United Kingdom.
My role involved providing personalised nutritional support to each player, assessing body composition through anthropometric measurements and DXA, developing the team's nutrition education strategy, and planning travel nutrition and menus for away matches.
“Thanks to working with Ainhoa, I have learned how to manage my nutrition and understand my body better. Thanks to her work, I am extending my sporting career.”
“You should always work with the best to keep growing.”
Borja Sánchez, football player at UD San Sebastián (Primera División RFEF)
“What I value most about Ainhoa, on the one hand, is her great professional ability, with extensive training and a constant drive for growth and learning, always providing a very high-quality service.
On the other hand, there is her personality: Ainhoa is approachable, pleasant and treats the athlete with great care, providing support not only from a technical perspective and through her knowledge, but also by empathising with the player and finding the best way to help them.
She is someone you can trust and know will be there to help whenever you need it. I consider Ainhoa an entrepreneurial woman who has continuously overcome challenges, looking for new horizons and areas in which to develop.”
Manu García, former player and captain of Deportivo Alavés (La Liga) and player at Aris Limassol FC (Cyprus 1st Division)
Other media appearances:
Interview with the newspaper MARCA, published both in print and online.
