Tread carefully on cutting carbs -- we need carbs in endurance activities. Body-building doesn't work the same way in terms of power demands. It is a pure power in bursts activity, versus long periods of sustained power. I might cut back on caloric intake overall, because I agree with V that a calorie taken in is a calorie taken in. But I don't like the low-carb or no-carb weight reduction plans. I prefer to just count calories very carefully for my basic sustenance level, plus replace all I burned that day. And if you count everything you eat, you might find some other little snackies during the day that you can cut out while allowing you to leave your normal dinner intact.

Three years ago my hubby cut carbs to lose weight at the same time he was boosting his cycling efforts. The result was a disastrous mid-ride bonk that led to a crash, followed by surgery, a long hospital stay & months of rehab afterwards. All because his body completely ran out of stores for him to draw on. He was cutting carbs out of his dinners because he figured that you burn the least calories at night when you are sleeping so you don't need them with dinner.

I have learned a lot about my own metabolism over the past few years of riding lots. I have found I am not terribly effective at processing foods, and don't have much to call on in terms of stores. I can't change that, but I know what it is & can work with it. I find I don't need to eat as much as I used to think I did, but I know better what to eat & when. It is a delicate balancing act.

I read your race results & was pretty impressed with your performance. Maybe your weight is right for you. Sounds like despite a lack of support from your team, you tried to ride hard. I would suggest there were some other issues that hampered you that day, both of which you identified, & both of which could have caused you serious time losses. I am a good climber myself, as I am small & thin, but climbing into a headwind is no easy task & my speed drops considerably then. And riding on the worst day of my period will give me a completely forgettable ride. I don't race, but I'm hard on myself in terms of my riding abilities & am very competitive, so I can understand wanting to do better. But sometimes we just have a bad day. Which is why we go out there again to ride another day!