Interesting Information

[CorsairMac]

For those of you that don't subscribe to RoadBikeRider.com's weekly newsletter I thought this was very interesting:



Interbike, the cycling industry's biggest trade show, wasn't only about bikes and equipment (covered in newsletter No. 214). Several seminars each day educated retailers on topics ranging from bike advocacy to marketing strategies.



PowerBar sponsored a roundtable discussion on cycling nutrition. When we saw who'd be there, we took time away from the show floor to listen, learn and get off our feet. Among pro riders from four cycling disciplines (road, mountain bike, BMX and triathlon) were Tour de France stage winner George Hincapie of Discovery Channel and U.S. time trial champion Christine Thorburn, M.D., of Webcor Builders. Also participating was Eric Zaltas, a PowerBar sports nutritionist.



The athletes were engaging. They disclosed their personal favorite foods and eating routines. What follows isn't necessarily how you should handle nutritional needs, but it's how they do.



---Hincapie: "I eat breakfast three hours before a Tour stage. Usually an omelet, rice and breads. I also like oatmeal if it's available. I avoid sweet stuff like jam because it can cause my stomach to feel bad all day."



---Thorburn: "Oatmeal is a great meal before time trialing. Then I'll have a gel 30 minutes before the start."



---Hincapie: "If it's cold I eat more before and during a race because the body will burn more fuel. I'll start eating as soon as the race begins."



---Thorburn: "Your body needs more fuel during intense workouts. Keep an eye on your bike computer or watch and have a gel every 45 minutes."



---Hincapie: "On a training ride under two hours, I just take water. If it's over two hours I take gel and bars."



---Hincapie: "I watch what I eat in winter so I don't gain weight. I use carbs solely for fuel before and during rides. For dinner I have a salad and protein with minimal carbs."



---Zaltas: "Keep protein and fat relatively constant in your diet. But carbohydrate should vary widely according to your needs."



---Zaltas: "During a ride, consume 30-60 grams of carbohydrate per hour. You're burning more but you can't assimilate more. This is equivalent to one bottle of sports drink plus an energy bar or one or two gels. If you eat more than this, it won't help."



---Zaltas: "Your goal should be not to lose more than 2% of body weight on any ride. If you do, you are dehydrated. But you should also not gain weight on any ride. If you do, it indicates overhydration and the risk of hyponatremia."



---Zaltas: "200-400 mg of caffeine is a proven performance enhancer. More than that does not improve performance further. Studies have shown there is no need to worry about dehydration when exercising due to caffeine."



---Zaltas: "The goal [for hydration] is to have urine the color of a good pale ale, not a lager and certainly not Guinness."



---Zaltas: "Should protein be combined with carbohydrate during exercise? It depends on the how the study was designed. No study has shown a detriment. A couple have shown a benefit."



---Hincapie: "In a race I eat as much a I can. The goal is not to lose weight in a race because racing is already so hard on the body. Training isn't as hard, so I don't eat as much when training as when racing."



---Thorburn: "If you don't eat, you're not going to perform well in this sport. And [women] need to get enough iron."



---Thorburn: "I can tell you personally that it takes two weeks to recover from a bonk. So avoid it!"



---Hincapie: "For years I stopped drinking alcohol two months before the Tour. This year we had a bottle of wine on the table and it was my best Tour ever."

______________________________________

[DeniseGoldberg]

I found that interesting too when I read the newsletter yesterday.

For any roadies out there who don't get this newsletter, I'd encourage you to sign up for it - lot's of good info, and it's free.

http://www.roadbikerider.com

[SadieKate]

Interesting tidbits.

I just purchased The Paleo Diet for Athletes even though it initially sounds a bit wacky. Joel Friel, the highly credible author of The Cyclist's Training Bible co-authored it. Anyone read it yet?

The concept sounds very similar to what is being said about carbs in those comments. However, I recently read that you don't burn more calories in the cold weather. Anybody else remember that?