NUTRITION AND TRAINING FOR CYCLING

I've attended a seminar run by Daniel Lloyd (formerly of Garmin, now IG Sigma Sport) and Dr Robert Child (worked with Cervelo, Geox and Brajkovic).
There was a lot to take in and a lot of it. The part about power meters' parameters was a bit lost on me as were some of the nutritionist terms. These are just some points I've picked up that I wanted to remind myself. Any mistakes are solely mine.


- Change in the way I eat: huge breakfast, medium lunch, small dinner.
- Because I commute on the bike I have to split breakfast in two, starting with kipper or eggs and coffee, riding, then porridge and some fruit, possibly some toast with jam too.
- Lunch: Meat/fish, veg, rice
- Dinner: Meat/fish, salad
- Good for protein: Milk and eggs (antioxidants); Fish and meat (creatine, carnosine, carnitine)
- Not good: Most dairy, white bread, soy
- Omega: Fish and Olive oil (omega 3 can be taken with 3x1000mg tablets, it reduces HR, improves mood and ventilation)

RECOVERY
Sugar
White bread
White rice
Pasta
Boiled potatoes
Eggs
Milk
Whey protein shake (the most efficient)

PRE-EVENT
Porridge
Chickpeas
Apples

Having a bit of sugar is not a drama, also eating fatty meats like lamb is better than avoiding them as the benefits are greater, lamb is very high in iron. Fats will be used for fuel anyway.
Try a protein bar towards the last few kms of a long ride to start recovery. Pros recover by drinking shake straight away even before showering and a fruit salad for the sugars, then have a bit of pasta and later, after washing and massage, a full meal.
Keep body fat between 10% and 15% as any lower and you risk getting ill.

SHORT RACE/TT/CRIT
- 2 day taper
- High carbs, high GI meal the evening before (turkey or chicken breasts too)
- 2 hrs before event eat high carbs, high GI, low fiber (herring, chicken, beef)

SPORTIVE
- 2 day taper
- High carbs, high GI for the 2 evenings before event
- High carbs, high GI, low fiber 2hrs before event

TRAINING
Hard 2hrs ride more efficient than 5hrs low intensity ride. Especially when mixed with some interval training.
On a longer ride of 4hrs: 20mins warm up, then 45mins hard, 2hrs tempo, 45mins hard, recover.
Power meters more efficient than HR monitors, as your heart reacts to altitude, fatigue, external events and is slower in showing the efforts as they happen.
Form can be kept all year around by taking the right amount of rest between efforts but without resting too much.