The long summer cycling sportifs are drawing to a close (sigh) but it doesn\u2019t mean that you can\u2019t aim for a PB or seek improvements to your cycling performance and nutrition \u2013 there\u2019s still time to finesse what you already know.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Sharon Madigan, one of the country\u2019s leading sports nutritionists, gives us her advice for those embarking on both the 95km and 150km distances.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
You won\u2019t know the importance of good pre, during and post race nutrition until you\u2019ve made a mess of it \u2013 but here\u2019s how you can avoid it and use your food to fuel your best race performance of the summer.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
According to Sharon, the key thing to do here will be to adapt the food you are consuming to suit the distance that you\u2019re doing \u2013 and it goes without saying that the longer spin at 150km will require a little more pre planning and preparation to make sure you\u2019re properly fuelled.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t do anything different in terms of using food sources you haven\u2019t used before on the day of the race itself \u2013 stick to what you know works well for you.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cThe days before the race will be critical here too as getting the extra food in in the days previously can take the pressure off you on the day of the race itself.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople often focus on just the race itself and don\u2019t think about their food consumption in the days before and the hours after the race \u2013 you need to look at the bigger picture here.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s key that after the race you fuel up well \u2013 don\u2019t forget \u2013 you\u2019re going to burn through all the calories you\u2019ve consumed whilst you\u2019re out on the bike \u2013 you still have your normal daily calorie intake to consider.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s why the days before can really stand to you. I would suggest that instead of a lunch and dinner the day before you would have two main meals on the Friday and have a substantial supper as well.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cThis approach will work particularly well for people who tend to experience the pre race jitters and find it difficult to eat the morning before the race.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cYou could eat a massive bowl of porridge in the morning \u2013 but even a huge bowl is about 400 calories \u2013 you\u2019ll probably burn twice or treble those amount of calories during the race.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cTry to go for low volume foods that pack a punch \u2013 try and avoid fibre heavy foods and go for richer carbs.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cYou could try mixing your cereals \u2013 so have some Bran Flakes but include corn flakes and rice krispies so you\u2019ll get the carbs but not that heavy volume food.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cSmaller snacks like fruit compote or even stewed fruit with sugar and yoghurt are also great on the go snacks as well,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Of course, we\u2019re living in an age where lots of contradictory statements are thrown around about food and food groups, and some people might suggest to aim for \u201chealthier\u201d food sources \u2013 but Sharon says that context is key in relation to this;<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you don\u2019t meet you\u2019re nutritional requirements then you\u2019re going to be leaving yourself vulnerable to illnesses and injuries so I would describe that as unhealthy too \u2013there is a time and a place for everything and you\u2019re going to find it difficult to get foods that aren\u2019t going to be too heavy on your stomach without opting for some lighter calorie dense options.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
If you find yourself analysing your cycling post race and aren\u2019t quite sure whether or not you could have been fuelled better, we asked Sharon to outline some performance indicators.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you\u2019re training has been nailed down and you have the physical fitness \u2013 I always say to people you don\u2019t lose fitness in a day or two so you have to look at other external factors.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you\u2019re feeling fatigued half way through and are finding that you just don\u2019t have that extra gear in you to get you towards the finish line \u2013 it might be worth looking at your nutrition to see if there\u2019s something you could improve,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
But \u2013 and some food for thought with the last tip \u2013 as Sharon says \u2013 there\u2019s always room to refine and improve even if you were happy with how you managed your nutrition.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Something to work towards for the next season anyway!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The long summer cycling sportifs are drawing to a close (sigh) but it doesn\u2019t mean that you can\u2019t aim for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":96,"featured_media":1085,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[70],"tags":[],"global-categories":[],"class_list":["post-1083","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cycling-in-ireland"],"yoast_head":"\n