Nutrition for the DC – Ian Craig
These are notes from the recent Bike Max Power 'DC Strategies' workshop at Helderberg World
Race Nutrition
The race is over 200km and is broken into 5 possible segments - fuel-stops points are at:
- 34km – Tradouw Pass
- 63km – Op De Tradouw
- 105km – Montagu
- 163km – Bonnievale
The early stages are shorter, but this where much of the climbing is. If you are heading for a 6hr effort, this is an average of just over 1hr per stage and if you are heading for a 10hr effort, this would be just under 2hrs per stage. So, at most you will need to fuel yourself on the bike for 2 hours, which is not an excessive time.
How much fluid?
Depending on the heat and humidity on the day, how fast you are riding and how much you personally sweat, you may lose anywhere from ½l to 2-3l per hour. So, you probably can't keep up with fluid loses – it may be realistic to take in 0.5-1l of fluid per hour. If you are riding slowly though and taking your time at fuel stops, please don't drink excessively (over 1-2l per hour) because diluting your body fluids too much can in rare cases need medical treatment (if intrigued, Google 'hyponatremia').
Have on your bike 2 x 750ml bottles per segment, which should be plenty. Most of the fluid should be a sports drink so that you can maximise your fuel intake. With such a long race, though, it is best to include a reasonable amount of solid food, so perhaps dilute one of your bottles if you are eating a lot. Plain water is not the best option because it doesn't provide salts or sugar for the body and won't be absorbed as efficiently as a sports drink.
Which Sports Drinks?
These are sports drinks that I would rate for such an event:
- Hammer: Sustained Energy & Prepetium
- Cytosport: Cytosport and Pre-formance
- PVM (Energy Dynamics): Octane
- Cadence: Revolution
- Reflex: The Edge
The cheap drinks like Energade, Powerade and Lucozade will make you glow in the dark with the amount of colours and flavours in them and are really just a blend of sugar and water (and good marketing).
It is very easy to do a DIY option – see www.bikemaxpower.com/blogs for my discussion of a grape-based drink. Next week, I'll talk about a DIY Rooibos drink. The most important thing to say about sports drinks is, practice in training and find one you like.
Solid Snacks
- ½ Bananas
- Baby Potatoes
- Fruit Loaf
- Nougat
- Rusks
- Protein bars
- Mule Bars
- Jungle Oat Bars
- AIM FOR 1 SOLID SNACK PER HOUR
Homemade Crunchies – for those who enjoy baking!
- 200g Porridge Oats
- 150g Dried Apricots, chopped
- 150g Peanut Butter or Tahini
- 100g Self Raising Flour
- 1 scoop Protein Powder
- 25g Mixed Seeds (blended)
- ½ tsp Bicarb of Soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon
Combine ingredients in a bowl, press into a baking tray and bake for 20-25mins at 190oC
(Makes about 12 bars)
Ergogenic Aids
These are supplements that have been shown to improve performance. There are only really two that I would rave about:
1. Caffeine
- Can increase fat breakdown and decrease carb use
- May reduce perceived pain in leg muscles during cycling
- Usual dose is 5-10mg/kg BW 1-hour before race
- The average cup of coffee contains 60-150mg, average tea 20-50mg and soft drinks about 50mg
2. Creatine
- A possible strategy for water loading
- Has been shown to decrease muscle damage after marathon running, so good chance that it will help cyclists
- 5g per day for 2 weeks +
Warning: as I mentioned for the water loading, please talk to somebody who knows how to use these products and try them in training – they can potentially make a big difference to performance, but you need to get it right or it can mess up your race!
Post-race Recovery
These are some products that I rate for after training or racing:
- Hammer: Recoverite
- Cytosport: Muscle Milk
- PVM (Energy Dynamics): Re-ignite
- Cadence: Revive
- Your DIY option is simply to mix 20g whey protein powder with your sports drink or fruit juice. Or you can blend up a smoothie with 20g whey protein, natural yoghurt and fruit (with milk or fruit juice to liquefy). So, somebody please bring their blender to the finish line!
To relax your muscles after the event, soak in an Epsom Salt bath – 2 cups of Epsom Salts in a bath of warm water for 20mins plus. They are magnesium sulphate crystals – magnesium relaxes muscles and sulphur is a building block for repair.
Good luck on the day – plan ahead and be prepared to enjoy the ride. If you would like any more information, send me an email – ian@craigcoaching.com
