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Coach Rob Lesson #7 - On bike nutrition strategies




I get asked all kinds of questions about sports nutrition as a coach. What I share is practical knowledge based on my own experience as an athlete and a coach. It also doesn’t hurt to be coached by one of the best Sport Nutritionists in the industry, Kelli Jennings of Apex Nutrition LLC.

What I am going to share is just the basics of in ride nutrition strategies. I also want you to think of nutrition on the bike as fuel!

When fueling for a ride you must first think of the day in its entirety not just the time you are on the bike. When you eat and what you eat will play a very large part in how well you do on the ride.

What I eat during the day

On the day of a race or a long training day I like to keep it simple. My daily nutrition consists of whole foods with little to no processed food. I will consume more protein than your average person due to my high volume of training. My protein sources come from lean meats, fish and whey protein. When I am concerned with daily carbs I also like to limit it to fruits and vegetables. I try to limit/remove sugars and starchy carbs as well as they can lead to insulin spikes and the inevitable low energy crash. The healthier I eat the more this “crash” is noticeable when I cheat and eat something I shouldn’t.



So where do all of the gels, sports drinks and protein bars come in?

In normal weather conditions I only consume sports drinks, gels before and during rides and races lasting longer than 1.5 hours. If it’s hot and the humidity is over the top I will consume sports drinks on rides 40 minutes or greater due to potential electrolyte loss. I will only eat protein bars after a long race or ride when it is not easy to consume a recovery shake of my own design.

That’s it?

I hate to say it but I like to keep it simple when it comes to my nutrition concerns and rarely change my diet. I have found that the longer I train and race the less time I want to spend over analyzing what I am eating.

What if I don’t have access to my favorite nutrition?

I recently received a comment from a reader of the Silk Route Blog that liked my sports drink formula in the hydration article but when they calculated how much they were going to need they calculated about 100lbs of Sports Drink Mix in an effort to meet my requirements for hydration. To answer I have a simple response to all concerned. “Do the best you can with what you have.” This is actually some of the best advice I was ever given as a child from my Grandfather and it has helped me through many a tough decision.

It may be impossible to get your favorite nutrition on a cycling expedition but there are few rules that you can follow on an expedition that will help you stay healthy.

•    Eat cleaned whole foods (Fruits, Vegetables, Roots, Nuts, Berries, Lean Meats/Protein)
•    Stay away from packaged foods that have ingredients you do not recognize
•    Stay away from packaged foods that do not have ingredients listed
•    Drink only water that has been purified or bottled
•    Stay away from packaged foods that contain sugar alcohols, as they can be tough on digestion especially in hot climates
•    Stay away from High Fructose Corn Syrup as a sweetener used in many packaged sports drinks and supplements

As I said before do the best you can. You may be in the middle of nowhere and only have a handful of power bars and can of coke to fuel with. Its not the end of the world its just not the best fuel for the long haul.

As I wrote at the beginning of this article this was going to be very basic and non technical and I will give you one more piece of advice that has served me well on long rides. “Eat before you are hungry and drink before you are thirsty.”

I hope you found this article on nutrition strategies helpful and if you have questions related to this or other articles please feel free to contact  me.

Have a great ride,

Coach Rob

Coach Rob Grissom is a competitive cyclist, runner and duathlete who coaches both competitive and recreational cyclists. Rob is also the owner of Positive Performance Coaching and the co-host of the popular Cycling360 podcast. When Rob isn’t racing, training or coaching he can be found spending time with his wife and two children at their home in Central Kentucky. 

Related articles

•    Dealing with illness as a cyclist
•    Garbage In Garbage Out
•    Quick Protein Smoothies
•    Weight loss strategies for cyclists Pt 1
•    Pt 1 of 4: Supplementing for cycling performance?

Related Podcasts

•    Carbs and Cycling
•    Weight Maintenance for Cyclists



 

Posted May 08, 2012 by Tour d'Afrique Ltd.
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Pamir Highway Section nearly full!!! 3 spots still available!




The decision to change the route of the Silk Route Tour to include the Pamir Highway was made a couple of years ago, and we can tell that a lot of people are very happy that the decision was made.  The section is nearing capacity and at this time we have room for only 3 more participants. 



If you’re on the fence now is the time to sign up!  When the section does fill up completely, we’ll make a waiting list, and if we get enough people on the waiting list to make it worthwhile adding more vehicles and support on the ground then we’d be able to let more people come.  



Hurry up and join our merry group of adventurists this summer!  It’s going to be an unforgettable ride in some of the most stunning mountain scenery on earth.

Posted May 03, 2012 by Tour d'Afrique Ltd.
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Rider Profile: Ross Thomson (Full Tour)




Having completed two of our tours Ross is a veteran TdAer. The Silk Route will be his longest tour with us and most likely one of the most challenging.  I caught up with  Ross recently to get his thoughts on the tour.


Hey Ross, just to be thorough, tell us your full name, age, occupation and anything you'd like to tell us about yourself:

Ross Thomson, 61, retired forester, currently employed as a cyclist in training for a cross Asian bike tour. 

I bet there are quite of few people who are envious of your current ‘job’, why did you choose the Silk Route bike tour for your next adventure?

I've biked across Canada and Europe, this will complete the round the world journey.

Nice. We’ve got a round the world adventure in the works coming soon, its still a bit of a secret so I’ll tell you more about it when we’re on tour. 

What makes you a little nervous about this trip?

Cycling at high elevations, cycling up long steep hills, cycling through burning hot deserts, eating different/strange foods for 4 months.

What do you look forward to the most?

"Cycling at high elevations, cycling up long steep hills, cycling through burning hot deserts, eating different/strange foods for 4 months.

Also, seeing different people and cultures. "

I hear you, the Silk Route certainly has its share of extreme condition, I have a love hate relationship with them myself.  This tour has set the bar for what the term “hot” means for me.  I imagine the Pamir Highway will set a few benchmarks.

What kind of bike are you bringing?

Aren't they supplied???  Okay, a titanium cyclo-cross, disc brakes, Shimano mountain bike drive train, no campy gear (that's for you Paul!) - note: Ross historically rides a bike with a Campy drivetrain, something that has caused him, and our tour mechanics more that a few headaches....

How have you been training? Do you feel prepared?

Training has been going slowly as the weather has been cold, damp, and windy. I hate cycling in adverse conditions. I'm not as well prepared as I would like but I'm confident that I will quickly get in "tour shape".

If you could give one piece of advice to someone going on their first tour with us what would it be?

Embrace Everything. The different people, cultures, foods, language, the uniqueness of all that you see, the scenery.  Embrace and enjoy any "bonus tours" (we don't get lost).

That is very good advice.  As I recall you have done quite a few “bonus miles” over the years with us.  Attitude is everything when things go a little astray. 

Any final thoughts?

Don't forget to enjoy the diversity of the group.  There is a wide range of personalities and yet there is the common bond of tackling an incredible journey together.  You just might find a new friend for life.

Thanks for your time Ross, I guess I’ll be seeing you in about two weeks in Shanghai!

Posted April 29, 2012 by Tour d'Afrique Ltd.
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Ross Thomson Prepares for the Silk Route


In preparation for my big adventure this summer I have been experimenting with different bikes.

 In order to avoid the hassle of putting up my tent in the afternoon and then taking it down in the morning.....



And in case if sudden rains, here is a solution that should help out.....

 

And then there is the problem of staying hydrated during the ride.  No problem now, I can even share......



And with the issue of safety being paramount, my new bike helmet.....

 


--  Ross Thomsom, Silk Route Full Tour rider 2012









Posted April 20, 2012 by Tour d'Afrique Ltd.
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Silk Route 2012




For the First Time Ever the Silk Route Bike Tour will Travel the Pamir Highway, "the Roof of the World", and Through Iran in 2012

Tour d’Afrique Ltd, the company known for pushing the boundaries of conventional bike touring, has made significant changes to its Silk Route Bike Tour including adding sections that will tackle the M41 Highway in Tajikistan, also know as the Pamir Highway or “Roof of the World” and a section that will take riders through Iran.

The Pamir Highway is the second highest international highway in the world and seldom travelled by foreigners. Vestiges of the old Silk Route can be seen in the cliff top fortresses and Caravanserai along the highwayQuote end

Even though the company has run its Silk Route Bike Tour 3 times previously this years tour is almost entirely new. “Its essentially like running the tour for the first time” said tour director Paul McManus. “Not only has much of the route been changed but we’re cycling from East to West, instead of the traditional West to East direction”.

The company is very excited about two new sections of the tour, The Pamir Highway Section from Kashgar to Dushanbe in Tajikistan and The Garden of Eden Section which passes through Iran.

The Roof of the World



The Pamirs is a mountainous area in the Gorno-Badakshan Autonomous Oblast (GBAO) of Tajikistan – known as the Roof of the World (Krisha Mira). It’s composed of some of the most remote and untouched areas in the world, including some of the tallest peaks in Central Asia.

The Pamir Highway is the second highest international highway in the world and seldom travelled by foreigners. It follows paths created long ago by traders on the ancient Silk Route and vestiges of the old route can be seen in the cliff top fortresses and old caravanserais along the highway. There are only 2 roads leading through the Pamir Mountains. One is a summer one which is covered by several feet of snow until the end of May. The other is open year-round, but is longer and in such poor condition, that you really need a 4×4 vehicle in order to get through. True to their mission of running epic bike tours, the Tour d’Afrique will be taking the longer road.

Cycling Through Iran, Finally



The company first started considering adding a section through Iran in 2008 and even went so far as to scout the route. And now, after a few more years of planning and discussion the route has been approved and the decision was made to give it a try. The 2012 route enters Iran near Quchan and spends 19 days in the country including rest days in Bojnurd, Tehran and Tebriz.

Though Iran has a deservedly bad image in the media the company stresses the difference between governments and people. “On the scouting trip we found the people of Iran to be some of the most welcoming and friendly people we’ve met on any of our tours” Says company founder Henry Gold. “It’s important for people to realize that a government is not always a good representation of its people. Its big reason we run tours through these lesser travelled countries like Iran, so riders can see for themselves the reality of a place and not just form opinions solely on media reports.”

Dates and Details

The 2012 Silk Route bike tour starts on May 19th from the Bund in Shanghai, China and finishes on September 24th on the Bosporus in Istanbul, Turkey. The tour travels though seven countries and covers more than 12,000 kms. The tour is 129 days long with 104 cycling days, for an average of 125 km cycled each day, and 25 rest days. The length of each day’s ride will range from 80 km on really bad terrain to more than 180 km on good paved roads.

The tour is fully supported and includes 3 meals each riding day, vehicle support, local guides and Tour d’Afrique staff, including a medic and bike mechanic. Riders typically cycle 4-6 days in a row and then have a rest day, a day with out cycling, in a major city or place of historical interest.

Participants can register for the full tour or for one of eight shorter sections. More information can be found on the Tour d’Afrique website

Related Articles:

Silk Route 2012 - Highlights and Changes - Tour d’Afrique Blog
The Pamir Highway - Journey to the Roof of the World - Boba’s Adventures Blog
Designing from Bones - The Ancient Silk Route - Tour d’Afrique Blog

Posted March 22, 2012 by Tour d'Afrique Ltd.
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Coach Rob - Lesson #2 - Climbing Secrets




Welcome back to another article! I hope you found the last article on Pacing Strategies helpful in thinking about how you can ride smarter and more efficiently.

One of the most often sought out tips from the Positive Performance Coaching web site and the Cycling360 podcast is how to improve climbing. The query usually starts with “How to be a better climber” or “How do I climb faster”.

These are actually two very different concerns but both of them depend on many of the same variables:

Weight of the rider and bike
Grade of the climb         
Length of the climb       
Force that a cyclist can apply to the pedals        
Gearing of the bike  

There are many more variables including weather, hydration and nutrition that can play an even bigger role in how we as cyclists fair during tough rides. However I want to focus on the list above as we can deal with the most common concerns.  

To get over a hill or a mountain at the fastest possible pace we need a light bike and a light athlete. Not every cyclist strives to become a climbing specialist but we can all learn a few things from these specialists. Such as weight loss and training regimens that address climbing weaknesses.

  

Dropping a few pounds is a must and the first place to start is with YOU! Not the bike. Making some simple changes to your eating habits can pay off with big weight loss. Eating frequent smaller meals will help keep our metabolism stoked. Eating clean will also help you avoid processed foods that are loaded down with empty calories and toxic ingredients.  

Knowing how much to eat maybe the biggest key to your weight loss success. Couple calorie counting with proper energy expenditure (Training/Riding) you will loose weight. What I am talking about is learning how much you need to consume in calories. This is done by discovering what you Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) is.  

Weight Loss Tips         

Eat small meals every 2 hours, 5-6 times a day        
Eat clean, whole organic produce and lean meat         
With meat think “The less legs the better”         
Schedule a consultation with a nutritionist to learn your RMR         
Plan to lose no more than 1.5-2lbs a week to stay healthy  

Knowing your climb can be one of the most important aspects of climbing. Are you going to tackle a long steady mountain route that only has 4-6% grade? Are you going to have to tackle a short punchy climb that is less than a couple of miles but has a grade above 16%? What about those longer climbs that are anything but consistent? These climbs will give you mile after mile of 8% grades along with short descents and kick up again with an even tougher grade.  

Force is a training factor that athletes spend time developing in the offseason. Force is what is required for cyclists to push down on pedals and move forward. Moving forward up a hill requires more force.  

So how do we improve our force as cyclists? By utilizing a combination of resistance training, core training and on bike strength training cyclists can make big improvements. Any cyclist can improve their force production with some simple workouts a couple times a week.  

Work Outs

Classic resistance training has meant spending time in the gym lifting weights. Today athletes have several options for performing resistance training with out having to lift a single weight other than body weight. Please consult your physician before attempting any exercise routine.  

Try these body weighted resistance workouts

Bodyweight Squats

o        Week 1 – One set five reps
o        Week 2 – Two sets of five reps
o        Week 3 – Three sets of five reps
o        Week 4 – Three sets of five reps         

Single Leg Squats

o        Week 1 – One set five reps
o        Week 2 – Two sets of five reps
o        Week 3 – Three sets of five reps
o        Week 4 – Three sets of five reps

Try these core workouts              

Plank

o        Week 1 – One Rep 30 Seconds
o        Week 2 – One Rep 60 Seconds
o        Week 3 – One Rep 90 Seconds
o        Week 4 – One Rep 120 Seconds               

Side Plank                   

o        Week 1 – One Rep 30 Seconds
o        Week 2 – One Rep 60 Seconds
o        Week 3 – One Rep 90 Seconds
o        Week 4 – One Rep 120 Seconds

Try these balance ball workouts               

Bridge

o        Week 1 – One set five reps
o        Week 2 – Two sets of five reps
o        Week 3 – Three sets of five reps
o        Week 4 – Three sets of five reps               

Reverse Crunch

o        Week 1 – One set five reps
o        Week 2 – Two sets of five reps
o        Week 3 – Three sets of five reps
o        Week 4– Three sets of five reps

Try these on bike workouts               

Hill Repeats

o                     Find a hill that takes 3-6 minutes to ride
o                     Warm up for 10-15 minutes (light gearing high RPM)
o                     Ride up the hill seated using light gearing (No Standing!)
o                     Spin up the hill with a cadence of about 65-75 RPM
o                     Soft pedal coming back down to recover
o                     Repeat the hill climb 4-6 times
o                     Cool down by soft pedaling for the last 15-20 minutes
o                     Do this workout 1-2 times a week              

Big Ring Ride

o                     Head out on your favorite rolling terrain
o                     Warm up for 10-15 minutes (light gearing high RPM)
o                     Ride the rest of your hilly route in the Big Ring only
o                     Stay seated (Use good form!)
o                     Cool down by soft pedaling for the last 15-20 minutes
o                     Ride for 1-3 hours this way on a midweek ride and on a longer weekend ride 

                   
Strategies and Techniques

Remember that when you have climb after climb day after day that making smart decisions on how you climb can mean the difference of finishing strong or taking a ride in the back of the truck.                

Know the route and where climbs will occur on the route and ride conservatively before getting to the climb. Finish Strong!               

When riding in a group, take turns drafting so that everyone spreads the work out before reaching a climb.              

Climbing seated is the most efficient use of force. Climbing standing is great for when you just need to get your bottom off the saddle or need to stretch your legs.             

Separate your climb into smaller segments and plan on how you will ride each segment. Ride part of it on the back of the saddle part of it climbing part of it on the nose of your saddle.               

When riding a climb that changes grade frequently do not be afraid to shift up to a harder gear when the grade flattens out. This way you don’t spin your legs out when the climb kicks back up.  

I hope you found this article on climbing helpful and if you have questions related to this or other articles please feel free to email me.   Have a great ride,   Coach Rob  

Coach Rob Grissom is a competitive cyclist, runner and duathlete who coaches both competitive and recreational cyclists. Rob is also the owner of Positive Performance Coaching and the co-host of the popular Cyling360 podcast.

When Rob isn’t racing, training or coaching he can be found spending time with his wife and two children at their home in Central Kentucky.   

Related articles

How tough is your favorite climb?

Tip: Use more of your saddle when climbing

Tip: Break up with your climb  

Related Podcasts

The Climbing Show

Weight Maintenance For Cyclists  

Posted March 01, 2012 by Tour d'Afrique Ltd.
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The Father of the Turkmens strikes back




Updating our report on a Dog's life in Turkmenistan, it appears that plans to mothball the golden rotating statue of Turkmenistan's late eccentric dictator (pictured above) have been altered. One year after it was toppled as authorities sought to dismantle the leader's overwhelming personality cult, the statue has been placed atop a new, even higher tower.

The new tower, however, is on the outskirts of Ashgabat, not in the centre of the city as was the case previously.

See it for yourself on the 2012 Silk Route Bicycle Expedition.

Posted February 02, 2012 by Tour d'Afrique Ltd.
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Woof! Woof! A dog's life in Turkmenistan.




The rather eccentric leader of Turkmenistan, Saparmurat Niyazov, (who renamed months of the year after himself and members of his family) may have passed away in 2006 but his successor, Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, is staying in character by keeping a close eye on the country's dog population.



The statue of Saparmurat Niyazov (pictured above) was designed so that his face turned and followed the sun on its journey across the sky.

Visit this intriguing country on a bicycle by joining the 2012 Silk Route.

Thanks to Paul Davison for sending us this story.

Posted December 09, 2011 by Tour d'Afrique Ltd.
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Silk Route 2012

Announcing...

Silk Route ad

Only from the folks at Tour d'Afrique!

Sign up for our longest expedition: the 2012 Silk Route.

Twelve thousand one hundred and sixty kilometers. One hundred and twenty nine days. One hundred and four days on the bike. Twenty five days resting in some of Asia's most fabled cities.

Be part of an exciting new Silk Route!

Check out the revamped route, sections & prices. Then get ready to ride.

Posted April 19, 2011 by Tour d'Afrique Ltd.
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48 degrees. In the shade.



Hot.

The road from Mary, Turkmenistan to Bukhara, Uzbekistan has been a tough one.  The Kara Kum desert is really hot  and with the long days (sunrise 5 am sunset 9:00 pm) the heat is unrelenting.  Forty-eight degrees in the shade in one camp.  Over 55 degrees in the sun.  And in a desert camp there is no escape from the sun.  Even driving, the air blowing in thru the windows feels like the equivalent of shoving your head in an electric dryer.  Breakfast is a 5:00 am, riders are on the road by 5:30 and by 9 am your water bottles are hot enough to make tea with the water in them.  Traditionally the local people cook their bread on the sand and you could boil water by leaving it on the dashboard of your car.

Riders are drinking up to 15 liters of water in a day.  The faster riders are lucky.  They get to camp by 11 am or so and can sit in relative shade under our canopy and some of our camps have been near the Kara Kum canal where you can cool off, at least for bit. Some of the slower riders don’t reach camp until one or two in the afternoon when the heat is at its worst.

Every one has toughed out the heat admirably.  There have been frustrating moments, exacerbated by the heat, but in general everyone has kept their composure.  It’s a unique experience, cycling through these kinds of conditions.  An experience not many cyclists in the world will ever have.  Like many sections of our tours, it redefines what you consider difficult, or hot, or long.

The border crossing into Uzbekistan was uneventful. The process took a bit of time but went smoothly.  No matter how many borders I cross it’s always a little off putting to see young soldiers with machine guns staring at you and telling you what to do.  In the 3 hours I spent getting the TdA vehicle across though I had some pleasant moments with them.  Commiserating about the heat, marveling over the
quality of our bicycles, and (fortunately) laughing about the vodka they found in our van.

Environmental conditions aside the ride from Mary to the border was fun.  The Turkmen people are friendly and welcoming and very, very proud of their country.  We camped at a couple police checkpoints along the way and the police were always accommodating, although usually a bit confused about why we were doing what we were doing. Touring the ancient ruins of Merv, just outside the newer city of Mary was a treat.  The sense of history in Turkmenistan , as in Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan is palpable.

From here there are only two days left to the finish line in Samarkand. For most of the riders the end is coming too quickly.  It’s amazing how fast 6 weeks goes by.

Paul McManus

Posted July 02, 2010 by Tour d'Afrique Ltd.
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