On a typical Thomson Bike Tour trip, riders can climb 2 or 3 cols in one day, so proper nutrition is key to enjoying cycling in the mountains. TBT's Andrew Ward looks at the results of years of research by Hammer Nutrition and its relevance to performance cyclists riding in the mountains on a Thomson Bike Tour trip.
- Special Travel Feature By Andrew Ward of Thomson Bike Tours -
Nutritional tips for riding in the mountains
The ever-present Thomson Bike Tour support to help you finish your cycle challenge
The distances and the demands of riding in challenging terrain means that special attention should be paid to, amongst other things, fuelling your body. On a typical Thomson Bike Tour trip, riders can climb 2 or 3 cols in one day. Proper nutrition i.e. energy, recovery and hydration is key to the enjoying your cycling in the mountains. In this article we take a look at the results of many years of research by Hammer nutrition and its relevance to performance cyclists riding in the mountains on a Thomson Bike Tour trip.
Nutrition strategies are important on a climb like the Stelvio (15.1 miles, 9049 feet)
Replacement vs. Replenishment Theory
Approaching the top of Col de La Bonette – nearly 75 miles into Day 6 of the Trans-Alpine Challenge
Hammer Nutrition determined the following ranges as ideal for most athletes the majority of the time for maintaining optimum cycling performance:
There are some basic principals that are useful in organising a nutritional plan and can be summarised as follows:
• Performance cyclists cannot replace everything we expend during exercise, but we can keep ourselves going all day long if we replenish appropriately.
• Replenishment is supplying the body with what it can absorb and utilize. Using absorption/utilization factors instead of expenditure parameter gives us practical guidelines for refuelling.
• Not only is the “replace your entire expenditure” strategy (e.g., 800 cal/hr) physiologically poor, it is costly and unnecessary.
• As a rule of thumb, calorie/ water/electrolyte intake will run approximately one-third of expenditure during endurance exercise.
• Over-consumption maladies include a variety of Gastro-Intestinal and muscle system problems that could impair performance.
Energy Requirements
Steve Born of Hammer Nutrition suggests some simple strategies for fuelling the body for a Thomson Bike Tour trip:
• During a Thomson Bike Tour, it is not unusual to expend between 600-900 cal/hr. The limiting factor in fuel replenishment is gastric emptying and liver metabolism of carbohydrates. For most performance cyclists, this is in the 240-280 cal/hr range, and this, by and large, sets the limit of caloric intake. If you consume more than that, you will only get stomach issues.
• Fuelling and supplementation strategies can increase your fats-to-fuels conversion capability.
• For a cycle ride of up to two to three hours it is possible to rely on carbohydrates alone for fuel. Anything longer, and add some protein to your fuel, or your body will begin to digest its own muscle tissue for energy.
• Use complex carbohydrates as your principal source of energy for your fuel. Your body cannot absorb adequate calories in the form of simple sugars. Also, simple sugars are a poor fuel source as they cause energy spikes and crashes.
The support vans are well-stocked to help you with your nutritional requirements
Hydration
It is fundamental to consume water – dehydration will severely impair performance; however, excess water intake is probably more common and can cause problems. Overloading with water can lead to a variety of issues such as bloating, and in extreme cases, water intoxication, which can be lethal.
So what are the recommendations by Steve Born of Hammer nutrition for a typical ride in the mountains?
• For the majority of cyclists, an intake of roughly one water bottle per hour (21-24 oz; 0.6-0.7 Litres) will serve. Lighter weight athletes may not need that much, while some larger athletes on a hot day might need to go higher.
• If you end a long ride with up to a 2% weight loss, you’re okay. More than 3% and you’re into noticeable dehydration. No loss, or worse yet, weight gain, would indicate over-hydration.
Appropriate fluid intake in necessary to maintain hydration for a ride in the mountains
Recovery
A ride in the mountains puts stress on your muscles and cardiovascular system. So, when you’ve finished, you need to replenish the depleted body with the nutrition it needs. You need to supply your body with all of the necessary nutrients so that it has the raw materials to reconstruct muscle, repair tissues, and replace energy sources and other nutrients. Effective recovery addresses three general areas: (1) carbohydrates for energy re-supply, (2) protein for muscle repair and rebuilding, and (3) vitamins & minerals for micronutrient replenishment. The main principals for recovery, according to Steve Born, are as follows:
• Timing is crucial to get the maximum benefit for the above physiological work. Shortly after you finish your ride, you have a brief period during which your body absorbs and metabolizes nutrients most efficiently: within 30 to 60 minutes after the ride is optimal.
• In general, you want to get about 0.35 – 0.71 oz. (10-20 grams) of protein and 1.06 – 2.12 oz .(30-60 grams) of complex carbohydrates into your body.
• A ride in the mountains greatly increases your oxygen consumption and metabolism; therefore it is desirable to incorporate a comprehensive range of antioxidants into your recovery plan.
• Re-hydration time is important too. A recovery drink will provide the proper balance of carbohydrate and protein, along with plenty of fluid to wash down your recovery supplements.
TBT Riders using the support vans in the mountains
We hope the advice contained in this article will help anyone contemplating doing a Thomson Bike Tour ride prepare their nutritional strategies and enjoy their time while they are riding in the mountains with us. For more information on Thomson Bike Tour rides consult: www.ThomsonBikeTours.com.
I’m just digging out from a few days at the BMC training camp, and while I won’t be reporting on doing Jaeger-bombs and Redbulls with Cadel & George, ... More....
When the now defunct Belgian newspaper Het Volk first organized Omloop Het Volk in 1945 to capitalize on the growing popularity of bicycling racing ... More....
When you get an invite from the nation’s premier component maker to join a metric century in wine country that is fully catered, you grab the clean ... More....
Six Day racing comes to Berlin for the 99th time on Thursday, 28th January, 2010 with the great tradition of winter track racing in Germany in a ... More....
One more day, one more sprint! Sky had the goods to finish the week Down Under the same way they started: 1-2. The rest of the favorites were hot on ... More....
American Classic spent the last couple of years reworking their line up and the 420 Aeros are the latest to leave the bench. Take a look at the new ... More....
A couple years in the making, Pez head up to see arguably the top custom builder on the planet. We hit Serotta's NY shop, take a peek at their ... More....
You’ve still got today and all of tomorrow to ‘git ‘er done! Your holiday shopping that is… and armed with the complete set of 4 gift guides ... More....
If the stocking's not full - somebody's not doing their job. Good thing we're here to help with a big ol' bag full of the kind of stuff we'd love to ... More....
Winter riding is almost upon us - except for you lucky Aussies - and that means less riding outdoors. But with an indoor trainer and a Netflix ... More....
Many ergogenic aids, both legal and illegal, have been touted as the magic bullet that will improve cycling performance. What about something that ... More....
Having goals is one of the important first steps in achieving your dreams. They can be small goals or they can be big goals, but without them you’ll ... More....
Is cycling your religion, or at least one of them? If so, you’re not alone. Many people define themselves as “spiritual,” even if they don’t practice ... More....
Post-Giro Roadside: I love Scotland; but there’s no Gazzetta in the morning, most of the coffee tastes like John Wayne brewed it beside the ... More....
Sunday July 20th 1969; that’s 40 years ago now but I remember it clearly as the day that I first became aware of professional bicycle racing – I was ... More....
Roadside Recap: As we make our merry way through the rounds of the PEZ Looks Back, Ed is up for his retrospective on the Tour that was. As the ... More....
Coming on four years ago, Saul Raisin was one of THE big things in US pro cycling. Top 40 in a hard Tour de Suisse and mountain king at the Tour de ... More....
The last time we spoke to Garmin's Steve Cozza was after the 2008 Paris - Tours; where he produced another solid performance from a consistent and ... More....
Just about to start his second season with Cervélo - thanks to strong Classic rides and his first Grand Tour finish, in the Giro - Englishman, Dan ... More....
In October, nine-time Tour de France rider Frankie Andreu announced that he would be Director Sportif of the Ohio-based KENDA Pro Cycling p/b ... More....
With so many (too many?) others looking back to best-of-2009 or decade highlights, why not look ahead? A new decade beckons, after all, so who better ... More....
We first talked with Lostende Bike Tours owner and avid cyclist Allan Reeves about his Pyrenees Cycling Challenge, from the Atlantic to the ... More....
So, riding in Texas is mostly flat, with only tumbleweeds and armadillos to avoid right? Well, not exactly. You see, Austin is situated in what’s ... More....
I’m just digging out from a few days at the BMC training camp, and while I won’t be reporting on doing Jaeger-bombs and Redbulls with Cadel & George, ... More....
When the now defunct Belgian newspaper Het Volk first organized Omloop Het Volk in 1945 to capitalize on the growing popularity of bicycling racing ... More....
When you get an invite from the nation’s premier component maker to join a metric century in wine country that is fully catered, you grab the clean ... More....
Race report: Alejandro Valverde stayed upright to seal his Vuelta victory – the first Grand Tour win of his career. On such a short stage, ... More....
Race Report: Today David Millar won his 5th stage in all his Vuelta’s, he was given one of the swords that Toledo is famous for along with the ... More....
Updated! Hallelujah, they're racing in Qatar, and I just got back from celebrating with every other New Orleanian on Bourbon Street. There's ... More....
It was a dark Sunday morning in Italy when the news services announced that Franco Ballerini, ex-professional, former dual Paris-Roubaix winner and ... More....
The maracas shake, 'Cara mia, mine !' blasts from the PA. Bang! The little cannon fires and the hall fills with smoke. Yes, this is the right place, ... More....
When the K-Mart Classic of West Virginia stormed through the state in the mid-90s, it opened awareness as to just how great the bike riding is in ... More....
Roadside St. 14 When you start each new Giro you understand you’re a year older. You feel a stranger to the village approach and for a moment ... More....
As the final Madison got underway the arena was packed to the rafters, all the talk of Six Days in crisis forgotten for now. The finale was ... More....
Professional cycling has, over the years, attracted only a few documentary film makers. A few, such as Jorgen Leth’s “A Sunday in Hell,” have even ... More....
For more information on how to participate in our legendary European rides consult 
![](javascript:showpic("http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/photos/tech/amclass/amc420alarge.jpg",900,698);)
![](javascript:showpic("http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/photos/tech/serotta/meilarge.jpg",2000,1244);)
