Let the games begin!
"Well, the 2012 Absa Cape Epic route has been revealed – and you are either very nervous or extremely excited at what the world’s biggest mountain bike stage race is going to offer! Athletes planning to ride this nine edition of the race will find that the route is 10% longer than in 2011 with significantly more climbing, and two new stage locations in Robertson and Caledon. Hopefully everyone has started training!
I am one of those ‘practice what you preach’ type of dieticians, so this year I’ve decided to embark on the Epic journey myself. Yes, I’m riding it! – And, yes, I will be applying the nutritional advice I usually give to others!
So, to kick start my training programme, which actively includes experimenting with and implementing my nutrition strategy, I decided to ride a mountain bike stage race last month. This six-day event provided me with a great opportunity to put my own nutrition strategies to the test, and I learnt a few valuable nutrition lessons which I would like to share with you:
Be Prepared:
Prep all the food and drink mixes you want to use while on the bike before you depart to Meerendal Wine Estate for the Prologue of the Absa Cape Epic. For the Trek, I pre-packed the options I wanted to take with each day – cereal bars (I love the Woolworths Low GI bar!), dates, nuts& dried fruit. I also packed individual sachets of rehydrate and protein powder to add to my drink at the water points when filling up. When I refer to preparing in advance, I mean packing at home BEFORE the event – you don’t have time and energy after each stage to worry about getting ready for the next day.
Food first:
Pills, powders and potions promise a lot but often deliver very little. I rode on predominantly food! The only 'supplements' I used were rehydrate and protein powder (PeptoPro) that I added to my drink of choice, which is juice. I found that eating a variety of different carbohydrate-rich foods consistently helped me get through each day and recover while on the bike. My peanut butter or Marmite sandwich and cereal bars supported baseline blood sugar levels, while the dates and bananas I carried with me provided instant energy when I needed a boost. Remember to try different foods while training to see what works for you. Some suggestions include: cereal bars, fruit bars, dates, nougat, sandwiches (also try different types of bread to assist in blood sugar control – rye works well for many), nuts, banana, apples, pretzels, koeksisters or date balls. If you are fortunate enough to have family or friends supporting you during the Epic, get them to boil some potato or sweet potato as an alternative to the non-perishable items.
Reinnette Geldenhuys, Maryke Van Zyl and Suresh Naidoo at the 2011 Woolworths Recovery Zone. In 2012 Maryke will be receiving her own rider recovery pack.
Don’t wait too long:
Start eating within an hour of riding. If you ride too hard for too long without eating you deplete your glycogen stores with detrimental effects – cramps, bonking or ‘hitting a wall’. I learnt this the hard way after trying to race another team and only realising after two and a half hours that I didn’t have anything left in my legs. I won’t make that mistake again!
Practice makes perfect:
Experiment with your nutrition strategy before you embark on your Absa Cape Epic mission. You don’t want to run out of energy or get any surprises while riding the hardest stage. I’ve learnt what works for me during long training rides and other shorter stage races."
Happy Training!
Maryke
Karl Platt and Christoph Sauser win NTT Masters category in fine style
