TRIA Orthopaedic Center Your Cycling Blog

By Jonas Carney, Performance Director
Optum Pro Cycling Team

Nutrition

There is nothing more difficult than running out of energy halfway through a long ride, or even worse, cramping up due to dehydration! As the Menomonie Gran Fondo and Spectator Rides approach, your nutrition becomes the critical component for a successful and enjoyable day. A few days prior to the ride you should start hydrating. Drink water frequently, cut back or eliminate caffeine and alcohol, and add carbohydrates to your diet. Practice proper nutrition habits for each training ride leading up to the event to be sure you are eating and hydrating properly.

On the day of the Gran Fondo, eat a light breakfast of high-carbohydrate foods and drink lots of water. During the ride drink before you’re thirsty. The rule of thumb should be one water bottle (20 ounces) per hour on the bike especially if it is warm weather. Water or a sports drink should be your first choice. Carry two bottles and alternate your consumption throughout the ride. Eat easily digestible, carbohydrate rich-food such as energy bars, bagels, fruit or granola bars. Don’t try something new on the ride; eat things you know agree with you. Remember, practice makes perfect so do several test rides before the Gran Fondo.

Attitude

In a large group ride, it’s only natural to feel a sense of competitiveness in our veins. Don’t let the adrenaline take over your ride! Ease into the ride pace. The Menomonie Gran Fondo isn’t a race and if it’s your first long ride, the goal is to finish comfortably and enjoy the experience. Stay positive and attentive to others around you. Safety should be at the front of your mind during the day. Here are some more tips for an enjoyable ride:

• Change your position on the bike frequently. Move your hand position, get off the saddle, stretch your arms, shoulders, neck, and calves, and arch your back. Avoid staying in one position too long.

• Take short rest breaks off the bike. The Menomonie Gran Fondo includes both water and food stops. Take advantage of this time to get off the bike, refill your water bottles, stretch, and use the restroom. Keep these stops to 10 minutes or less or you may risk getting stiff from lactate build up in your muscles.

• Find a companion or two who ride at a pace similar to yours. The ride will go faster and feel easier with a friend or two who you can chat with and provide mutual support. Also, skilled riders can take advantage of drafting and save some energy in the wind. On windy days, take turns leading into the wind with your fellow riders to conserve energy.

Attitude is everything. If you have prepared yourself well, you can sit back and enjoy the beautiful scenery around Menomonie and Dunn County (and maybe plan your next big ride). In my next entry, I’ll cover Gran Fondo day-of-ride preparation.

Get out and ride!

Jonas Carney
Performance Director

Optum Pro Cycling Team

Gran Fondo   Tags: Gran Fondo, Jonas Carney, Menomonie, Nature Valley Bicycle Festival, OptumHealth,   No Comments »  

By Jonas Carney, Performance Director
Optum Pro Cycling Team

A milestone in the life of any avid cyclist is riding in a major event like the Nature Valley Bicycle Festival’s Gran Fondo rides in Menomonie, WI, June 16. While riding 65 or 85 miles in a day may sound extreme to a non-cyclist, you can do it too! Almost any novice cyclist can complete a Gran Fondo ride if they follow a consistent training routine. The key is to start your program early to give your body a chance to respond to the training plan and not wait until the last minute to train. If you are not up to the challenge of a “Big Ride” this year, give yourself a chance to succeed on your own terms by participating in the shorter distance Menomonie Spectator Rides, which are 32 or 15 miles in length!

There are 4 key success factors to have a fun and rewarding Gran Fondo experience:

• The right equipment
• The right training
• The right food
• The right attitude

Equipment
The right equipment means comfort and functionality. Your bike should fit you well and you should be familiar with it. If you aren’t sure about fit, have your local bike professional provide a fit-assessment. A visit to the local bike shop will also identify any mechanical issues with your bike. Don’t plan to ride a new or a borrowed bike on your first Gran Fondo ride. Consider having a tune-up before the ride, and carry a spare tube and patch kit, tools, a pump and knowledge of how to use them. Other essential equipment includes:

• A helmet that fits appropriately (must be worn to be effective)
• Water bottles and cages
• Energy drink and snacks for the ride
• Cycling clothing, including shoes, shorts, gloves and rain gear
• Sunglasses and sunscreen

Training
The core of your training should be endurance training. If you start your training at least 12 weeks before the ride, you will have ample time to prepare for the Gran Fondo. If you already ride more than five hours a week, you will need far less time to prepare. While most of your rides will be at about 65% of your maximum heart rate (MHR), add two days of interval training, where you push hard for several minutes – up to 85% MHR. Hills are a great way to add interval training to your ride. And don’t forget to allow one day per week for recovery. If you can only ride four to five days a week, don’t do your rest days consecutively. A sample training schedule may look like this:

• Saturday: 1-2 hour ride with 30 minutes of hard effort
• Sunday: 1-2 hour ride at steady pace (65% MHR)
• Monday: Rest
• Tuesday: 1-1.5 hour ride with hills
• Wednesday: Rest or 1-hour easy recovery ride
• Thursday: 1-1.5 hours with interval training
• Friday: Rest or 30-minute easy recovery ride

More Training Tips
• Maintain a cadence of 80 to 100 revolutions per minute
• Increase your mileage as you get closer to the Gran Fondo, no more than 10% at a time.
• Ride with friends, family or your local club to increase your level of comfort riding in larger group.
• Plan a 50- or 60-mile ride at least two weeks before the century to gauge your fitness
• Taper your mileage a week before the century. During that week you may even reduce your riding to one or two days of an easy five to 10-mile spin. Also, try to get plenty of sleep.

In the next blog, I’ll cover Nutrition and Attitude as you approach the day of the Gran Fondo rides. So, stay tuned!

Get out and ride!
Jonas Carney
Performance Director

Optum Pro Cycling Team

Gran Fondo,Menomonie,Nature Valley Grand Prix   Tags: Gran Fondo, Jonas Carney, Menomonie, Nature Valley Bicycle Festival, OptumHealth,   Comments Off  

By:  Jane Schwartz Harrison, RD, Nutritionist

MyOptumHealth.com

The bike festival is only a few weeks away. Want to feel great and have plenty of stamina on race day? Don’t wait until the last minute to start thinking about your nutrition. Cycling for 50-plus miles requires proper “food training” in the weeks (not just days and hours) leading up to the big event.

Start NOW by eating a healthy balance of foods on a daily basis. Use the following tips as a guide:

Don’t Skimp on Carbs

Carbs are your primary exercise fuel. They are the main food source that is stored in your liver and muscles (known as glycogen).   

• The more you train and the more carbs you have in your diet, the more glycogen you are able to store. Trained muscle will hold almost three times as much glycogen as untrained muscle! This means better endurance and mental focus, and will help to prevent “hitting the wall.”

• Aim to have a little more than half to two-thirds of your daily diet come from carbs, mostly in the form of brown rice, whole wheat pasta, whole wheat breads and cereals, fruits, vegetables, and beans. Some white flour products are fine, but choose whole grain more often for extra nutrients and fiber.

Get Adequate, but not Excessive, Protein

Exercise, not protein, is the foundation for building and strengthening muscles.

• Protein helps to build and repair muscle tissue. But excess protein intake will be burned for energy or stored as glycogen or fat.
• During your training period, you will need about .6 to .7 grams of protein per pound of body weight. At 150 pounds, this equals about 90 to 105 grams of protein per day, which can be easily met through diet.
• One egg, one glass of milk, one yogurt serving, and six ounces of meat, fish or chicken will meet that goal when combined with your carb-rich foods (which also contain some protein, with the exception of fruit).

Fuel Properly Right Before the Event

In the days and hours before the race:

• Cut back on exercise two days before the ride and take a rest day the day before.
• Drink extra fluids. Your urine should be almost clear in color.
• Eat carb-rich meals at breakfast, lunch and dinner. On the day of the race, eat a familiar breakfast. Have something hearty and high in carb with some protein and a little fat. Give yourself three to four hours to digest. Try to avoid sugary cereals or donuts before the bike race because they’ll give you short term energy but can set you up for an energy crash during the ride.
• Oatmeal with banana, whole grain cereal or low-sugar granola with skim milk, a bagel with a little peanut butter, pancakes with fruit, are all good choices.  If you can only tolerate liquids, drink a large smoothie made with yogurt, frozen fruit and 100 percent juice.
• Avoid foods with too much fat or fiber, which may cause GI distress.
• If you are hungry within an hour of the race, have a small smoothie, a granola bar, or piece of fruit.
• Plan to eat carb based snacks (energy bars, dried fruit, sports drinks, gels) every 60 to 90 minutes during the ride to maintain your blood sugar.

Remember, having a nutrition plan in place is just as important as your exercise training. Get started on a healthy eating plan today and your body will thank you on race day!

Sources:
Position of the American Dietetic Association, Dietitians of Canada, and the American College of Sports Medicine: Nutrition and athletic performance. J Am Diet Assoc. 2000;100(12):1543-1556.

Nancy Clark’s Sports Nutrition Guidebook: 4^th Edition. 2008.

Minnesota Bicycle Festival,OptumHealth,road cycling   Tags: cycling, Jane Schwartz Harrison, Nutrition, OptumHealth, Training,   Comments Off