OK so I need to lose more weight!!!

Today we had our first group training ride. It was a beautiful day but jolly chilly. Ice on the roads was a serious threat, as it was -2 degrees when we left my house! At Iain and Jules' place the team was ready and waiting with their bottles of Zym and various other concoctions. I had my Zym and energy drink and also a Camelback with about 3 litres and all the spare tools and food (Malt loaf for Henry) and so on.

We carefully headed off to Christophers, the fantastic hospice for CHASE just outside Guildford where we had a guided tour from the lovely Bridget, ate flapjacks made by the entertainer (Jilly) and met with the Mayor of Guildford and Andrew Castle. Dave the chauffeur was also there of course, with his trusty camera to record all mayoral events.

We were 8 riders to start with, and then Ciaran had to go home to load the car for his ski trip. Everyone was quite fired up, and we headed down through Chiddingfold (where we left Ciaran) and headed off to Petworth. After that came Duncton Hill, which saw me getting left well behind (note to self - must get fitter and faster on hills - I think that means losing a lot more weight) but making it all the way without cheating.

Chichester beckoned and we sped up as we saw the cathedral on the skyline. The day was just fab though, with absolutely clear blue skies - Fraser must have good contacts!

I had forgotten just how many hills there are on the way home, via Haselmere, but by this time we had had a little pep talk on trying to ride more as a group. It sounded a bit like a whinge coming from me, definitely the weakest rider today. However, there was a point to it. We are doing this ride as a group event, and it will be really important that we work that way. I am willing to bet that everyone will have a less than perfect day between now and end of June, and also a few not so good hours on the big ride. We all need to support each other and maintain the group. There will be time for some lightheartedness at times, but ultimately we all want to get to the same place.

I had a near miss in Milford, when what I can only think was a blind woman seemed to try to drive into me. She was oblivious to our hand signals and then to my remonstrations for her being so utterly careless. Hey ho, I am sure there will be more of that.

Anyway, I did feel a bit of a fraud today, with my lovely lightweight carbon bike bringing up the rear. What I really need to to is shed some of my own weight and really hit the hills harder and with more aggression - it has always been a weakness, so I know I have to work on it.

Overall I was really impressed with the team. There is a lot of fitness there and at the moment only I need to worry. Henry (16) really impressed me too - for someone who only got a bike at Christmas he is doing really well, although he was a bit embarassed when he could not get his feet out of the cleats in time at a junction, and fell over!

Thanks once again to those whom we leave behind on long days like this, and for the Valentine's Day Champagne Marmite from my lover!! The families put up with a lot when we go out all day and return tired and sweaty, but they know that the cause is just and worth the sacrifice and can justify it on that basis.

Henry and I are off to the nutritionist on Thursday, and I will post some news after that. I understand it is quite an experience.

Nutrition Pt 3

There is much science on how much of what type of food athletes should eat, and it can get very confusing. However there are apparently some basic rules:

• during periods of heavy training consume 8-10 grams of carbs per kg of body weight per day, if training mot so hard then 5-6 grams should be enough. Whilst tapering before an event, maintain the higher amounts.
• consume about 1.5 grams of protein per kg of body weight per day
• meet the remainder of your calorie requirements with fats and/or carbs.

During long rides expect to burn at least 2,000 calories. Riders on the Tour de France have been shown to burn over 5,000 calories a day.

Eating and drinking whilst riding can be critical to riding long hours day after day. On the big ride in the summer we should all be well fed at meal times, but we need to remain hydrated and with energy tanks topped up on the bike too.

What follows has been culled from various sources:

For the most part energy production during a long-distance ride happens at a relatively low rate, and it comes mostly from carbohydrate and fat with just a small contribution from protein. As you now know, carbohydrate is the preferred fuel for working muscles and is stored in the muscles and liver as glycogen. If you have not packed your muscles with glycogen (by consuming carbohydrate) before a ride, and replaced it during the ride and at the end of each day of a multi-day ride, the lack of carbohydrate can be a limiting factor on a long-distance ride.

Fat is also used, to a lesser extent than carbohydrate, but does not need to be replenished, as, unfortunately, your body's capacity to store fat is not limited in the same way as storage of carbohydrate is. The involvement of protein in energy production is never more than 10% of total energy expenditure, but it does result in a significant amount of protein being used from your body's protein stores. Protein is used as an energy source during the latter stages of a ride - when your body's carbohydrate stores have been depleted. During long exercise duration, if exercise continues beyond a certain point, it is more likely for protein to be used as an energy source. When protein is used as an energy source, it can exacerbate dehydration, as urine production is stimulated to speed the excretion of the waste products from protein (amino acid) breakdown. I have used recovery drinks after a long ride, such as REGO from SIS. I make up a big bottle before I go out and leave it in the fridge for when I get home.

It is advisable to eat some form of protein (meat, fish, and vegetarian alternative) twice a day, with lunch and dinner to meet your protein requirements. You do not need huge amounts of protein, even if you are trying to put on muscle mass. During exercise your body will actually attempt to keep its muscle glycogen stores intact and use some fat instead of burning carbohydrate whenever possible. However, during a long-distance ride at a steady pace, you will not be able to continue at the same pace if your carbohydrate stores run low. Fortunately, with training you can delay the point at which this occurs. Most cycling is aerobic and it uses both glycogen and fat but, perhaps when climbing a steep hill, anaerobic energy provision may momentarily replace it when the aerobic energy production is not quick enough in providing the necessary fuel. Anaerobic activity uses just glycogen.

Importance of hydration. During a four hour ride it is easy for you to lose 4-8 litres of sweat, which if not replaced will have a huge detrimental effect on your cycling performance. You may also suffer from cramp, which can be excruciating - believe me! Isotonic sports drinks (i.e. those 'in balance' with your body fluids) will provide fluid faster than any other type of drink. If you do not like these then you could alternate between sips of water and sips of a higher energy drink but you will also need a source of salt from a snack to facilitate fluid absorption. Don't wait until you feel thirsty before having a drink, you will already be dehydrated by then. The Race For Chase riders are all supported by LambdaSports and we will provide ZYM to those who want it. Zym is a lemon/lime flavoured hydration product in tablet form. Just pop one in a bottle and watch it fizz. It has vitamins and minerals lost in sweating and has certainly made a difference to my riding comfort.

Balanced diet. Fat intake needs to be kept low for two reasons: (a) it is not necessary to replace fat stores between bouts of activity; and (b) less fat in the diet means that you are more likely to eat more carbohydrate foods and avoid unwanted weight gain.

Unless you are following a vegetarian or low-energy diet, it is more likely that you are eating too much, rather than too little, protein. It is important that you do not consume an excess of protein over a long period since the excess protein calories are stored as fat it can easily lead to unwanted weight gain.
Do eat plenty of carbohydrate rich foods
Avoid too much fat
Eat 'normal' amounts of protein, i.e. not large quantities of meat, eggs and milk.

Suggested food & drink for training/riding. During our long training rides and the main event you have a greater choice of foods, as you will be consuming a greater proportion of your energy consumption for the day on the bike. Suitable foods include banana, jam or other low-fat sandwiches, cereal bars, flapjack, malt loaf, scones, bagels, low-fat cake bars, low-fat biscuits, currant buns and teacakes. Energy bars and gels from the big producers, such as TORQ, SIS, GO-BAR, POWEBAR etc are all OK, and you will have to experiment to find what suits you. There are some energy gels with caffeine to give you a boost. Bear in mind that with a gel you must drink water too, and after a day of energy drink and bars your teeth will need a serious brushing!! I used to make my own flapjacks, with fruit, seeds and nuts, and these had less chemicals than the commercial ones!

Timing of eating. Aim to take on an average of 30-60g of carbohydrate per hour, to maintain your performance level. This is equivalent to 1-2 cereal bars, or 1-2 large bananas, or 500-1000ml of an isotonic sports drink.

'Carb loading' is an eating regime, which aims to pack muscle glycogen stores to the brim before exercise. This involves tapering training over the days leading up to an event, to cut down on muscle glycogen utilisation. At the same time the amount of carbohydrate in the diet is increased to supply the muscles with glycogen. However, athletes do report mixed reports on its effectiveness.

Foods to avoid. Be careful with the amount of high-energy drinks you consume. These drinks do not cause problems in small quantities, or when interspersed with water but too much can dehydrate you and upset your stomach. When I did LeJoG in 2005 the one rider who dropped out was struggling on day 1 and when he felt tired would just drink another energy product - I think he got sick from it.

You may also consider drinks which are lower in carbohydrate, like fruit squash or an isotonic drink. These will not only provide fluid quickly, but will also supply some carbohydrate. However, you may find that your palate or your stomach doesn't like a particular drink. It's worth trying out different brands on shorter rides before you embark on a long ride to decide which ones you can tolerate. I used to use High5 neutral flavour and add my own squash. There are many energy drinks with electrolytes and/or protein on the market. FuelCycling does sample packs which may be worth trying out.

Foods such as pasties, sausage rolls, pork pies and Scotch eggs are not good choices for snacks, as they are high in fat and do not provide any carbohydrate.

Ultimately you will all need to find what suits you personally, as we are all different. One chap I know hardly ever carried anything on training rides, and when one day he had a small bottle of water we all thought that this was going to be a really tough day. It is nice to go for a training ride and stop for lunch or tea, and have a pot of tea and a cake!

For the moment I am sticking to High5 Energy Source, Zym and probably malt loaf for solids. I made the mistake recently of not eating but relying on liquid, and that is not enough for me. If I feel my stomach is empty I get grumpy at the best of times!

Happy riding!

Nutrition Pt 2

So I said I would deal with Carbs - this is the most versatile supplier of ATP and supplies vertually every metabolic process in the body. Everything we do needs energy, even sleeping and thinking. Sugar is the most basic form, but there are various sugars (Glucose, Sucrose, Fructose) and combining carb molecules creates complex carbs such as bread and pasta.

The body can store carbohydrate as glycogen, which is formed through the combination of thousands of glucose molecules and whose primary store is the liver. So whenever the body needs carbohydrate liver glycogen is broken down into glucose and released into the bolldstream. Glycogen that is stored in muscles is only used in that particular muscle to fuel its needs.

The only carbohydrate that the body can metabloise for energy is glucose. Once carbs are absorbed from the intestine they are carried to the liver where conversion takes place. Different carbs areabsorbed in different ways from the intestine. So-called glucose carriers in the intestine wall attach to the glucose molecules on the inside of the intestine and carry them through to the outer wall where they get into the bloodstream. During this process the carrier molecule also carries a water molecule. This mechanism aids in water absorption and is an important factor in making sports drinks. There is no such carrier molecule for fructose which has to pass through the intestine passively.

Fats are made up from triglycerides which in turn are made from a glycerol molecule attached to 3 long carbon chains called fatty acids. In digestion the fatty acids are separated from the glycerol and absorbed as free fatty acids. They are taken to the liver where they combine with cholesterol and are re-released into the bloodstream for transport to storage - body fat.

Unlike carbs fats are digested and absorbed slowly. Fat metabolism is also much more complex than for carbs, meaning that fats do not provide such quick energy. Also fat burning requires more oxygen than carb burning, so fat is only used sparingly during high intensity exercise, when the body needs oxygen most. This is why medium intensity exercise is best for fat burning - long bike rides!

The advantage of fat is that it stores immense amounts of energy. When full to the brim, the body can store about 2,000 to 2,500 calories (what an average man uses in a day) as glycogen . In contrast, even the leanest cyclist has roughly 30,000 calories in his fat tissue (so I have a great deal more). 1 gram of carb provides 4 calories but 1 gram of fat provides 9. Similarly 1 molecule of carbohydrate can produce 36 ATP molecules, whereas 1 free fatty acid molecule can produce about 130 ATP molecules. Thus, although fat cannot fuel high intensity activities it can provide many of the calories needed during the long medium intensity effort of a long ride, leavind the limited carb stores for sprints. Remember Ranulph Fiennes and his loony Antarctic walking friends eat lumps of butter - because it contains the most energy. Yuk.

Protein is made up from amino acids. There are some, known as essential amino acids, which the body cannot make, but otherwise the body can deconstruct protein into other amino acids and make the specific proteins required. These substances perform a number of functions in the body including providing building blocks for muscle tissue.

Protein can provide the same calorific content as carbohydrate but honestly not much is known about the metabolism of protein during exercise, but afterwards, protein is needed to repair damaged muscle and to replace protein used as fuel.

Here endeth the lesson - for now!