Be Faster on a bike Pt 3
Fitter – not fatter.

In the last edition of ‘be faster on a bike’ we explored ways in which we can use the power of our minds (link to blog here) by using techniques like visualisation and positive thinking in an effort to gain those precious extra drops of speed. In this article I would like to explain about how, when it comes to food, a little self control, planning and discipline will go a long way (literally) to helping you become faster on a bike.
In order to go fast on a bike everything must be as light and as lean as possible. I alluded to the importance of the rider in the article about aerodynamics, a smaller rider presents less frontal area to the wind meaning his drag co-efficient will be greatly reduced and the power he will need to go at a given speed will be less compared to a rider of bigger build – giving him an advantage in terms of speed and the ability to ride for longer distances with the watts saved.
It’s not as appealing to think about reducing the weight of the rider compared to reducing the weight of the bike, you don’t get to buy shiny bits of equipment – and you have to show restraint in the face of tempting food. Most of us would admit that we are carrying more around our midriffs than we are happy with and that we could probably easily loose half a stone. Well, let me put some motivation behind your personal weight loss target. Half a stone is 3175 grams!! A whole Dura Ace Di2 groupset is 2100g and that will cost you the thick end of £2500… Why not write down this amount and stick it to the front of your fridge as a reminder to keep the snack gremlins at bay?

Let’s be clear, shedding weight from yourself won’t be easy. You will need to be disciplined and will need to plan what and when you eat. My advice is to BE SENSIBLE. It’s all to easy to start getting obsessed with losing more and more weight and this will lead to all sorts of problems. Have a day off from time to time, you deserve it! Depriving yourself of what you fancy will lead to blow out binges and feelings of regret afterwards, you won’t have this if you treat yourself from time to time and it will give you the motivation you need to get out training and to continue with your weight loss plan.

The best bet would be to get a professional to assess you and give you a baseline weight before you start, this will give you a more accurate figure (in both the mathematical and physical sense) to work towards. I agree with Lance Armstrong in that the most important peice of equipment to use is a set of scales – make them your friend, use them every day, this way you will be able to keep an eye on your target weight. Expect to see fluctuations but the trend should be a downward curve in your weight.
How do you go about shedding the flab? Well, just riding your bike is a good place to start if you have a sedentary lifestyle, but I’m going to assume that as you are reading this you already ride regularly and are seeking a performance gain. Let’s start by looking at WHEN you eat. The motto is: BREAKFAST LIKE A KING, LUNCH LIKE A PRINCE, SUPPER LIKE A PAUPER. So, your main meal should be in the morning (did you know that Breakfast is actually two words break – fast? You are literally breaking the fast of the night without food) Breakfast sets you up for a day of activity (maybe the ride / commute to work) you can only burn calories from here. Your lunch should fuel you through the afternoon (and the ride home) and your supper should be a snack before bed, remember that if you eat a big meal before you go to bed the body will have no need for the extra calories and store them as fat. EAT AFTER EIGHT PUT ON WEIGHT is a bit extreme a statement but you get the idea.
Do you find it difficult to eat when at work? Me too, but with a bit of careful planning it is fully possible.
I have to leave for work at 7am which would mean getting up early to fit in some grub and as I cycle into work I need to leave some time for it to digest (a minimum of twenty minutes ideally) so instead of getting up super early I have a cup of coffee (caffine helps ignite the fat burners in the body) and make my commute into work without anything to eat. Now, this is ill advised if your journey is anything over an hour as it can lead to the dreaded ‘bonk’ but under an hour and at a steady pace (now is not the time to be setting a PB) will be beneficial to weight loss because the body has no Glycogen to burn so uses the next best fuel, fat.
The reason you will bonk quickly if you throw the hammer down is that you have minimal Glycogen stocks available and under hard loads Glycogen is the preffered muscle fuel (fat being harder to process into energy) it’s as if the body has a button that it can use so that when it does low pace work it burns fat, then when it encounters a high pace it switches the Glycogen burners on. (Glycogen stores are limited and are topped up by Carbohydrate rich foodstuffs like Pasta – just remember that like a fuel tank on a car it can only hold so much – what it doesn’t use or can’t hold in the tank will be stored as fat)
You can use this ‘switch’ principle to understand that if you do long ‘base’ miles the body will be burning fat instead of Glycogen so if you want another ‘fat buster’ then long steady state miles at a low heart rate will be burning the right stuff for weight loss.
Please make sure that you stay hydrated during the ride, but use water only, no carbohydrate energy drinks (Only true for the one hour max fasted rides, on anything else a carb drink is well worthwhile) On the subject of hydration, NOT being hydrated is the easiest way to hurt performance. Check this out:
http://www.valleywater.net/hydration.htm
I ensure that I have a waterbottle topped up throughout the day and I make sure I take sips from it often.
When I get to work I want to give my body something it can use to recover. Milk is ideal for this task, read this:
http://www.bikeradar.com/fitness/article/nutrition-why-milk-is-a-cycling-super-drink-25698/
I also have a Banana and a healthy bowl of porridge with blueberries (which are full of anti-oxidants).
Mid morning break consists of a couple of cereal bars (low fat and easily transportable in my back pack)
Lunch has to be fitted into my back pack for the commute so food that is transported easily is preferred, I have a carton of mixed fruit, microwaveable rice (carbohydrate) two generously filled rolls (ham / tuna salad) and a ‘treat’ bar of chocolate from time to time.

I will have an energy gel before the ride home (which will be longer and harder than the ride in) and once home will have a recovery shake within twenty minutes of being home:
http://www.weightlossresources.co.uk/diet/gi_diet/glycaemic_index_tables.htm
My evening meal is something small and light I try and ensure that I have a good amount of protein, so something like an omelette or tuna / chicken salad is great. Sleep is vitally important to recovery and if you eat a large meal last thing at night it will leave you bloated and digesting which will interrupt your sleep patterns and your ability to recover.
Try and listen to your body when you eat, like your Mother would say “chew your food” leave time for the stomach and brain to communicate. This takes a bit of a time so ploughing through your meal may mean you are eating more than you need. Show the food who’s boss by leaving some food on your plate when you feel full, Listen to the fullness signals your body gives you. Don’t food shop when you are hungry as your body craves sugary carb rich foodstuffs (this usually happens on the way back from a race at a garage or service station) instead, prepare some food the day before (fruit – tuna filled rolls or a carton of pasta) kept in a cool box or the like.
Finally, a word to say that at some point your weight loss will plateaux and the only way to continue the downward spiral of weight loss is to step up the miles of training you do, encouraging the body to use more energy and burn more calories. This is when it gets hard, and I would recommend seeking the advice of a professional to ensure that you are consuming enough calories to sustain your energy levels and that you are not affecting your fitness by ‘running on empty’ a coach will also help you by recommending a food plan ensuring that your body is getting all of the essential nutrients that it requires. Try to eat food stuffs that have as fewer ingredients and additives as possible, the more the additives, the lower the quality of the food and the harder it is for your body to digest. Also try to eat foods with a ‘low glycemic index’ see these:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glycemic_index
http://www.weightlossresources.co.uk/diet/gi_diet/glycaemic_index_tables.htm
This will ensure that you have a good dispersal of useable energy throughout your working and riding day.
Remember that everything becomes easier if you are lighter and fitter, you’ll also be kinder to your equipment too – another reduction in stress on your wallet…
Next time out I’d like to look at the benefits of a well set up bike, testing schedules and key component testing to ensure we make you ‘faster on a bike!’