Alcohol is intimately related to cycling and racing in general. Post-ride trail brews, podium champagne and “recovery beers” are all a regular part of our cycling vernacular and culture, but if you’re trying to take your training seriously, should they be? The effects of alcohol on performance can be narrowed down to two things: how…
The goal of every cyclist is to optimize their power-to-weight ratio (w/kg). More power with less weight is going to make you faster —but how do you know if you are losing the right type of weight? Today’s post explores three methods cyclists can employ to measure their weight loss with precision. Overview Fat does…
This article is part 2 of 3 in a series focused on maximizing your training. Check out the next article here. When it comes to endurance sports nutrition, it can all essentially be broken down into two categories: what to eat and when to eat. While most athletes, coaches, and dietitians focus on the…
2015 is here and with it are new goals and challenges. While training may be vastly different for each of us depending on our genre of racing/riding, it’s safe to say we are all striving for a certain “race weight” that we want to be at as we charge into the new season. As endurance athletes, trying…
If you’re training for hours, whether long distance running, cycling, hiking, or another sport, there’s one fueling mistake you should be keenly aware of, and try to avoid: the mid-ride feast-and-bonk. Usually, the scenario goes something like this (this was sent to me by a potential client): This past weekend I did a road century…
Believe it or not, you may have the perfect fuel for your next run or ride sitting in your pantry right now. A “regular” food. You may not have to search through the sports nutrition aisle at your local shop or market. It’s possible that you can take a “regular” food, add a bit of…
Muscle cramps can bring the strongest of athletes to his or her knees in just an instant. One minute you’re running along at a race pace and the next, your leg is overcome with an intense, clinching and unyielding pain. Or, throughout a race, you can feel the sensation of a cramp coming on. You…
On the surface, it seems like a no-brainer: the lighter you are, the faster you can go. The less you eat, the lighter you are. Eat less, go faster—right? Not so fast. Although most endurance athletes want to be as light as possible, most who’ve tried, know it’s also important to be strong. Unfortunately, the…
When you think of training, do visions of health and fitness come to mind? Most likely they do, and for good reason. Consistent exercise and training obviously offer many health benefits. But for many athletes, it also carries the risk of going too far, actually damaging muscles and cells, and causing fatigue and chronic soreness.In…
Only one week until your big race. You’ve made it. You’ve survived the training. You’ve started to taper. But what should you eat now? There’s plenty of conflicting advice out there to confuse most anyone. There’s “to carb load,” there’s “to carb starve,” there’s reducing calories, adding calories, and more. Clear as mud. Taper week…