Belgium's Philippe Gilbert was the most dominant pro rider in 2011. With a lucrative spot on the BMC Racing squad to his credit, what will 2012 hold for Gilbert? (Photo: Yuzuru Sunada)
PRO TIPS: NUTRITION KNOW-HOW
1. If a drink mix clumps in water, it’ll clump in your stomach. Powders that become a complete solution after a few turns of the spoon, like our EFS Energy drink mix, will get absorbed into your body faster than those that clump.
—Robert Kunz, First Endurance
2. The race-day goal is to have your stomach relatively empty, so get up early and eat some oatmeal or a bagel at least three hours before the start. Then consider a sports drink or bar two hours prior to start time, and perhaps a gel some 30 minutes to one hour before the gun goes off.
—Dr. Johnathan Edwards
3. Everyone’s stomach is different. Be sure to train with nutritional supplements well before your race day in order to find the balance that works best with your body to ensure maximum performance.
—Greg Seller, CytoSport
4. Ideally, you should be ingesting a recovery drink immediately following your physical activity—definitely within 30 minutes. It’s during this time that your body is able to most easily absorb nutrients, and liquids are the most easily digestible way of getting what you need.
—Richard Smith, Fluid
5. Low-fat chocolate milk will suffice as a recovery drink. It has the optimal balance of carbohydrates, protein and fat for muscle recovery.
—Neil Shirley, former pro
VIEW FROM THE TOP: THE PROS WEIGH IN
1. At the end of a hard ride, spin a high cadence (110 plus) in a light gear for around five minutes. This will help your muscles flush the lactic acid out, helping you to recover faster.
—Dan Bowman, KBS-OptumHealth
2. When you’re tired at the end of a long stage, it’s difficult to digest things like bars or other solid food. So when all my energy is going into finishing my race, I’ll stick to gels and other products that aren’t heavy.
—Ben Day, Kenda Pro Cycling
3. If you are going to look backwards while on a group ride, always make sure you do it safely. If you are next to someone, you can put your hand on their back so that you stay straight and do not drift. Never look backwards on a fast descent while riding in a group, especially if you are anywhere close to overlapping wheels with another rider.
—Scott Zwizanski, UHC Pro Cycling
4. I’ve lived with hemophilia my whole life, but I’ve never let it slow me down or hinder my cycling ambitions. Whatever health problems you have, make sure you’re always prepared and take care of yourself, but go out and live your life.
—Alex Dowsett, Team Sky
5. Make sure you take a good rest in the off season. Put the bike away for a month, and don’t worry about losing form; it will come back. Your body and mind need a break, and you will come back stronger and more excited to race.
—Dan Bowman, KBS-OptumHealth
Be prepared for the occasional bad day on a bike — everyone has them, even pros like Lampre’s Adriano Malori. (Photo: Yuzuru Sunada)
THE WORST-CASE SCENARIO
1. Despite any and all preventative measures, the worst-case scenario can still occur. If it does, be ready: always carry a form of identification on you to give first responders an advantage in helping you. Road ID offers a full line of bracelets, anklets and necklaces just for that purpose.
2. If you crash and break an arm or collarbone, you’ll be glad you always carry two inner tubes. An empty tube can be used as a makeshift sling to get you back on the bike and spinning to a hospital.
3. Always carry at least two CO2 cartridges to go with your two inner tubes. Even better, take along a mini pump. You have one chance to use a CO2 cartridge without incident, but your mini pump will always get the job done, even if it takes a while longer.
4. Carry a tire patch kit. But even if you don’t have one and your tire is punctured or slashed, a dollar bill, shard of plastic, piece of tube or even a thick wad of grass can be used as a tire boot to provide a temporary seal. |