Sportive diet advice

welkman

Hi All,

How would you go about eating for a longish (60 mile) sportive in the week before the event? I'm feeling a lot slower on the bike since cutting down to 1400 calories for weight loss purposes and feel like I should probably eat more in the run up to the sportive to make sure I have the energy to get round in a respectable time. I am eating properly (i.e. 1 g of carbs per kilo of body weight per hour) on training rides but still feeling down on power.

What do you lot normally do? I know there are a few among you who must have combined dieting and riding hard before

Headhuunter

I don't tend to eat any differently before a long ride. I've done a few 80-100 odd milers. Personally I find it's more important to get some decent rest the day or 2 before the event, ie no late nights or heavy drinking sessions etc.

In terms of eating, you could try eating pasta/carbs the afternoon/day before, however I wouldn't have thought that you'd need to load up on energy for an entire week before the event, if you significantly increase your calorie intake more than a day or so before the event and do not use those calories soon after consuming them, your body will simply store the energy as fat and you'll just start to put on weight.

I would have thought it's more important to consider your energy intake on the day itself - think about energy gels and drinks as well as fruit like bananas, although even then you shouldn't overdo it or you'll end up taking in more calories than you burn!

If you have been advised to cut calories for weight loss purposes, I would think very carefully before breaking the diet, even if you're doing a long-ish ride...

welkman

HeadHuunter. All seems to make sense to me. The diet is self imposed in the hope of increasing my climbing ability this year and is going quite well. I think I will just make sure I eat loads of carbs the night before and also rest the day before/take it easy on the commute in the week.

Headhuunter

I would have thought the best way to improve your climbing or general riding strength is to get out there and do hill repeats and ride a lot. Of course diet and energy intake is important but it's not going to help as much as pure and simple training. I think increased unburned calories in your body the week before the event will simply increase your body weight meaning you have more to weight to carry around the ride.... Just get out there an ride and taper off the last day or few before the event.

cjcp

I don't eat less the week before the event so I don't feel low on energy at some point. I continue to commute all week, but would take the Thursday and Friday commutes easier: I've never been good at Saturday morning rides.

Re carb intake, don't eat too much the night before if you have trouble sleeping on an empty stomach. You need to keep your energy up the whole of the day before so snack on good food and drink plenty of water so you're properly hydrated.

As for the event itself, eat and drink on your training rides what you plan to eat on the day, so you know how your stomach should react. Drink/eat little and often.

I don't tend to do specific hill work, but focus on intensity - JonGinge to the thread, please...

welkman

I tend to commute at the 'cannot hold conversation' intensity level with the occasional maximum effort thrown in, on my training rides I take it a bit more sedately in order to make sure I can do the distance. Last time I was out on a long ride my nutrition (maltodextrin gels and drink) made me feel quite sick, this has not happened before so I am assuming it was to do with the temperature more than the food. I don't do hill repeats but do put in a couple of hills on my rides that will take maximum effort which I think helps the climbing.

Thanks for the responses.