Nutrition

There is a big difference between undertaking a long one day ride and thirty successive long days from a nutrition perspective.  It is really important I balance calorific output with my intake, and I take on board a balanced diet.  This presents a challenge since most of my day is spent on the bike so readily available calories are what I need.

On a typical day I will burn around 2,000 to 2,500 calories, which when added to the typical calorie requirement of 2,000 calories means I need to consume about 4,000 to 4,500 calories every day.  The main cause of the variation in requirements is the distance I cycle, the amount of climbing and the weather; tougher days mean more calories burned.  The aim is to take on board calories regularly during the day so I never get into a calorie deficit as this results in the dreaded ‘bonk’, a condition all endurance athletes fear where you feel like you have no energy, are treading water on the pedals and in the worst situations get light headed or even faint.  My body can cope with a maximum temporary calorie deficit of about 1,000 calories, but ideally I try to make sure it is no more than about 500 at any stage during the day.

So this is what I eat on a typical day: A large bowl of porridge, a banana and honey for breakfast, about 700 calories.  I will eat about one bite sized flapjack and one jelly baby every hour I am on the bike, so about eight in total adding another 800 calories.  I also carry some homemade calorific snacks such as polenta cake, sticky Thai rice, and various pasties.  These recipes are taken from ‘Feed Zone Portables’ a book designed for easy to eat food whilst cycling.  All the snacks are wrapped in foil and eaten at log signing breaks or toilet stops.  Each is about 100 calories and I typically have about four a day.  I also have lunches consisting of a couple of sandwiches and a piece of cake.  The sandwiches vary each day but include peanut butter, cheese and salami, smoked salmon and cream cheese, chicken, egg, or tuna.  Each lunch will be about another 800 calories.  Lunches need to be quick to make as I don’t have much time, delays at lunch mean having to cycle later in the day.  I try to make sure I take on some protein at lunchtime as this will help aid muscle recovery later in the day.

When I get in from the ride I make sure I eat another slice of cake immediately, about 100 calories.  My main meal of the day is a very large bowl of salad with some carbohydrate, either pasta, couscous, risotto or potatoes and accompanied by fish or chicken, mackerel and salmon are particular favourites.  I then have some fruit.  My evening meal is about 1,200 calories.  I treat myself to some Chocolate Tasting Club chocolates and a glass of red wine.

This all adds up to about 4,000 calories.  I am not obsessed with eating, but I do have to be really careful to make sure I eat enough, and do so regularly.  I always carry emergency food on the bike to enable me to take in board more food if I need it, this consists of more flapjacks than I need and a couple of gels.  For all you non-cyclists the gels are a disgusting gooey sweet mess that personally I don’t like, but they do give you an instant hit of energy.  They are designed to get the 75 calories each has into a usable form by the body as quickly as possible.

To make sure my weight is remaining constant I weigh myself first thing every morning.  I need to avoid gradually losing weight during the challenge.  Not surprisingly I haven’t burned this number of calories for this length of time before.  So far my weight has only fluctuated by a couple of pounds, giving confidence I am getting my nutrition about right. 

Usually I’m quite skinny, but at this time of the year I’m very skinny.  I get my weight down to a minimum for the sportives which we do in the summer, for example La Marmotte this year.  When you’re cycling up long climbs in the Alps, you want to have the least weight possible to carry.  I’m 5ft 10in (1.77cm) and about 8st 9lb (55kg).  I’m sure that you can work out that I have no spare fat reserves; that’s why I have to consume all the energy which I need.   

I must point out that it is my very super domestique, husband Steve, who is fabulously cooking and baking for me.