Make race weight
The power to weight equation is everything, says Liam Holohan
“When the gradient pitches up, power to weight is king,” explains Liam Holohan. “We’re going to look at the second part of this equation. The vast amount of the mass isn’t the bike, but you, so this should be the first port of call when looking to improve power to weight.” According to Holohan the aim among elite cyclists isn’t to just drop weight, but to improve body composition. “That means reducing fat mass, while preserving muscle mass – this is best done in the base period of training, rather than in the few weeks before (the build period).” This is because during that build period riders are looking at increasing power, for which it’s critical to fuel. “Burning the candle at both ends rarely works and can lead to limited adaptation. The key to healthy weight loss is to create a small energy deficit each day.”
01 WEIGHTING GAME
Crash dieting and major calorie restriction is certainly not the way to go. It’s not healthy, sustainable and will lead to a drop in power.
02 PICK PROTEIN
Focus on unprocessed foods, which are rich in nutrients. When not exercising, try to eat lower GI (Glycaemic Index) foods and raise your protein intake. Protein-rich foods are high on the satiety scale, which means that you’ll feel fuller for longer. Aim to get protein at regular intervals throughout the day.
03 STRIP SEARCH
If you’ve hit race weight, then you can also look at stripping out excess from your bike and components. If you’re on a budget, look at rotational weight first. By this I mean things like wheels, pedals and shoes; rather than helmet, frame...
04 SPORTIVE SPECIFIC
Look at a specific hill-climb bike – everything is stripped back, even to the removing of the bar tape. But if you’re riding a six-hour sportive, I wouldn’t recommend you go that far. Otherwise, just enough food and water to get to the first feed stop. I often see riders with bulging pockets and several litres in bottles. This can easily add 2.5kg to your total mass.
05 GO LOW
A ‘low-res’ diet in the days leading up to the event – meaning low residue – requires you to drastically reduce your fibre intake. It isn’t a sustainable practice
IF YOU’VE HIT RACE WEIGHT, LOOK AT STRIPPING OUT EXCESS FROM YOUR BIKE
and even pro riders will only do it leading into a critical mountain stage, before resuming a balanced diet.
A great example of someone who can pull all this together is Dylan Van Baarle – not an obvious choice, but look at how he can transform himself from the spring to the summer. He’s a genuine classics contender in the early part of the season, before pulling turns in the high mountains in the Tour, putting riders like Adam Yates and Romain Bardet out of the back.