PRO SECRETS FOR A FASTER YOU!
The annual Science & Cycling Conference, which takes place ahead of the Tour de France, reveals how the world’s best train. CyclingPlus headed to Brussels in search of maximal gains…
Ketones have nestled on the supplementary fringes for years. But that changed at this year’s Tour de France where a reported seven teams used them, including Jumbo-Visma and Deceuninck-QuickStep. Are ketones about to become as commonplace as energy gels? Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. QuickStep nutritionist Peter Hespel, who presented on the subject, is all too aware of the science of ketones and their mooted benefits to cycling performance.
“Ketones are an energy source produced by the liver during fasting or periods of low carbohydrate intake,” explains Hespel. “All of us have a level of ketones in our blood at all times but at a very low level.”
From the evidence so far, if ketones improve recovery, they could benefit the committed amateur
Which is where extraneous ketones come in. This is a drink that elevates the rider’s ketone levels and, in theory, spares glycogen reserves for intense e orts like ascending Hardknott Pass or a breakaway. Or that’s what US ketone ester drink manufacturer HVMN (Health Via Modern Nutrition) claims and it’s a widely-accepted view. HVMN developed the product in sync with ketones ester founder, professor Kieran Clarke of Oxford University.
“Our studies don’t agree with this theory,” says Hespel. “We showed that glycogen concentration in both groups was the same, as were the time-trial results. In actual fact, ketones could impair high-intensity cycling as they are acidic. That’s not great for a cyclist who’s already generating high levels of lactic acid when working hard.” But, Hespel continued, ketones do have a benefit. “It seems recovery is where ketones deliver their greatest gains. In one experiment, we had the subjects undertake intensive exercise to deplete their glycogen stores and then, during recovery, the athletes consumed a ketone ester. We discovered that ketones boosted muscle protein synthesis, suggesting it accelerated recovery post-exercise.”
Hespel and his group undertook a further study into ketones that closely mimicked the training loads of Tour de France riders on recreational riders. One group took ketone esters, the other took a placebo. “For both groups, the workload increased from weeks one to three. But in the control group, calorie intake didn’t increase to compensate for high-energy expenditure. This happens at Grand Tours. However, the ketones group did consume more calories.”
And that’s important because reduced calorie intake sends the immune system plummeting. Key to this calorie di erence were the respective hormonal profiles of the subjects, specifically the stress-induced hormone GDF-15. It’s a key hormone involved in appetite regulation. “During a Grand Tour, the pattern is a gradual increase in GDF-15 concentration that blunts the desire to eat,” Hespel says. “With ketones this increase was suppressed. Hence, the greater calorie intake.”
Ketones also improved the sleep quantity and quality of the subjects, resulting in stronger performances the following day. Which holds great potential for multi-stage racing professionals, but what about you, the recreational rider? The area needs further research and refinement of protocols but, from the evidence so far, if ketones improve recovery, they could benefit the committed amateur.
“If you can’t self-regulate, that’s when stress takes over and you spiral downwards very quickly” Yannick Balk
It’s also one for the wealthier and tasteless athlete. Although prices have dropped, the HVMN ketone ester still costs $99 for three bottles, which is the advised daily intake. Ketone drinks, as professor Clarke concedes, also taste disgusting.
The mind does matter
Team Sky’s (now Ineos) marginal gains highlighted the importance of recovery on cycling performance with active cool downs, compression socks and post-stage protein shakes now omnipresent at both professional and recreational level. Less attention, however, has been given to the cycling benefits of psychological recovery. Cue Yannick Balk of the University of Amsterdam.
“The best cyclists are the ones who can self-regulate their emotions,” explains Balk. “Whether it’s conscious or not, they can switch o! from the pressures of competition. It keeps them strong. If you can’t self-regulate, that’s when stress takes over and you spiral downwards very quickly.” When it comes to the world’s finest cyclists, racing and expectation are sources of high stress. For most of us though, work is arguably the high-pressure component while cycling is an escape. That’s true, says Balk, but to optimise your cycling, it’s beneficial to supplement with a more sedentary activity.
“Every type of cyclist finds it hard to regulate themselves when they’re stressed or fatigued,” Balk says. “We’re writing a paper on it and call it the ‘recovery paradox’. The more tired you are, the harder you find it to detach both physically and emotionally. This physical fatigue keeps reminding you that you’re fatigued, which heightens stress until you’re ill.”
So what can you do? According to Balk, “daydreaming helps. Twenty years ago, waiting for a bus you could let your mind wander. You detached. Now you have mobile phones so there’s no mental respite. It’s why mindfulness is so popular. So unless you really need it, start leaving your phone at home when you’re out. Detach. Mastery is also good for mental recovery. This includes learning a musical instrument or language. You must also recharge. In the short-term, that might be having lunch in a green space; long term, take that holiday.”
Many of you might be sceptical but think about this for a moment: the greatest recent advances in our understanding of fatigue have come down to the mind, specifically Tim Noakes’ central governor model that suggests our brain dictates our pacing strategy based on past experiences and self-preservation. The mind really does "mpact the body.
Balk also shone a spotlight on cycling coaches. Who looks after them? “We undertook a study that concluded coach stress leads to riders reporting higher levels of anxiety and under performing. On the other hand, coaches who self-regulated better – who could detach at night and sleep well – created an environment where athletes were more engaged with their training and had more energy.”
Testing times
The sportive season provides a visible platform of your progress. But how do you lift the lid on performance during the winter months? And how do you balance work, life, the universe and cycling without tipping over into illness? It’s an area investigated by professor Robert Lamberts of Cape Town University.
“There are three methods to measure your physical state,” says Lamberts. “Maximal testing, usually in the lab, where you essentially cycle to
If your heart rate struggles to return to normal levels, it’s a sign you’re on the verge of overtraining
exhaustion and measure various physiological parameters of performance. It’s accurate, reliable but arguably impractical and fatiguing, meaning it’s useful just once or twice a year. Then there’s field data. This includes power-meter protocols out on the road. Again, useful but negatively influenced by multiple factors like the weather. Then there’s sub-maximal testing…”
This is where you ride at a low intensity, monitor physiological feedback and extrapolate data that roughly gauges how you’re feeling. It’s useful because you can test regularly without eliciting deep fatigue. The problem is, historically, results weren’t that accurate. Until now and professor Lamberts’ LSCT test.
“We tested it over an 11-day camp with the Lotto-Soudal women’s team and at Cape Epic [mountain bike race in South Africa] and the results were good,” Lamberts says. “When riders – recreational or elite – aren’t adapting anymore, that’s when they tip over into overtraining. This risks illness and upper-respiratory issues. That’s where the LSCT test comes in.”
So what is this test? It’s a 17-minute, submaximal e ort on an indoor trainer that requires either a heart-rate monitor or power meter. You can ride it as a standalone e ort to gauge fitness and freshness or as a warm-up. Broadly speaking, you cycle for six minutes at 60% of your maximum heart rate (HRmax), six minutes 80% HRmax and three minutes at 90% HRmax (or 50%, 72% and 96% of functional threshold power if you train by watts). There’s a 30-second bu er between stages, leaving you to finish with 90 seconds where you stop cycling and sit up, so you can monitor your heart-rate recovery (HRR).
And it’s this final minute that’s perhaps the most telling indication of whether you’re fit to cycle as, if your heart rate struggles to return to normal levels, it’s a sign you’re potentially on the verge of overtraining or illness. Over time, you’ll notice what your average heart rates are over the first three active stages. Just remember that to standardise results you must standardise the protocol. So don’t consume ca eine for at least three hours prior to the test; don’t talk during the test or during the heart-rate recovery (HRR) period; sit straight up and stop cycling during the HRR period; and minimise distractions like people talking to you.
“There are studies that show the drug Ritalin raises dopamine levels, which results in cyclists generating a higher power output in the heat” Stephen Cheung
Peak in the heat
Stephen Cheung, professor of environmental ergonomics at Brock University, Canada, is a regular at the Science & Cycling Conference. This year he was back revealing the importance of acclimatising the mind.
“The key to our knowledge in this area comes from the work of Lars Nybo,” says Cheung. Nybo is professor of integrative physiology at the University of Copenhagen. “Nybo had subjects undertake a 60-minute time trial in normal temperatures. They repeated the time trial above 35°C and, not surprisingly, their power output dropped in the heat.
“What role did the mind play? Nybo took numerous measurements including brainwaves via an electroencephalogram (EEG) to understand the notion of arousal.
To do this, he examined alpha and beta waves and discovered that the alpha-beta ratio increased. This means the brain’s less responsive and aroused when hot.”
Brain activity is seen through electric waves at different frequencies. Studies show that alpha and beta waves are related to alertness and cognitive capacity. They also show that if the ratio of alpha to beta waves rise, then physical output is reduced. “Our study group also looked at the effects of high temperature on muscle recruitment and discovered that the brain was less able to recruit muscles in that heat,” Cheung adds.
So heat affects the mind affects the body affects your chances of riding faster. Thankfully, there are strategies that ameliorate the impact of heat on the mind, one of them being consuming protein-rich foods, such as chicken and tuna. “The hormone dopamine plays a role in the thermoregulation of the body,” says Cheung. “There are studies that show the drug Ritalin [the ADHD drug] raises dopamine levels, which results in cyclists generating a higher power output in the heat.”
We’d advise against consuming Ritalin but there are foods that contain the amino acids L-theanine and tyrosine, that are synthesised in the body into dopamine.
You can also talk your mind into overcoming the heat. “Dr Martin Barwood of Leeds University had runners run as fast as they could for 90 minutes in the heat,” Cheung explains. “He tested them on day one and two weeks later. Inbetween, one group undertook a range of psychological skills training from goal-setting to self-talk to arousal regulation. The control didn’t. Come the second test, the control group exhibited no improvement in performance. The psychologically trained group, however, could run on average 1-1.5km further in the heat – despite showing no difference in physical strain.”
Cheung repeated a similar study in the heat, but focused solely on self-talk. “The mental group increased their time to exhaustion over the control group. One subject improved by 26 per cent.”
Keep the statements positive; the phrases and words you use should create a visual picture of doing exactly what you say; and, finally, recent research suggests the third person is more impactful than the first person, so ‘You can climb this mountain in less than an hour’ not ‘I can…’.