EAT CURRY, RIDE FASTER!

MANY MAN THINGS GET A BINARY LABEL LABE IN OUR MODERN WORLD, BUT WHEN IT COMES TO FUELLING PERFORMANCE, PE YOU’RE MISSING OUT O ON PLENTY OF GOOD IN THE FOOD THAT’S OFTEN CONSIDERED BAD FOR YOU

Racking up the miles is part of the performance equation. But not all. You also need to rest and recover su ciently, plus the big one: eat like e a monk. (Apparently, Martin Luther was partial to a turnip, only consuming ming meat when ill or on special occasions.) ons.) Or so you’d be led to believe if you follow w WorldTour chefs on social media whose admittedly delicious-looking food is reliant iant on the best ingredients, a large budget and a deep insight into nutritional science. In n the real world of the recreational cyclist, st, there’s a balancing act to be made between tween textbook fuelling, ease of purchase and nd ease of consumption. Which is exactly where ere these tantalising training treats come in…

A SLICE OF STAMINA

When Pizza Hut announced back in 2013 that it was launching a double pepperoni pizza enclosed with cheeseburger crust, the company was lambasted by health campaigners over the near-3000 calorie content of its new dish. Despite such criticism, pizzas – which are the ‘junk food of choice’ of EF Education First’s Tejay van Garderen – can contain goodness.

Studies have shown that processed tomato products such as passata have higher levels of lycopene, an antioxidant that will sweep up cell-damaging free radicals from intense cycling. And when it comes to cheese, you have a choice. Pecorino cheese has twice the fat of cheddar but is loaded with calcium for healthy bones, plus potassium and magnesium that cyclists lose through sweat. Mozzarella has 12 per cent less fat than cheddar and contains more tryptophan than almost any other cheese. This amino acid boosts your serotonin levels, helping you sleep better and recover faster.

The lowest-calorie option is vegetarian pizza. Go for one with courgettes and peppers. These provide plentiful amounts of vitamins A and C, which boost bone health and your immune system. Top your pizza with onion as research from Seoul University linked onions and other alliums to lower levels of post-oxidative stress.

SPRINKLING OF SPEED

Salt is viewed by many as a fast-track ticket to the cardiac unit. Eating too much salt over time can increase the risk of high blood pressure, a major risk factor for heart disease. Certainly, showering your carb-loading quinoa quiche with half a tub of sodium chloride is not ideal. But sodium is essential, especially for active cyclists.

Sodium is one of the body’s key electrolytes, playing an integral role in muscle and nerve function. It also helps to channel water from the bloodstream into working cells. When sweating heavily, exacerbated by exercising in the heat, not only do you lose water but sodium, too. Sodium loss is one explanation for cramps. Lose significant amounts and you’ll become hyponatraemic, a condition where sodium levels are dangerously low and which can even lead to a coma.

A study by Utah University examined the e ects of pre-exercise sodium loading (ingesting more sodium than normal) on 14 cyclists. The subjects cycled at 70 per cent of maximum, in a 23.3°C lab, for 45mins. Compared to the placebo, they recorded a 7.8 per cent improvement in performance. If you’re a keen roadie, take a ‘sweat test’ to determine your optimal sodium intake.

“IMMUNE BOOSTER WITH RICE, PLEASE”

Indian cuisine is a staple up and down the land. It’s delicious and, thanks to kormas and masalas, seen as an unhealthy treat. But replace the heavycream varieties for dishes such as rogan josh, madras or jalfrezi, and you’ll benefit from the performance-boosting e ects of the spice rack.

It’s been shown that garlic and paprika increase immunity, helping you to fend o the bane of a cyclist’s winter riding – upper respiratory tract infection. Ginger’s also been shown to bolster your o -season defences, as well as reducing inflammation. That’s down to the antioxidant zingerone that, like the lycopene (above), sweeps up free radicals.

Turmeric’s another spice that reduces inflammation, as well as raising bone health. It’s good for digestion, too, along with bay leaves and cumin, which is particularly important for the pseudo-pros out there as strenuous exercise can cause gut problems by damaging intestine cells. And don’t forget to go hot, as capsaicin in chilli raises your metabolism, meaning you burn more calories (albeit while sweating profusely and o ending anyone near you!).

TINS PACK A PERFORMANCE PUNCH

Jack Monroe’s Tin Can Cook was a best seller, with the British food writer and activist’s tasty, frugal recipes proving a real hit. They created a more stable future for Monroe and her son, but can they forge a leaner, healthier you? Yes… and no.

On the positive, the amount of minerals, fatsoluble vitamins, protein and carbohydrates in the food remain relatively unchanged through the process of canning. The main nutrients either lost or diminished are water-soluble vitamins that can’t be stored in the body.

The award for most nutritious cans are tinned oily fish such as omega-3-rich salmon, and chickpeas and lentils for a swifter muscle repair and rebuild job. Also, any tinned fruit or vegetables count towards your five-aday. On the downside, fruits tinned in syrup are swimming in sugar, while canned meats overdose on salt.

Just note that you should store tin leftovers in a sealed container as opened cans can leach toxic tin into food. And remember that cans don’t last forever – acidic foods like tomatoes, pineapple and pickles survive for 12 to 18 months, while low-acid foods, like potatoes and beans, last two to five years.

PINT OF RAPID RECOVERY

Founding father of the USA, Benjamin Franklin, once slurred, “Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.” He didn’t mention that it also has your head throbbing more than your disc brakes on a burning descent of your local 1-in-4. But it’s not all bad…

Let’s start with the malt and hops used in both lager and bitter. These contain flavonoids that counter cell damage, while reducing the risk of cancer and heart disease. Beers are also swimming in B-vitamins and the mineral chromium that both help to convert carbohydrates into energy – perfect for high-intensity sprints and ascents.

Though not up there with a proteincarbohydrate shake, beer has its recovery benefits, too. Research from Granada University in Spain found that the sugars, salts and even bubbles in a pint can help cyclists to absorb fluids more quickly than rehydrating with water.

Just remember though to keep it moderate – no more than a pint post-ride – and preferably pitch for organic beer as it’s produced with far fewer chemical additives. From our experience, we would recommend Avocet from The Exeter Brewery!

FRYING, FATS AND FIBRE

A fact: frying food, although upping the caloric content, can be healthy. Professors Fillion and Henry of Oxford Brookes University analysed literature into nutrient losses and gains during frying and concluded that, “Fried foods certainly have a place in our diets.”

The dietary duo discovered that frying has little or no impact on the protein or mineral content of food; in fact, the fibre content of potatoes actually increases after frying due to the formation of resistant starch. This has numerous cycling benefits, according to founder of nutrition company Secret Training and former European track cyclist champion, Tim Lawson. “From my research, you can see that fermentation of fibre in the lower gastro-intestinal tract acts as a sort of antiinflammatory and protects your digestive functioning,” says Lawson. “Potentially, it improves absorption of glucose, too.”

Which is great for feeding working muscles. Added to that, frying food helps fat-soluble vitamins absorb into the body. These include vitamins A, D, E and K. Immune-strengthening carotenoids, such as beta-carotene (found in carrots and sweet potatoes) and lycopene (found in tomatoes), also assimilate more proficiently with fat present.

Just ensure that food is fried in healthy oil, such as olive or coconut oil, or avocado oil.

BAR OF BLOODFLOW BOOST

Mitchelton-Scott’s Brent Bookwalter is forged from sub-10 per cent body fat. The 35-year-old domestique racks up over 70,000km a year and has a VO2 max over 80ml/min/kg. He’s also human. “I really like chocolate,” he confesses. “Cadel [Evans] taught me that it’s okay to eat chocolate. He’d often skip dessert and have a chocolate bar back in his room.”

Let’s hope Evans taught Bookwalter to choose dark chocolate, as research by former Lotto-Soudal rider and sports scientist Lieselot Decroix suggests it can make your riding e!ort feel easier. “There’s clear evidence that consuming as little as 100mg of epicatechin results in higher vasodilation,” says Decroix.

Epicatechin is a flavanol found in cocoa beans that has been linked to triggering the muscles in the arterial walls to relax.

In turn, bloodflow increases, boosting the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to all organs. Further research by Rishikesh Kankesh Patel of Kingston University saw nine cyclists undertake 20 minutes moderate-intensity cycling and two-minute time-trials three times, either after ingesting no chocolate, after 14 days of 40g white chocolate and after 14 days of 40g dark chocolate. The results showed that for the same work output, oxygen uptake was significantly higher after dark chocolate ingestion than the other two.

DRIVE BY DIET

Whose cycling weekend has been followed by a 5am alarm call and a three-hour drive to a 9am meeting? It’s common. It’s dull and it’s also the perfect way to undo two days of powerful pedalling with a tsunami of service-station snacks.

Instead, head to the Golden Arches and order an Egg and Cheese McMu n. It comes in at less than 300 calories (295, to be precise) and contains 20 per cent of your RDA of iron and 30 per cent of calcium.

Critics argue that a McMu"n is high in cholesterol, partly from that slice of egg. But there’s evidence that dietary cholesterol doesn’t translate into higher blood cholesterol levels. Some argue that the yolk simply adds fat and you should go whites only. Not true according to recent research by Dr Nicholas Burd from the University of Illinois, who compared the rate of muscle protein synthesis in 10 males who resistance trained. The men performed maximal leg press and leg extensions, and immediately consumed three whole eggs or an equivalent amount of protein from egg whites. The result? A greater repair and growth response from the whole eggs, meaning greater gains and, in cycling terms, greater strength to build stamina and speed.