Sugar is not worth it while in training
Keep off the sugar when training.
That’s the advice from Tim Gudsell, who coaches cyclists to improve their fitness – and race placings.
‘‘Training on a sugar-rush won’t pay off,’’ Gudsell said.
‘‘If you train like that, you become reliant on sugar for training and you don’t use any of the actual body fat and everything you eat in meals before training.’’
Gudsell won a bronze medal for 4000m Team Pursuit at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne and a gold medal at the 2005 Track Cycling World Cup in Manchester.
He now runs Ventouro Coaching, which offers one-off and 12-month coaching sessions to people wanting to improve their fitness through cycling.
Gudsell said sports gels and sugary drinks were often overutilised
‘‘There is a tendency for people to think, ‘I’m going to go and do an event, say a 40km event, so I need to train with Powerade and three gels in my back pocket to eat along the way’,’’ he said.
‘‘But that’s some of the worst advice you could get.’’
The former professional cyclist said eating well prior to cycling was the most important aspect.
‘‘A lot of the latest science coming out supports having a good solid meal – which is low in sugar – two hours prior to starting, with some good meats and cheeses – like a really good sandwich,’’ he said.
‘‘[You want] a balanced meal that’s not high in fast sugars, so you’ve got good energy for the day and it sets you up well for the ride.’’
A Ventouro Coaching training plan provided to Fun 40 Media Challenge contestants Andrew Leiataua and Robert Steven suggests training for only 30 minutes every second day, then resting and stretching on the days without training.
‘‘Training regularly is all about the ability to gain cardiovascular fitness,’’ Gudsell said.
‘‘Your body gets fitter quicker that way and it really is a muscle adaptation to the sport of cycling. Done regularly, your muscles become more comfortable with it.’’
Stretching muscles important, Gudsell said.
‘‘It keeps them flexible and supple and lowers the risk of injury.
Visit Ventour.com to contact Tim Gudsell was