Best fuel strategy for the Cycle Tour
There’s no single diet solution, each cyclist should test nutrition plans
WHEN tackling something as big as the Cape Town Cycle Tour (CTCT), the right nutrition during training and the race itself is vital.
With the CTCT celebrating its 40th anniversary, getting the right nutrients for the 109km event is crucial, but there is no one diet solution to suit everyone, according to Pick n Pay resident dietitian Leanne Kiezer. Each athlete is unique and needs to carefully test nutrition plans during training, so that on the day they have the best possible fuelling strategy in place.
“All nutrition advice should be individualised and tested during training to ensure it’s what you need. The basic nutrition goals for the 24 hours leading up to an event are to fuel muscle glycogen stores, while minimising stomach upset and getting optimal rest.”
Kiezer, along with registered dietitian and sports nutrition expert Pippa Mullins, said cyclists needed to remember their pre-race breakfast to ensure that they had all the necessary nutrients in their bodies when riding. “The best options for a pre-ride meal or snack are carbohydrate foods that are low in fat and fibre, as these are most easily digested and less likely to cause stomach problems. A general guide is to allow about 3-4 hours for a big meal or 1-2 hours for a small meal/snack before your ride.”
She added that it was also important to start a ride well hydrated, especially if the conditions were warm and humid.
“Include 300-600ml water with your pre-ride meal/snack and make sure you leave enough time for a toilet stop prior to the ride.”
Suitable meal and snack options before a ride include: Banana (or other fruit) + water Low-fibre cereal (oats/Future Life) + low-fat milk + water
Toast + avocado/peanut butter/ mashed banana/Bovril/Marmite + water Sports bar/cereal bar + water Homemade fruit smoothie (low-fat yoghurt, fruit, oats + crushed ice/water)
Sandwich with cold meat filling + water
Pasta salad with chicken/beef/tuna + water During the race:
Keep carbohydrates topped up with 30-60g carbohydrate per hour
Start eating and drinking early in the race (within 30-45 minutes) and consume 30 to 60g low fat, low fibre and low-protein carbohydrate-based foods each hour
During ultra-endurance exercise lasting more than 2½- 3 hours you can consume up to 90g every hour
The following foods contain 20-25g of carbohydrate. Choose one to two of these for each hour of exercise: 1 sports bar 1 sports gel 1 dried fruit bar 30g nougat 4-5 jelly sweets 1 thick slice of banana bread/fruit loaf 1 banana 45g dried fruit ½ honey/jam sandwich (1 slice bread) 1 marmite sandwich (2 slices bread) 4 Provita’s with marmite 6 Salticrax 3 boiled baby potatoes Roughly 375ml sports drink such as Powerade (6-9% carbohydrate)
Roughly 375ml diluted apple juice (50:50) + pinch of salt
“The reason for ensuring an adequate carbohydrate intake in sports nutrition is to maximise glycogen store, which is the primary source of fuel to exercising muscles, particularly at high intensities.
"Depleting your body’s carbohydrate stores during exercise will result in fatigue and compromised performance.”
And what of those athletes considering Banting?
Mullins explains that the aim of a highfat diet is to deprive the body of glycogen, which forces the body to use fat as an alternate energy source. A marked increase in the use of fat as an energy source during lower intensity exercise is seen after following a high-fat diet for one to three days.
“This is commonly associated with impaired performance, athletes feeling unwell and poor compliance to the diet over time. A longer period of following a high-fat diet, seven days to four weeks, may enhance the body’s ability to use fat. But the issue remains that this does not support high-intensity exercise.”