PRE- RACE PRACTICALITY

Pork pies, scotch eggs, Ginsters pasties… temptation is everywhere when you’re on the road. But be strong when choosing what to eat on your way to the race

According to a US survey, obesity is more than twice as prevalent among lorry drivers as the general population, which is hardly surprising when culinary convenience comes in the form of scotch eggs, roadside kebab vans and litre bottles of cola. Chances are that your goal race will require a long drive or even a flight. So pay heed to what you consume in transit.

“Ready-to-eat foods are a scourge containing many unnecessary ingredients,” explains nutritionist Judith Haudum. “Take a ready-made quinoa salad. Your own will be healthy; shop bought will be packed with fats and calories. Or take the simple sandwich. From the grocery store, it’s packed with mayonnaise, butter, low-quality hummus… it can turn into a meal. Homemade, on the other hand, you can increase the amount of sandwiches by slashing the fat.”

Haudum recommends making your own travel picnic. Foods like a grilled-chicken salad sandwich are the ideal, while you can’t go wrong with Malt Loaf and nuts as a snack. But for Haudum, storage rather than nutritional deficiency is arguably a greater concern. “A big part of my job is food safety during travel and in hotels,” she says alluding to work with cycling teams and, in the past, the BMC triathlon squad. “A quick Google search and you’ll find enough evidence that the hygiene of pre-packed foods isn’t great. Airplane food is a particular problem, as is vending food. It’s always better to bring your own.”

Food hygiene’s complemented by the obligatory hand gel, especially on flights, where Team Sky’s pro cyclist Tao Geoghegan Hart reckons the tray table is dirtier than a toilet flush button. Unfortunately, he’s not wrong, with 2,155 CFUs (colon forming units) compared to just 265; that said, it’s advised not to use hand sanitising wipes on the tray due to destroying the fire-retardant sheen.

Returning to food, 4am triathlon alarm calls are common with only a select band of hotels offering fuelling at that ungodly hour. Check with your hotel first. At the very least, go for the bedroom kettle and porridge. You might also want to take your own coffee and cafetiere or AeroPress for a tastier, stronger caffeine hit.