YOUR QUICK-FIRE QUESTIONS

Q Too often, I fall ill. It’s frustrating. Any nutritional advice to boost my immunity?

A Sometimes, being stopped in your tracks by illness is unavoidable, especially when racking up significant training hours. However, research shows that adapting your diet to include zinc-rich foods, like spinach, beef and kidney beans, can reduce the symptoms of things like colds and return you to full health sooner. To accelerate the zinc hit, drink orange juice because studies show that vitamin C increases the absorption of iron.

Q Increasingly, I see competitors line up with electric group-sets. What are the benefits of this costly upgrade?

A The advantages of mechanical-free, electronic gear shift systems like Shimano’s Di2, SRAM’s Red eTap and Campagnolo’s EPS include more precise, quicker gear changes; reduced chain wear; and the facility to allow multiple locations for shifters, making the process of swapping cogs as simple as the press of a button. You’re right in that they’re not cheap but they are impressive.

Q What are the different tyre choices, please?

A This includes clincher, tubeless and tubular. Clincher tyres are the most common. They comprise what’s termed an ‘open casing’ and an inner tube, and mount onto standard hooked wheel rims. The main benefit of these is that they’re relatively easy to change. On the downside, this is generally a heavier set-up. Then you have tubeless. While they’re once again an open casing, they can be used without inner tubes; instead, they can be attached to specially designed, tubeless-compatible wheels where the tyres are attached by sealant. This means you can run the tyres at slightly lower air pressure, which maintains good