(whoosh)
- On-the-bike fueling still seems to be
somewhat of a myth to many riders.
I know plenty of guys at home that ride
their bikes almost daily, but no longer than ninety minutes,
as their performances start to suffer,
and they head for home.
- Yeah, I have made that mistake,
but the reason being is that they go out,
and don't eat on the bike.
They expect a bottle of water to last them
over quite challenging terrain,
without topping up their energy levels.
- And I can't quite understand
why anyone's still doing this,
in a day and age where we've got so much
easier access to nutritional advice.
You wouldn't run your car on empty, for example,
so why do it to your body?
- No, exactly, I reckon it's time for us
to delve a little deeper into this murky world.
- Does that mean we get to eat?
- Think so, I like the idea of that.
(upbeat modern pop)
- The human body can typically store
around 90 minutes of glycogen.
And whilst this figure is slightly open to debate,
and depends on the individual,
it's a great reference point to plan your fueling to.
- Yet, despite knowing we have that much energy to use,
it's not necessarily a good idea
to go into a hard 90 minutes, because you will
see some lack in performance.
- You can expect to feel well-fueled
for the first forty to sixty minutes,
but after this, unless you top up your glycogen stores
with some form of carbohydrate,
you will expect to see a decline
in the intensity that you can maintain.
- Yet despite knowing we have that much energy to use,
it's not necessarily a good idea
to go out and do a hard 90 minutes,
because you will experience some lack in performance.
- So from our forty minute point onwards,
you want to be regularly topping up your tank
to prevent any drop in your intensity on your bike.
- Yes, we recommend something small,
maybe every twenty minutes; you can either have a gel,
which is specifically designed to help this,
or you can be a bit adventurous,
and go for a sandwich, a banana, I used to love flapjacks.
- Ah, honey sandwiches were the best!
- Ooh, so good.
- And you can be really creative, too,
create foods with simple carbohydrates
for those shorter, more intense efforts,
but make something more complex,
maybe with a bit of protein and fiber in there,
for those longer rides.
- Yeah, we're not talking big full-on meals every hour,
we're talking little snacks which is easier
for you to digest, and is more comfortable
when riding on your bike.
- Did you enjoy that, mate?
- I love it.
- Yeah.
- It's really really good.
- I've got a tad bit of time until my next bar.
- Hup!
Hup!
Come on, mate!
Push-push-push-push-push!
Niiiiiiice.
So now, we're talking about improved performance.
(bluesy interlude)
- Right on, mate, solid effort there.
- D'you know what?
As hard as those efforts are, eating the right foods,
at the right time, will provide your body with
a good steady stream of energy straight into your muscles,
and without this, well, we won't be able to sustain
exercise very long, and inevitably, we'll get hypoglycemia.
- Yes, and cyclists call that the Bonk.
And what do runners call it?
Oh, yeah, hitting the wall.
- Yeah, that's not a lot of fun, is it?
I'm sure we've all experienced it,
and none of us would ever want to go there again.
(vocal flourish)
Not only will you lose performance,
but it also weakens your immune system,
giving you a bigger chance of getting ill,
and we don't want that, do we Chris?
- No, not at all.
By effectively fueling yourself, you'll be able to
ride harder for longer, and you'll increase your fitness
by building muscle mass, you'll be looking after
your immune system, and you'll just be
a much healthier bike-rider.
- Yes, you'll be able to go longer, harder,
and stretch those fitness levels.
Should we push on?
- Yeah, let's go and-
- Let's do it.
- Well, eat or train? Or-
- [Both] Both!
- Regular topping up of your fuel tank while on the bike
will help lift your metabolism off the bike.
A high metabolism is linked to the ability to lose weight,
or maintain a healthier weight.
If we were to limit our intake on longer bike rides,
we would effectively be placing our bodies
into their instinctive starvation modes.
Think caveman.
There is a reason the human race has survived this long,
but by doing this, the body will then store
much of the next meal it receives as fat, that is,
once it's replaced its own glycogen stores.
It's quite rare that this would be advantageous
to any of us, so avoid awakening your inner caveman,
and keep feeding at regular intervals throughout the day.
- Yes, what you wanna do is graze throughout your ride,
this feeds your metabolism and in turn lets you train harder
and perform at a much higher level,
and we both wanna do that, don't we Chris?
- Yeah, well, I especially want to eat, to be honest.
- Yeah, and I wanna perform higher levels, so.
- Well, it's best of both worlds to me.
- Agreed.
- By regularly eating on and even off the bike,
we help our bodies regulate its energy needs
much more effectively,
This has an effect on all aspects of our lives,
not just on the bike.
One of the bonuses of good fueling is good sleep,
and recovery.
Our body won't be working as hard to compensate
for poor nutrition, meaning it can focus on
doing the important things well.
And who doesn't like a good sleep, anyway?
- Remember that time you PB'd going up that mountain?
Well, chances are you were well-fueled.
- Yeah, you wouldn't drive your car on empty,
as we said before, so don't do it to your body.
You've only got one, so look after it.
- Yes, and don't forget to check out
some nutrition videos, just down here.
- Thumbs-up and subscribe to the channel!