4. Nutrition - Ask Greg
About this page
Greg Cox is the Senior Sports Dietitian at the Australian Institute of Sport. Ask Greg any questions you may have about nutrition before, during and after your rides.
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Greg has been part of the Australian Institute of Sport Department of Sports Nutrition since 1998, having completed the AIS Berrivale Sports Nutrition Fellowship in 1995. He has a background in exercise physiology and nutrition, which has served as a perfect foundation to deliver state-of-the-art nutrition programs to athletes and sporting teams. Greg has worked intensely with numerous sports over the years including Artistic Gymnastics, Triathlon, Ultra endurance multisport, Middle and Long-distance running, Boxing, Water Polo and Netball. He has contributed to numerous sports nutrition resources, including the best-selling Survival cookbook series. He is currently completing his PhD studies investigating nutritional issues for high intensity endurance athletes. He has great personal experience in sport having played many sports, excelling in surf lifesaving and triathlon.
If I only eat junk food, can I still do the 210km or 250km ride?
In order to train adequately to complete either the 210km or 250km ride it’s important to train consistently over the next couple of months leading into the ride. During this time it’s important to select a wide variety of foods to ensure you meet all your daily fuel requirements to support training. It’s also important to include nutritious foods to meet essential requirements for vitamins and minerals, and maintenance of health and well-being. You don’t want to get sick in the lead-up to the race.
So the obvious answer to your question, is that junk food (for want of a better term) could be included in small amounts occasionally, however to optimize your training and support daily well-being you should select a range of more nutritious food options.
I prefer to skip breakfast - will that effect my training?
Without sounding like a cliché, breakfast provides a perfect start to the day. You may chose to vary when you have breakfast in relation to your morning training, but breakfast should be included daily to support training and recovery, not to mention your ability to perform at your best at work or school. Cereal and fruit, a slice of toast and small glass of juice provides a range of nutrients including carbohydrate and protein to support refueling and muscular repair following a hard training.
I eat irregularly as I do shift work. When I am training, is that a problem?
We are starting to learn more and more about the science of nutrition, but your question relates to the practical obstacles that you face in implementing the science that supports nutrition. My suggestion would be to ensure you eat around training to support daily training performance and recovery between training sessions. Practically, this means you should attach a snack either before or after training sessions. How much you eat and what you eat will depend on your personal preferences and the timing of your last meal and/or next meal. Obviously, additional food should be consumed during long sessions, once again to support performance. If you are training heavily, you will benefit from seeing a qualified Sports Dietitian. Visit Sports Dietitians Australia to find a Sports Dietitian located near you.
I get the stitch if I eat when I ride. Can you suggest another way of getting my energy?
When you ride hard or for long periods of time, it’s important to consume carbohydrate to maintain blood sugar levels and support muscle glycogen (carbohydrate) stores. If you are unable to eat foods, which isn’t all that uncommon during hard riding, sports drink (such as PowerBar Endurance) and carbohydrate gels (such as PowerGel) are perfect in assisting you to meet hourly carbohydrate needs. Generally speaking you should aim to consume between 30-60g of carbohydrate an hour, although you may need more when riding hard for long periods of time (greater than two hours). 250ml of PowerBar Endurance + a PowerGel will provide approximately 40-45g of carbohydrate.
How will I know if I need to eat more food when I am training or on the day ?
Basically the amount eaten on any single day should reflect the amount of training undertaken on that day. Rather than eat big on the day following exercise, you're better to eat that additional food on the day of exercise to support daily training performance and recovery between training. In extreme situations, Tour de France riders have been shown to match daily energy requirements – eating more on high activity days and less on days when they undertake less exercise.
Does being a vegetarian affect my energy levels?
No. As is the case with individuals that eat a mixed diet (including meat, chicken, fish), vegetarians should select a wide variety of foods to meet daily nutrient requirements. It’s important to include meat alternatives such as legumes, tofu, tempeh, TVP (textured vegetable protein) and the wide variety of ready prepared vegetarian meat alternatives. Vegetarian diets are typically higher in carbohydrate than a mixed diet, which may actually assist athletes in meeting current sports nutrition recommendations for carbohydrate.
I'm a diabetic - can I still have energy bars/gels?
The principles of eating to support training and competition for an athlete with diabetes is no different to the principles for an athlete without diabetes. Maintaining a consistent daily training load and eating routine on a day-to-day basis will assist in maintaining stable blood sugar levels. As is the case for athletes without diabetes, it’s important to modify the overall volume of food and fluid consumed to reflect daily training loads in athletes with diabetes. Fine tuning daily insulin doses to assist blood sugar control should be done in conjunction with a diabetes specialist. To meet carbohydrate goals either before, during or after exercise, sports bar (such as a PowerBar Performance Bar) or energy gels (such as a PowerGel) provide a suitable option for athletes with diabetes just as they do for athletes without diabetes. Note: Sports gels provide a compact and convenient source of carbohydrate easily consumed during exercise – no chewing required!!
I am a coeliac, and have entered the 210km ride option, what products are good sources of nutrition to ward off any "flat" during the ride?
As with others riding the full round the bay in a day ride, keeping pace with your fuel requirements throughout the ride are paramount. Depending on your overall training level, your body weight and the pace at which you are riding, you need to aim for 40-80g of carbohydrate an hour throughout the ride.
I've been following weight watchers and have successfully lost 30kg (over 9 months). I am training for the 100km ride and ride 30km twice a week and walk or step class on the other days. I find that even though I am still carefully tracking my food intake and exercising at least 5 times per week, I am putting on a little weight (2kg).When I was walking daily the weight came off pretty easily. Do you have any tips for what to eat on the days that I ride so that I am burning fat and not muscle?
Before I talk food, it’s worth reflecting on the types of activities you are currently undertaking. Cycling is a different exercise to walking in that one is weight bearing (walking) and one is non weight bearing (cycling). Weight bearing exercise such as walking and running seem to be better for assisting weight loss as they require more energy to undertake. In addition to this, in starting a new activity (cycling and step classes) both of which require you to work against some resistance, your body maybe gaining some muscle in order to cope with the new activity!!
Although you may not be seeing a decrease in weight, you maybe undergoing some change in your physique with the new stimulus of cycling and step classes. In some ways, I would be reluctant to change anything with your food at this point and see how your new exercise regimen fits your current food intake over the next 4-6 weeks. If you continue to gain weight, I would encourage you to seek the expert advice of a Sports Dietitian. See Sports Dietitians Australia website: www.sportsdietitians.com.au to find a qualified Sports Dietitian located near you.