Often, we can forget some of the amazing foods we have around us that can help maintain and performance and improve recovery. The one of note in this month’s blog is honey. Honey being a source or fructose a single chain carbohydrate source like glucose.
The power of fructose is that it can be combined with glucose increasing the amount of carbohydrate that can be transported through the intestine lining in a given minute.
Why is this important?
When cycling over 2 hours glycogen (stored carbohydrate) will have pretty much all been used up, so to maintain our ability to ride at slightly higher intensities we need to take on outside sources of carbohydrate often in the form of gels, bars, energy drinks and that odd cheeky slice of cake too.
But what does this mean for Fructose?
Well glucose can only be absorbed up to ~1g/min, but when combined with fructose that makes use of a different transporter you can take this up to ~1.5g/min meaning you can fuel yourself better and also reduce gastro-intestinal distress – great if you have a history of stomach issues.
Practical Application?
The real-life impact of this information means you can quite easily make your own energy drinks cheaply with a carbohydrate or maltodextrin powder and then adding honey to your drink for that source of fructose or maybe making flapjacks with honey in.
The 2 rules you need to follow though;
- Try not to exceed more than 30g of fructose and hour on the bike
- Have your homemade energy drink in a 2:1 ratio of glucose and fructose (i.e 30g glucose = 15 fructose
Here is a great post ride recipe that will help recovery after a long hard ride.
Recipe: Raspberry Ripple
Ingredients:
- 200g Frozen raspberries
- 400ml skimmed milk
- 30g vanilla whey
- 2 tbsp low fat yogurt
- 2 tbsp honey
COMBINE in a processor
BLEND till smooth
DRINK and feel like a king!
Coffee- that early morning pre-ride java! Coffee is obviously and most notably full of caffeine, one of the most proven performance enhancing aids that is easily bought and consumed
It’s been shown to increase performance in endurance, peak power output, time to exhaustion by up to 7%, it’s muscle glycogen (stored carbohydrate) sparing AND caffeine post training when taken together with carbohydrate further improves the speed at which you replenish those emptied stores, which can be hugely important when training twice a day or if doing an event over several days
How much?
To really feel like you’re flying taking at least 3-6mg per kg bodyweight is recommended with no additional performance enhancement effects over 6mg
When to take it?
Taking your caffeine hit 60 minutes’ prior will ensure optimal absorption but 15-30 minutes has been shown to be just as effective – ultimately think when you want it kicking in – is it from the get go or a little way in?
Taking an additional intake mid-way has been noted to improve subsequent performance if you’re doing a prolonged ride.
Myth Bust – Caffeine doesn’t increase dehydration, though it is a diuretic and the frequency of going to the toilet should be noted, several studies have failed to show any change in sweat rate, total water loss, or negative change in fluid balance that would adversely affect performance, even under conditions of heat stress.
Buying out?
A typical espresso contains 75-80mg of caffeine
Americano:
Small – 2 espresso shots
Medium – 3 espresso shots
Large – 4 espresso shots
For a great pre-ride all in one try this:
Morning Mocha Smoothie
BLEND and ENJOY!
Not up for a coffee? Caffeine tablets and even chewing gum are available now! Having tried both I can say “I’m a fan”- I’m not always in the mood to have a big drink so these work perfectly!