No matter where you look, whether it's an indoor training platform or professional sport: watts per kilogramme of body weight is the currency in cycling - at least whenever you're going uphill. If you want to get better, you need more power - i.e. more watts - or you have to reduce your weight. Or both. Power is increased by the training plan, weight depends on the right diet. If you want to improve your uphill performance, you need to keep an eye on both training and nutrition.
Radical diets are not very suitable for permanent weight loss. In performance-orientated training, diets are even doubly harmful because they deprive the body of the energy it needs for powerful training stimuli. The right strategy is to provide the body with the energy it needs for training, but to achieve a slightly negative energy balance throughout the day. This means a deficit of around ten per cent - i.e. around 300 kilocalories on a light training day.
But counting calories is not necessary if you change your diet to the right products. The right way means: fresh and colourful, with the right fats. If you avoid fast food and industrially prepared food and only consume sweets or alcohol in moderation, your weight will almost certainly regulate towards your sports weight. The trick is to reduce your carbohydrate intake outside of training - i.e. not before, during or immediately after training.
Healthy eating: this is what the daily plan looks like
Fresh, balanced diet, carbohydrates slightly reduced.
- Breakfast: Balanced carbohydrate and protein mix, muesli with fruit, wholemeal bread, egg, porridge
- Lunch: Lean meat or vegetable proteins, vegetables, salad (carbohydrates only if you are going to do a lot of training)
- Dinner/after training: Light meal. Carbohydrate-protein mix, no raw food
Tip: Check your weight by weighing yourself in the morning. Daily fluctuations don't matter. Does the long-term trend fit? Bear in mind that you can also lose fat and build muscle, which does not reduce your weight but improves your body composition; scales with a built-in fat measurement function provide the information for this.
(No-)Go's
- That belongs on the plate: Green and colourful vegetables, polyunsaturated fatty acids: oils, saltwater fish, walnuts and other nuts. Carbohydrates as required.
- Avoid: Fast food, fatty meat, industrialised food, sweets, soft drinks, alcohol
Healthy nutrition: fuels and nutrients
Food provides the fuel for sport and the nutrients for recovery. It is essential to eat the right foods to support training and recovery.
Cycling is motorsport. The human machine utilises a lot of energy, especially during longer training sessions. An intensive three-hour ride can double the daily requirement, a whole day on the bike can more than triple the total metabolic rate. The energy sources for this are carbohydrates (glycogen) stored in the muscles and liver, whose supply is limited (they last for around two hours of full power), as well as the body's own fats (fat stores), which provide energy for days to weeks. A deep discharge of the body's batteries should be avoided at all costs, as this also reduces performance the next day.
For longer training sessions (more than one and a half hours), it is advisable to replenish energy on the go. Of course, this is even more true for competitions. In a marathon, the food consumed during the race is actually the most important source of energy. Without this sustained supply, top performance is not possible. The rule of thumb is: the higher the intensity, the more energy you need to replenish. The upper limit is 120 grams of carbohydrates per hour - this can only be achieved with practice and the right sugar mix.
Typical for endurance training is 30 to 40 grams per hour. For intensive units and races at amateur level, 60 grams of carbohydrates per hour should be aimed for, and 90 grams or more for very fit athletes. Competition nutrition is mainly consumed in liquid form - in the form of energy drinks or gels that are washed down with water. Without hydration, the body cannot process the energy. Self-mixed maltodextrin is a cost-saving option. Two large bottles on the bike provide energy for around three hours.
Eating and drinking during sport
More carbohydrates around training.
- Before training: Fruit, fruit spritzer, yoghurt, bars; the last large meal should have been at least two hours ago
- In training: Depending on the intensity, 30-90 grams of carbohydrates per hour
- Directly after training: Carbohydrate-protein mix - in the simplest case a milkshake with 50 per cent carbohydrate content, followed by easily digestible carbohydrates
- After long training and racing: Within two hours, eat a larger, carbohydrate-rich meal that is adapted to your needs and completely replenishes your stores
Tip: Digital nutrition advisor: The EatmyRide app makes specific suggestions on what to eat during training; a nutrition plan for longer distances or competitions can be created in advance. Common sports nutrition products are stored, but you can also create your own.
