Nutrition In Mountain Biking

Nutrition in Mountain Biking


I. Waterworld 1. Muscles produce 30-100 times more heat while riding 2. Water

doesn't supply calories, minerals, or vitamins A. But it is used for almost

every body function B. 55-65% of body weight is water 3. When losing a quart of

fluid heart beats 8 more times a minute 4. Before a long ride start

hyperhydrating 1 day in advance 5. Do drinking strategies during your training


II. Rehydrate 1. Drink alot after a ride 2. Sports drinks replenish the best 3.

Eat alot of salty snacks A. Sodium makes your blood like a sponge B. meals

contain more sodium naturally than sports bars


III. Diet helps 1. 60% of your daily fluid comes from food 2. Fruit and

vegatables are great fluid sources 3. Foods high in fat do not provide to much

fluid


IV. Equipment 1. Warm up bikes are good for bad weather or the dark 2. Good for

intense intervals


V. Liquids 1. Replenish your self after rides 2. As soon as the rides over is

the best time to replenish 3. Drink or eat 100 grams of carbo 4. Drinking carbo

is much faster than eating carbo 5. You can spend over $1000 a year on recovery

drinks


VI. Cereal 1. Flakes are carbo rich, low in fat, and quickly digested 2. Sugar

coated are not bad either 3. Most cereals contain less than 2 grams of fat per

serving


     When riding a bicycle, your muscles produce 30-100 times more heat than

when your body is at rest.  The body puts out this inferno by increasing the

sweat rates.  In the summer you can lose over two liters of fluid per hour on a

really hot day, dehydration and saddle soars are the leading reasons cyclists

drop out of races.  The body loses this much fluid mostly from an increase in

sweat rates.  Water does not supply calories, minerals, or vitamins, but it is

mandatory almost for every body function.  It keeps body temperatures from

rising while the person is exercising.  Water accounts for 55-65% of your body

weight.  Cyclist that lose over a quart rate, which goes up  to eight beats per

minute a decrease in cardiac function, and an increase in body temperature.

This is a study by Edward Coyle Ph.D. Director of the Humane Performance

Laboratory at the University of Texas (Walsh 92).

     Dehydration can possibly increase metabolic stress on muscles.  It also

causes problems on your internal thermostat by decreasing blood flow to the skin,

slowing sweat rates, and increasing the time needed for fluids to be absorbed

into the blood stream.  What is worse, by the time you feel thirsty, your body

has already lost 1-2% of its body weight.  Drink lots of water every day, but

before a long ride or a race, start hyper hydrating twenty four hours in advance.

 Avoid drinks containing alcohol or caffeine because they both make the body

excrete more water.  If you can not meet your calorie needs, use sports drinks,

recovery drinks or other liquid supplements.  Try to step fluid lost to sweat,

practice drinking strategies during your training. Determine how much sweat you

lose by weighing yourself before and after your rides  Every  pound lost equals

sixteen ounces of fluids.  It takes practice to drink more than a quart of fluid

per hour without getting cramps or internal discomfort.  A hydration bladder

system such as Camelbak, provides water and will help you drink more (Walsh 94).

     After you have ridden for a while drink plenty of fluids.  What you

drink after the ride can make a difference.  Coyle also compared the effects of

drinking nearly two liters of water, sport drinks, or diet cola in athletes two

hours after a workout, the results showed diet cola replenishes 54% of the

fluids lost; water, 64%; and sport drinks, 69%.  Before or while riding you

should eat salty snacks.  Sodium makes your blood like a sponge so you can

absorb more water and excrete less.  Athletes such as cyclists should also drink

plentiful with meals and snacks, because food naturally contains many times more

sodium than soft drinks or energy bars (Walsh 95).

     About 60% of your daily fluid comes from the food you eat, but some

foods inc
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