Romain Bardet (2nd place in TDF) I'm pretty sure follows OFM and is coached by Peter Defty.

This sounds like fun - thank you for opening up the opportunity to ask questions.

I would love to see/hear a walk through of a day's nutrition for a rider for a typical stage race day. All the "what" and "how much" to eat and drink: Nutrition and hydration starting the day before, pre-race fueling, during the race, and post-race. Of course, it would be helpful to know how big that rider is and how many watts per kilogram they averaged for the stage.

Micronutrients and electrolyte balance would be nice topics, as well.

Thank you!

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Travis Rassat
Vector Cycle Works
Noblesville, IN
BikeFit Instructor | FMS | F.I.S.T. | IBFI
Toughman Triathlon Series Ambassador

Great question

I'm interested in off-season nutrition. Seems to me there's been a big shift in the last couple of decades - we used to see a lot of guys piling on the pounds over winter and then racing back into shape in the spring, these days nearly all the serious contenders seem to stay lean all the time. Would like to know if there is any difference in nutrition plans between racing and winter training - do they relax the rules at all over the winter, and if so in what ways?

I'd also be interested in the timing of nutrition as regards fuelling workouts. What balance is there between pre-, mid- and post-workout fuelling, and how does the food change for each? E.g. complex carbs before, sugar during, protein after? Other than fuelling workouts, how rigorous are they on the timing of nutrition? E.g. avoiding large meals too close to bed time, etc.

I too would love to know more about micronutrients and electrolyte balance for endurance athletes.

What is easy to get from diet and what should a typical triathlete try to supplement with vitamins, etc...

Also, timing of meals and supplements to get the best absorption and performance.

Thanks!

I would be interested in weight loss tips while still fueling workouts as training ramps up. Granted, I should have put the focus on weight loss in the offseason, but beer tastes really good.

I might have had the beer question lined up for myself too. :)

Never sacrifice fueling in workouts. Cut calories at dinner. Easier said than done.

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@floathammerholdon | @partners_in_tri

The same questions I asked my local nutritionist, but she was ill equipped to handle (being more of a "coach the middle aged couch potato to loosing 5 lbs" type):

What nutritional strategies are there to aid in gaining and maintaining lean mass as an endurance athlete?
How do these periodize with the rest of the training calendar and/or pair with lean mass gain stimulating training?

How they make their decisions nutrition wise (i.e. trial and error, previous studies, based on theoretical effect using chemical and physiological knowledge, etc). Are there any foods (or categories such as dairy) which they avoid during in season or close to races? On the other hand, any foods that are "required eating"? What was the biggest mistake their athletes were making before a change was made?

Thanks for doing this, it'll be interesting to listen to.

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Matt

Nice questions...

What's in the team's finish bottles?

Kidding aside, I'd like to see a meal plan for a typical offseason training day.

I'd also like to know what labs they run and how that influences nutritional recommendations for their athletes.

Edit: I'd also be interested in 5 foods to eat every day and 5 not so obvious foods to avoid.

Scott

In reference to labs, i'm assuming you are referring to bloodwork testing for various biomarkers?

Yep.

How is optimization measured and verified? Body composition metrics like weight, body fat %, and lean body mass? Subjective measures like daily mood logging? Lab-measured biomarkers? Performance metrics? If it's a performance metric how is nutrition isolated as a causal factor when so many other aspects of training are likely occurring simultaneously?

I'm curious if you could give me some insights on diet variety. I've gotten accustomed to eating the same meals with very slight alterations day in and day out to help me reduce my cravings for the not so good stuff. It's a good meal but I'm afraid that by constantly providing my body with the same fuel all the time I'm doing myself a disservice. What do you think of the need for variety?

Brown rice w/ Tumeric
Chopped Callaloo / Spinach (greens)
Soy Beans
Corn
Sweet Peppers (Green, Red, Yellow)
Grape Tomatoes
Crumbled Feta Cheese (Small Amount)
Red Onion
Olive Oil Oregano Dressing
4oz Chicken Breast

Twice a week I'll substitute 100g of Salmon/Basa for the chicken. My breakfast is similarly the same every day and my snacks vary but not a huge amount. I'm also taking a variety of supplements (Animal Pack + Iron). Below is a run down of a typical weeks worth of data. My biggest fear is I'm not getting in enough food that will help promote recovery between my training sessions. I'm performing great but curious if I'm missing out on something that can make me even better.

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"Train so you have no regrets @ the finish line"

Great. I'll add in HRV as a metric that anyone of us are capable of measuring as well.

For those of us that didn't lose weight before ramping up the volume and intensity....

How do you time your meals and manage calorie intake when trying to lose weight while 'in-season'?

I'd love to know more about pre-race fuel, and how it differs (or does it?) from event to event. Tri, CX, road race, endurance MTB race – they all have different loads, and I'm guessing different needs?

Also, if this is the team I think you're talking about, maybe a question about what nutritional strategies are being used to help Dr. Freeman through his terrible illness. I hear he's seriously under the weather.

Let's keep this one on topic so it' doesn't spiral out of control on that topic...LOL