Login required to started new threads

Login required to post replies

Pro Cycling Diet
Quote | Reply
A few months back a guy posted about hosting a few pro cyclists and described a bit about their diet. I'm very curious to hear more from those of you that know what these guys/gals eat.

What do they ingest on a day to day basis from January-September that keeps them so lean, but able to crank out the long season?
Quote Reply
Re: Pro Cycling Diet [%FTP] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
In that post, they were eating a lot of veggies and taking in protein shakes immediately after rides.

Unfortunately for me, it didn't seem like beer and chicken wings were in their diet.
Quote Reply
Re: Pro Cycling Diet [LTBlowUp] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
That was a really interesting thread. One thing I couldn't glean from the post was the amount of carbs they were consuming. It sounded like very little, but that just didn't seem right to me. For example, it would be interesting to know the calorie content of the post-ride shakes. Somehow those guys had to be eating enough to fuel those long rides but I couldn't get from the post how that was occurring.
Quote Reply
Re: Pro Cycling Diet [%FTP] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
The original thread, for those who missed it.

Disclaimer: not a pro, just hang around with some fairly strong guys. I can attest to a similar diet - salad and vegetables, lean protein, and 1-2 carbohydrate portions a day are more than enough to keep you fuelled and lean. Adjust accordingly depending on your workouts and take enough gels/bananas for the longer rides, and you'll be just fine.

I know of a few pros that will enjoy a nice Weißbier post-workout, and I ran into the state champion at the ice-cream shop a few times over the summer. Definitively not forbidden words, just taken in moderation.

Eat healthy and commensurably. The fact that you just went on a 4-6h ride or a 3h run doesn't automatically give you a green light to shovel down all sorts of junk food. It's pretty simple :)

Cheers,

Ricardo Wickert | Team Magnesium Pur - Germany | My sporadically updated blog: The Thin Grad Line | My team-issued TT bike: Trek Speed Concept 9

2015 Sponsors & Partners: Magnesium Pur | Ullmax | B&W Bike Cases | Ristorante La Dolce Vita | Trek Bikes via Bici-Sport Binder
Quote Reply
Re: Pro Cycling Diet [%FTP] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Dave Zabriskie is a vegan save for the occasional bit of salmon.


Michael J. Pelechaty
Brewer, Black Box Brewing Co.

"Yeah, I was depressed for a little while, but then I remembered how awesome I am."
Quote Reply
Re: Pro Cycling Diet [Cheddar] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Cheddar wrote:
Dave Zabriskie is a vegan save for the occasional bit of salmon.

and he used to not be a vegan
and he was fast both ways =)



Kat Hunter reports on the San Dimas Stage Race from inside the GC winning team
Aeroweenie.com -Compendium of Aero Data and Knowledge
Freelance sports & outdoors writer Kathryn Hunter
Quote Reply
Re: Pro Cycling Diet [phil combs] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
phil combs wrote:
That was a really interesting thread. One thing I couldn't glean from the post was the amount of carbs they were consuming. It sounded like very little, but that just didn't seem right to me. For example, it would be interesting to know the calorie content of the post-ride shakes. Somehow those guys had to be eating enough to fuel those long rides but I couldn't get from the post how that was occurring.


they are fueling DURING the ride, not before or after...


gels, banana, and coke can do wonders for u during a long ride!

The entire event (IM) is like "death by 1000 cuts" and the best race is minimizing all those cuts and losing less blood than the other guy. - Dev
Quote Reply
Re: Pro Cycling Diet [jackmott] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
I'm was not implying that is why he is fast, but rather proposing that being vegan will not hinder one as people think due to the "lack of protein" meme.


Michael J. Pelechaty
Brewer, Black Box Brewing Co.

"Yeah, I was depressed for a little while, but then I remembered how awesome I am."
Quote Reply
Re: Pro Cycling Diet [Cheddar] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Cheddar wrote:
I'm was not implying that is why he is fast, but rather proposing that being vegan will not hinder one as people think due to the "lack of protein" meme.

agreed



Kat Hunter reports on the San Dimas Stage Race from inside the GC winning team
Aeroweenie.com -Compendium of Aero Data and Knowledge
Freelance sports & outdoors writer Kathryn Hunter
Quote Reply
Re: Pro Cycling Diet [Cheddar] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Dave Zabriskie is a vegan save for the occasional bit of salmon.

I am a virgin save for the occasional bit of sex.



Portside Athletics Blog
Quote Reply
Re: Pro Cycling Diet [SwBkRn44] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
No, you are a troll


Michael J. Pelechaty
Brewer, Black Box Brewing Co.

"Yeah, I was depressed for a little while, but then I remembered how awesome I am."
Quote Reply
Re: Pro Cycling Diet [Cheddar] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Yeah, definitely a troll...who has been hanging around for 7 years with thousands of posts.

I just think the whole "vegan with occasional salmon" thing is absurd. He's not a vegan.

Contador is clean, with the occasional bit of failed drug tests. Words mean things, vegan means you don't eat meat.



Portside Athletics Blog
Quote Reply
Re: Pro Cycling Diet [SwBkRn44] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
good point.
Quote Reply
Re: Pro Cycling Diet [SwBkRn44] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
You are not a troll, except your post today. I'm glad you informed me on the definition of vegan which you don't even understand. Vegan means that one does not eat any animal products. This includes things other than meat.

So if i edit to say he eats a vegan diet typically, but once every couple months has a salmon steak will that appease your semantics gods? do you have some horse in this argument or did you just want to nit pick my semantics? I'm sorry I offended you with my first post about him "being vegan" I didn't realize you were living in a PITA camp.


Michael J. Pelechaty
Brewer, Black Box Brewing Co.

"Yeah, I was depressed for a little while, but then I remembered how awesome I am."
Last edited by: Cheddar: Feb 8, 12 9:35
Quote Reply
Re: Pro Cycling Diet [Cheddar] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
I'm glad you informed me on the definition of vegan which you don't even understand. Vegan means that one does not eat any animal products. This includes things other than meat.

I know the definition of vegan, I didn't say it meant you just don't eat meat (that's a vegetarian), however, eating meat as Zabriskie does is a disqualifier. I know the definition is more strict than that (animal products) but he fails at the simplest test. The statement "vegan means you don't eat meat" is true. Yes, it also means you don't eat other things. You're criticizing me for jumping on semantics...geesh?

So if i edit to say he eats a vegan diet typically, but once every couple months has a salmon steak will that appease your semantics gods? do you have some horse in this argument or did you just want to nit pick my semantics?

It's not your semantics and I have no problems with you. It's the semantics of the whole story. There was even an article in some major newspaper (NYT or something) about this vegan bike racer. He eats fish, he's not a vegan. As BSNYC put it, "You can't say don't get hung up on the definition as getting hung up on shit is what being a vegan is all about" :-)



Portside Athletics Blog
Quote Reply
Re: Pro Cycling Diet [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
The Garmin U-23 squad was, two years ago, advised to eat something like 80% carbs, and only chicken or fish as meat.

I'm not commenting on the efficacy or advisability.

Just because a pro does something does not mean it's ideal, and especially not that it's ideal for you. Do your own research, consult with respected experts, and make your own choices.
Quote Reply
Re: Pro Cycling Diet [wickert] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
I can attest that while racing and training with Team Exergy during the 2010 Tour of Utah project there was a lot more than 1-2 servings of carbs a day going around. I don't really think that many guys can get away with extreme hypocaloric, low caloric diets as outlined in that original post. Maybe for a few weeks to get lean (although starving altogether seemed to be a bit more popular) but definitely not during prolonged periods of serious training. Most days it was lots of cereal/ oatmeal for breakfast, pasta/sandwiches/fast food for lunch and Tex mex for dinner. These were pretty lean guys and if they wanted to lose a few lbs they recognized that it was very difficult to balance during high end preparation. Personally I eat about 500 grams + of carbohydrates a day and around 4000 kcals+. I am about 5% body fat at 140 lbs and race Cat 1. Diet depends on so many factors, performance level is just one of many.

Professional Athlete: http://jordancheyne.wordpress.com/ http://www.strava.com/athletes/145340

Coaching Services:http://www.peakformcoaching.com/

Quote Reply
Re: Pro Cycling Diet [Jordano] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
You're right, from that original post, one could infer the diet to be really hypocaloric. But what I referred to wouldn't necessarily be, at least not during the bulk of the season. Much rather it's about the quality of those calories.

And I agree on the carbohydrate portions - nothing wrong with a few more, specially during racing or intense training.

Jordano wrote:
Diet depends on so many factors, performance level is just one of many.
Wouldn't it be the other way around? "Performance level depends on so many factors, diet is just one of many"?

Ricardo Wickert | Team Magnesium Pur - Germany | My sporadically updated blog: The Thin Grad Line | My team-issued TT bike: Trek Speed Concept 9

2015 Sponsors & Partners: Magnesium Pur | Ullmax | B&W Bike Cases | Ristorante La Dolce Vita | Trek Bikes via Bici-Sport Binder
Quote Reply
Re: Pro Cycling Diet [SwBkRn44] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
SwBkRn44 wrote:
Dave Zabriskie is a vegan save for the occasional bit of salmon.

I am a virgin save for the occasional bit of sex.

you must be married!


-Brian
Quote Reply
Re: Pro Cycling Diet [Bsquared] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Quote Reply
Re: Pro Cycling Diet [wickert] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Hello - the rider's host here.

I wouldn't call it Hypocaloric by any means - except perhaps by comparison to my own diet. They are BIG salads with lots
of add-ins (peppers, beans, tomatoes, maybe sliced turkey - probably some cheese and would hand make dressings with Olive oil etc), lots of fruit,
lots of water.


They took sports drink on their rides and probably a gel or two - a blenderful of a smoothie after the ride. Cereal / Musilex for breakfast with more fruit.


What they didn't do was open a bag of chips after the ride, or order the full-rack of ribs at dinner, or eat much processed food at all. It was disciplined,
not monkish. I could see that adding up to 2,500 calories - but way short of the 4,000 I typically shovel in. They were my height and 30 pounds lighter - a lot
of my excuses were disabused that week...


It could also be they were trying to drop a few pounds before chasing Levi, Cadel and CVV through the Utah and Colorado mountains... you could do worse things
with 50,000' of climbing at ProTour pace ahead of you.


.


.







" I take my gear out of my car and put my bike together. Tourists and locals are watching from sidewalk cafes. Non-racers. The emptiness of of their lives shocks me. "
(opening lines from Tim Krabbe's The Rider , 1978
Quote Reply
Re: Pro Cycling Diet [TriDevilDog] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
LA talk about it on:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7W-SGNh3AD0

The entire event (IM) is like "death by 1000 cuts" and the best race is minimizing all those cuts and losing less blood than the other guy. - Dev
Quote Reply
Re: Pro Cycling Diet [phil combs] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
phil combs wrote:
That was a really interesting thread. One thing I couldn't glean from the post was the amount of carbs they were consuming. It sounded like very little, but that just didn't seem right to me. For example, it would be interesting to know the calorie content of the post-ride shakes. Somehow those guys had to be eating enough to fuel those long rides but I couldn't get from the post how that was occurring.

60% of carb intake for a 200lb cyclist will be much different then a 60% carb intake of a 150lb cyclist.
Quote Reply