diet & health
Much is made of diet in sport. I cannot state how important it is to keep
your carbohydrate level up during the day. I did this using Hi5 carbohydrate
bars whilst on the move. I found a cheese or chicken sandwich and a banana
at lunch time was light enough on the stomach not to create problems.
Hydration came from either Hi Five Isotonic drink in berry flavour or water:
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See www.highfive.co.uk |
The best food supplement for providing energy and being light to carry and digest are Jelly Babies. Despite eating over 5,000 calories a day I still managed to lose 8/9lbs in weight. One pound of body fat has 4,000 calories of energy which means I had a calorie deficit of 36,000 units over the 12 days or 3,000 per day.
Food is important but a good tip from the Lance Armstrong book is sleep. At least 8/9 hours is recommended. When choosing a hotel it is a point which needs considering. A quiet location and a room where you will not be woken by early leavers is important if you are light sleeper.
The injury which occurred in Scotland is common place amongst cyclists who train or race in wet cold conditions. Keeping the knee covered with ¾ shorts can help with this. As was the case as soon as the rain stopped and the temperature came up my knee recovered.
clothes
All my clothes came from Sigma. They consisted of three manufactures Assos, Goretex and Sportful.
I packed clothes for both summer and winter conditions. The highest temperature encountered was 25°C the lowest was 4°C. Considering the trip was undertaken during the warmest month of the year I could have easily been caught out.
I chose Assos clothes because of the quality of the shorts which are considered by most in cycling to be the best fit for comfort and endurance. They are also very hard wearing.
Goretex clothing was used on the days when low temperatures and rain were forecast.
Sportful offer a range of waterproof overtops which fold down into a carrying case about the size of a doughnut and fit easily into the rear pocket of a cycling top.