Elite track cyclist vegan diet question

[Rochellita]

I'm hoping some of the (I know few) track cyclists here can help me with this question.

As part of an assignment I'm writing, I have to devise the recommended optimal performance diet for an elite track cycling team. I'd be curious to know what and how you'd eat if you were an elite level vegan, bearing in mind you'd be doing it full time, riding up to 100 miles a day, training 2-5 hours.

Assume you'll be competing in a team pursuit event racing 4000 metres.

So I'm curious to know about

- pre-training/competition nutrition and hydration
- post-training/competition nutrition and hydration

This needs to be from food, we are encouraged not to include potions, pills (other than perhaps a supplemental multivit) or powders (so not protein shakes, no Vegaesque powder mixes) and no fad diets like a totally raw food diet. I think my tutors would already see a plant-based diet as faddist.

[the crazyest vegan]

right well nobody seem's to be answering on this topic so i'm going to put a few thing's down, might i stress though that i am not a track cyclist but as a road cyclist this is what i'd do if i was.

[quote=".flux"]
- pre-training/competition nutrition and hydration
quote]
the emphisis would be on carbohydrate's the day before the even to ensure a good base of energy then sugar's and light food on the day of the event before hand, so carbohydrate's would include pasta, i usually have a few fruit smoothie's, plenty of water and also plenty of protean from nut's to ensure my leg's are fully recovered.


[quote=".flux"]
- post-training/competition nutrition and hydration
quote]
post training again plenty of carbohydrates from pasta also a lot of salad to boost my immune system.

tbh you'd be best asking Ha or another raw vegan what he'd eat cus i pump myself up with creatin, protean shake's, glucose powder during the event and what ever else takes my fancy!

[JohnBarleycorn]

Hmmmm !

I am not a track cyclist either. But I am built like one !

VeganJosh would be the man to ask....and the Noisy one too.

Training for five hours a day requires large amounts of carbs. Rice and pasta being a good start. But veg as well. Also plenty of fruit.

Most cyclists eat some rubbish too. Cakes etc. I eat flapjacks and the like.

Five hours of hard training requires a lot of calories, in general. 5000 or more each day. Chris Hoy would be eating 7-8000 a day. It can be hard to get that entirely from quality sources.

But carbs are always the core of a cyclists diet.

[Rochellita]

Thanks for the replies.

As for most cyclists eating junk, I can imagine they do but the recommendation for this assignment is that the team is placed on a strictly no junk food diet. No fad raw food style diets either.

Interesting that one of my course material suggests that meat is not a good choice for these sorts of athletes because it doesn't digest as well or as fast as other sources of protein.

[karena.towle55]

I am not a professional,

but would advice you to have loads of water and fresh orange juice intake before and after. Your diet can include anything that give you all the energy you need but keeps you light.

[fredrikw]

Just stating a general 'loads of fluids' when training hard is a pretty bad advice, fluid intake should match fluid loss and nothing more. Hyponatremia isn't uncommon among atheletes that train long hours.

[Dave Noisy]

Oooh..fun topic!

I'm surprised these guys are riding 100 mile days on any regular basis...the 4km Team Pursuit is a short event (well under 5mins), and, well...4km is well short of 160km..haha..

The event itself is exceptionally demanding, running at the 'red line' nearly the entire time. Carbs are the only fuel burned, and should be the central focus of the diet. Something like 70/15/15 would be sufficient.

You might want to make a case for utilizing more fruits and veggies for their antioxidants... Grains and fruit (inc dried) are a good way to go. Taters, squashes, sweet potatoes and yams are excellent.

Day to day nutrition wouldn't change a lot...calorie totals would vary between how much riders train each day..

I'd keep the focus on carbs through most of the day, and get a small amount of protein in the evening.

Hope that helps a bit!!

[fredrikw]

I'm surprised these guys are riding 100 mile days on any regular basis...the 4km Team Pursuit is a short event (well under 5mins), and, well...4km is well short of 160km..haha..

I was a bit surprised by this as well to be honest, sounds like old school cycling thinking rather optimized training for a short event like 4km team pursuit... But then again short events is not my thing so I really don't know much about how to train for them

[JohnBarleycorn]

If we look at the Track Endurance Squad for British Cycling, which is basically the pursuiters and bunch race riders, I am told by insiders that they are doing around 5-6 hours a day. I am also told they experimented with weights, but are now, in the last few years, only doing cycling. Although some members do pilates, and all do stretching.

Their training is pretty much all quality, high intensity stuff, although they work in training cycles, so there are longer rides too, when required.

Plenty of motor pacing too. But every riders trains with SRM power meters, and every single mile is downloaded and analysed.

So the miles aren't important. Its the time spent on the bike, and what is done, that counts.

Of course, individuals like Bradley will need to do long rides too, to prepare for his pro road racing. But I am told he prepared for last years Tour on ten hours of quality training a week. Old school would suggest 35 hours a week, when I was in France in the late eighties. Quality will always win over volume.

[Rochellita]

Oooh..fun topic!

I'm surprised these guys are riding 100 mile days on any regular basis...the 4km Team Pursuit is a short event (well under 5mins), and, well...4km is well short of 160km..haha..

This is based on how an elite track team in the Olympic Academy Programme, based in Manchester train, in preparation for the 2012 Olympics. They say the whole style of the training is based on 'the East Germany model', and refined in Australia.

I don't really understand why they need to do so much mileage, the fact that you two are also surprised about that is interesting. I went over the transcripts and they do indeed train that much, a lot of it outdoors as well.

If we look at the Track Endurance Squad for British Cycling, which is basically the pursuiters and bunch race riders, I am told by insiders that they are doing around 5-6 hours a day. I am also told they experimented with weights, but are now, in the last few years, only doing cycling. Although some members do pilates, and all do stretching.

My course DVD includes an interview with their coach and the team and it does show them doing pilates.

[JohnBarleycorn]

The East German model only really worked when there was 'medical' help ! In other words, large amounts of drugs ! Thats where the whole idea of training blocks and periodisation came from, as it fitted in with drug cycles.

I understand British cycling use a refined version of the AIS training programme, but with many additions. All based on super high quality, and power meters.

I doubt the pursuiters would cover more than 50 miles a day. But they do many split sessions, during a day, so i guess the miles would tend to accumulate.

[Rochellita]

The East German model only really worked when there was 'medical' help ! In other words, large amounts of drugs ! Thats where the whole idea of training blocks and periodisation came from, as it fitted in with drug cycles.

yeah, doesn't quite fit with the recommendation of a clean diet but I'm just quoting my course material here.

I understand British cycling use a refined version of the AIS training programme, but with many additions. All based on super high quality, and power meters.

What is AIS?

I doubt the pursuiters would cover more than 50 miles a day. But they do many split sessions, during a day, so i guess the miles would tend to
accumulate.

aha, they weren't very specific about the splits, just that they average that per day, so that is possible.

Interesting to match up your insider info with my course content, we are talking about the same team I think.

[JohnBarleycorn]

AIS; Australian Institute of Sport. The most advanced set-up in the world, in the nineties.

Yes, we are talking about the same team.

There are certain aspects of their training kept secret. Power files are top secret. But they are clean...no doubt about that !

[veganjosh]

Hmm, I'm not sure what to say about my own diet...I always feel like my eating is pretty much crap, so I don't know if I'd take my own advice I train 3-4 hours/day, and my main concern is just getting enough calories in a day. I try for around 4000, and I only weigh 69kg.

I take a lot of supplements pre/post training, but maybe it'll help if I list off the stuff I take:
Before: Try to get a good meal an hour or so before training.
During: Lots of complex carbs
After: 5g creatine, 3g beta-alanine, 5g citrulline malate, more complex carbs
A few minutes later: 25g protein (as a protein shake)

I imagine that a pursuiter wouldn't need as much protein and probably wouldn't take creatine.

[the crazyest vegan]

why wouldnt a persuiter take creatin? creatin help's in sprint's so i think they probably are! i read that pro cyclists take over 400mg of creatin at a time o_O