nickmaimone Posted August 3, 2006 Share Posted August 3, 2006 another road cyclist here. I race for TristateVelo/Amorosos Cycling Team out of Philadelphia, PA. Im on this site looking for more info on how to better feed myself for the intense training rides and races that I do. I feel like I need more recipes and protein in general. I put in around 120 miles a week if im feeling good, but no matter what Tuesdays I do a training ride that is just tottally BRUTAL, its an interval ride, 40 miles, holding 33ish mph for around, 7 miles at a time, then we slow it down, recover, then go at it again. Thursdays I do a training criterium that is pretty intense also.Anyone have any protein packed recipes that would be good for my racing and training. -nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 3, 2006 Share Posted August 3, 2006 You don't need a protein packed diet you need a power packed training system. Depending on the length of your rides(which seem short) you can get away with lifting quite a bit. I'm gonna start again(been 10 months since I've done any real lifting) and I know I won't need to change my diet...I only eat about 30grams of protein a day, I ride 350 miles a week on average and I'm unsuccessfully trying to get rid of muscle so thats obviously too much protein for me to do that. Lifting is your best bet if you don't have any extra weight to lose. Thats the best way to increase your power to weight ratio and I think you've gotta look at total calories more for strength than protein unless your trying to get big. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted August 3, 2006 Share Posted August 3, 2006 I agree with veganpotter that protein packed diet is really necessary. Protein's important, but levels too high simply won't be digested. After becoming vegan, I've found my recovery and muscle mass to be fine, even taking in around 0.5 g of protein per pound of body weight. Personally as a racing cyclist for many years, the thing that's helped my recovery, particularly after high intensity workouts, has been complex carbohydrate and protein both. I recommend protein shakes (soy, hemp, or pea for example) for quick protein supplementation, but I've been eating a lot of fruit recently and that's helped recovery. Actually I think veganpotter mentioned that and I tried it and it really helped. Other good meals for the evenings include recipes with lentils and brown rice to replenish glycogen stores and help get quality protein in the system. This is one of my favorites and I make it one or twice a week now, and the wife and kids love it too: http://www.vegancycling.com/showthread.php?goto=newpost&t=98 There are lots of great recipe books out there, and I'd highly recommend Vegan Planet as it has a huge array of recipes, so exotic some not. Getting vegan cookbooks is a great way to find out about diversity of vegan cooking, and it doesn't have to be an exact science. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickmaimone Posted August 3, 2006 Share Posted August 3, 2006 veganpotter, 350 miles a week is a little hard to believe. Some pro's dont even train with 350m/week under their belts. Most ameteur racers that I know are 130-150(max) a week. sure you didnt make a typo? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted August 3, 2006 Share Posted August 3, 2006 Nope. That's no typo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickmaimone Posted August 3, 2006 Share Posted August 3, 2006 then isnt so much mileage overkill to the point where it wont make that much of a difference between 150 and 350 a week? I mean, I know base mileage is important, but whats the point? I usually recover on the days in between... and how does one have that much time on his/her hands? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted August 3, 2006 Share Posted August 3, 2006 Well, nick, veganpotter will need to speak for himself, but I have a training regimen more closely aligned with yours (1 to 2 hours a day max to ride) and I eat lots of clif bars (mainly nectar bars) and fruit for sustained energy. To return to your original question, I don't think protein is a huge deal if you just eat a balanced diet. I eat lots of pastas and grains, snack on nuts, make lentil sauces...not anything too radical, and pretty much in line with what endurance cyclists are "supposed to eat", that is, lots of complex carbs. I also get plenty of protein. I'd be interested in knowing what you eat right now, or if you were a meat eater before (or even recently), what you ate. If you found what you ate successful as a meat eater, you can substitute different things in: lentils in pasta sauce, boca burgers, etc. There are plenty of options out there if you want to take in more protein, but I would suggest tracking your nutrient intake if you can and try to get at least 0.5g of protein per pound of body weight no matter what. You can always take in more calories, too, which will help keep the mass on. Muscle goes away primarily when it's not used and your body is at a high calorie deficit and it has nothing else to feed on. To grow muscle, you need to work it, keep enough calories coming in, and some protein coming in, but nothing like the meat industry pushes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickmaimone Posted August 3, 2006 Share Posted August 3, 2006 I eat alot of seitan-like stuff. I dont really like seitan but have an obsession with morningstar farms chickn strips. I use them for so much! I also eat alot of baked beans, or I make broccoli rabe w/kidney beans and garlic(which would count as spinach)(mmmmmmm). Tofu probably once a week, not too much though. TVP in chille, tacos, etc. I make alot of sandwiches like vegan chicken cheesesteaks and stuff. (That means lots of sandwich rolls also) and the sandwiches has the chicken, green pepper, onion, vegan mozerella, and vegan mayo on them. I have pasta alot also. I eat alot of vegan chicken patties, hmm, what else, its so hard to think because im so used to eating the same things, I take it for granted. I eat alot of fruit, and make strawberry smoothies, and vegan milkshakes a couple times a week. During training, I SOMETIMES have an energy gel, but not lately because th eone ive carried around is strawberry flavored and I hate that kind, so I havent really been looking forward to needing to use it.(Gotta get to the shop and buy some chocolate ones!mmmmmmmm) I have tomato pie every once in awhile, and also whenever Im over my girlfriends and we order something I get a cold veggie hoagie. Just lettuce, onion, cucumber,roasted peppers,carrots,celery, hot peppers, ETC., with honey mustard, or vinegar and oil. (Im one of those vegans that doesnt mind eating honey...sorry if that dissapoints you) . Also sometimes I throw some Texas Burgers on the grill. Ill think more about what I eat regularly and get back to ya. Let me know what you think. My schedule is like this. Monday, work, and spin if I have the time, depending on my shift Tuesday, Eat, Spin Early on, at 6, I do an intense 40 mile interval ride with some cat 1/2 riders (and take into consideration that this is my last season as a junior racer, so to hang with these guys is pretty respectable if you ask me). Wed- depending on my shift, I usually spin a bit to flush my legs Thurs-Spin, eat, Criterium Training Race, (I warmup a good...45 minutes, doing mostly spinning and a couple hard efforts so I dont have a partial- bonk after the first 10 laps) Friday-Spin to flush the legs, depending on my shift, blah blah blah Saturday, I usually depending on work take a nice little ride if Im feeling like it, but it depends on what I have planned for sunday. Sunday- either a race, or I do a 55mile ride. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finbarrio Posted August 3, 2006 Share Posted August 3, 2006 I have way less experience than you guys, and I mt bike more than I road ride, but 2 things I noticed:1. Matt's advice about what to eat AFTER a ride has had immediate positive results for me. 2. If you're asking how to make your tuesday PM rides less brutal - Have you tried skipping your tuesday AM spin? I wonder if you're overdoing it on that day.Just some thoughts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted August 3, 2006 Share Posted August 3, 2006 Hey, thanks, finn! Another thing to do to get better is simply to get more rest, as finbarrio alludes to. Many athletes simply push themselves really hard and often lose site of the fact they are overtraining. I'm a HUGE believer in rest, and when I was younger I went through the whole overtraining thing until I rode less and did more quality at which time I saw huge performance gains. So maybe even take one or two days off completely per week or just VERY easy spins with absolutely no workout attached after a hard or long workout day. Maybe that means every three or four weeks you forgo the high intensity ride on Tuesday or skip on of the weekend days. Don't underestimate how much rest your body needs. I'll ride to the beach and cruise around and talk to friends for a day or two if I've trained hard. It really helps to be fully recovered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 4, 2006 Share Posted August 4, 2006 veganpotter, 350 miles a week is a little hard to believe. Some pro's dont even train with 350m/week under their belts. Most ameteur racers that I know are 130-150(max) a week. sure you didnt make a typo? Nope...I ride atleast 50miles every day at varying intensities...normally 3 are very high intensity interval rides(relative to me of course), 2 are low intensity spins days and if I can handle it I do 2 days of riding and an equal intensity for 3 hrs with a constant fairly hard effort(kinda like an eas time trial if thats possible). I also have nothing to do and need no job so I'm fortunate enough to be able to sit down pretty much all day long and when I'm not sitting on my butt in front of a TV I'm sitting on my butt making pottery. Now that I'm down to weight this distance riding will stop and I plan on dropping to 200miles per week but I will begin to do sprints and start lifting again to get the some of my strength back. Riding on the track for the first time here in Portland really showed me that thats what I'm meant to do. Surely it was a beginners class but I raced a 21yr old cat3(regular top 10 finisher in all his races) and lost to him by inches...I'm an average cat 5 on the road and I've only done 3 races. I'm excited of the prospect of track cycling and speed again...but I'm gonna miss the high milage....oh, I've also done one 500 mile week...every mile was solo, and I've done two 400 mile weeks in the same month before. Surely most amateurs only get to ride 130-150 but thats circumstance(school, work, family, weather) not do to inability. I'm very good at constant intensity riding with a hard final effort or constant effort. Change of effort doesn't suit me well and my riding is the cause of that. If I rode shorter rides I could handle the constant change of intensity of a crit but I'm not interested in that since it doesn't suit me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
veganmonk Posted August 15, 2006 Share Posted August 15, 2006 I mainly street bike for transportation but have a mountain bike... Does anyone know what is a good bike to get for mainly street biking, but one that won't flip out if I go over some gravel or through some mud/dirt/trails, or hop a curb here and there? I was thinking of this one:http://www.bikes.com/bikes/2006/city/rc-70.aspx Right now I have this:http://www.norco.com/bikes/2004bikes/kokanee.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seand Posted August 15, 2006 Share Posted August 15, 2006 my question is similar... i just recently got a mountain bike (specialized stumpy fsr comp) and am wondering if i can use this for long street riding and training or do i need to buy another bike specifically for the street? thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted August 15, 2006 Share Posted August 15, 2006 You can use a mountain bike perfectly well on the road. You'll have more rolling resistance due to the knobby tires, so you might consider getting "slicks", that is, tires that fit your mountain bike wheels that are smooth for the road. Makes it a lot easier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
veganmonk Posted August 15, 2006 Share Posted August 15, 2006 Ya I do find myself having to fill up my tires a bit and it's quite grippy, but also the positioning is more upright on the mountain bike, and also the tire radius is smaller than a street bike, and mountain bikes are heavier, so you go slower. So I suppose the better workout is on the mountain bike, but if you want less resistance and speed get a street bike. At least that is the reason I'm considering it - but I don't want a bike that will break if I go over a rock or through dirt or jump curbs either... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finbarrio Posted August 15, 2006 Share Posted August 15, 2006 I like your norco. I like the RM you linked to also, but I'd be a bit weary about hopping curbs on that set up. If I were you, I'd put slicks or semi-slicks on your norco (as suggested). That'll make a big difference. I don't think that fork locks out, but if it does, I'd lock it out for the road to put more power in your pedaling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 15, 2006 Share Posted August 15, 2006 Slicks should do the trick...the real reason mountain bikes are slower other than aerodynamics and gearing is really the tires...more of the width than anything but also the tread...weight only slows acceleration...as for a better workout thats all up to you...you can put the same amount of effort into either...its just that you'll go faster on a road bike with the same effort. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
veganmonk Posted August 15, 2006 Share Posted August 15, 2006 How about posture? Mountain bike being more upright and wind resistant? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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