Filling the tank

After games around the country, dressing rooms often resemble battlefields.  Players sitting on the benches, knees grass stained, surrounded by sweat soaked jersies and wet socks. Also strewn around the place, empty jaffa cake boxes, empty juice bottles, physio bandages over the floor.  The players have their heads in hands.  Nothing left to give. The tank is empty.

In some cases players will regroup, get washed, get on the hair gel and disco shirt.  After a brief stop for a burger they’ll hit the town for a night on the razzle.  However, to aid recovery this is not the best option.  Players need to get proper fluids back into the system, get a good meal of protein and carbs, helping the body recovery for the next game, the next battle and aiming towards another goal.

After Sunday’s Inishowen 100, I thought back not just to the miles covered or then hills climbed.  I reflected on my diet, and sat down to tot up what I put into the system on Sunday.  It made for interesting reading.  My cycle computer indicated I burned 4640 calories, so I had to restock.  Here was my intake, or as accurate as I can remember.

Breakfast (6.15am)

·         Large bowl Porridge

·         Chicken, Egg & Salad Wrap

·         1 Litre of Diluted Robinsons & Glucose Powder AKA Mal Sports Drink

Arrival in Templemore (7.45am)

·         1 Mal Sports Drink

·         1 Banana

1^st Food Stop (45miles)

·         3 slices of Chicken Sandwiches (White Bread, that’s all there was)

·         1 cup of tea

·         Piece of Swiss Roll

·         1 Tunnock teacake

2^nd Food Stop (80miles)

·         1 banana

3^rd Food Stop (Finish Line)

·         Soup

·         Cheese Bap

·         Star Bar

·         Litre of Suckie Orange Juice

Evening Meal (8.00pm)

·         Tea

·         3 Turkey & Salad baps (Brown bread of course)

·         Apple Tart

En Route (Food on the bike during the day)

·         1 Banana

·         3 Bars of Snickers

·         2 litres Mal Sports Drink

·         1 litre water

·         1 litre Diluted Lucozade Sport (500ml diluted with water)

I would love to have got a photograph of it all on a table, to see what it looked like.  Also to compare it against the one posted on Andy Schleck’s Twitter page (pictured right) of what he had eaten during a day on the tour.

I am not a tour rider, nor am I the player in that dressing room after doing battle.  However, it is still every bit as important to restock the body once you empty the tank.  As I remember on mile 98 in my cycle computer we were coming into Muff, I said to Ronan Higgins at the front, I am away to empty the tank here, I set off on a 500m sprint to the 50km/h sign on way into Muff.

What sort of things do you eat in your sport before, during and after sport?  Leave any comments via comment button below.