Nutrition for Time Trials
Cycling / Advanced
The time trial - one of the simplest forms of cycling. Just you against the clock. Commonly known as the race of truth, but that’s where the simplicity ends. In fact time trialists are well known for their amazing attention to detail and nutrition should be no exception.
For the shorter time trials of 10 and 25 miles it’s going to be your pre-race nutrition that is key to your performance, as it is unlikely you will eat during the event. This starts days before, making sure you are eating healthy and consistently throughout the day. Aim to get a portion of carbohydrates and protein with every meal. There should be no need to actually increase what you eat leading into the event, as your natural tapering (reducing your training) will allow your muscles to store the energy from carbohydrate.
Hydration is important as well. Dehydration is not something you can reverse in a couple of hours, in fact it can take several days to be fully rehydrate. Sipping OTE Hydro Tabs regularly is advised in the days leading up to the time trial. As a rule we say ‘always try and stay just ahead of feeling thirsty’.
RACE DAY
Having successfully fuelled and ensured you remain hydrated in the days leading up to the race it’s now time to focus on race day. You should try to consume your pre-race meal about 3 hours before your start time. If you eat any closer to your start time you may run the risk of your food not being fully digested. Now we know the average British time trial starts at the crack of dawn and getting up 3 hours before may seem like a big ask, but trust us, it will be worth it. Aim to eat something high in carbohydrate but low in fat, porridge is alway a good bet. Again, from the moment you wake up start sipping your hydro tabs as they improve the body’s ability to absorb fluid and thus stay hydrated. Unfortunately downing a pint of water in the hours before the race doesn’t have the same effect, in fact you will probably just have to go to the toilet more, which isn’t very convenient when you’ve just squeezed into your skinsuit!
As your start time approaches it’s usually time to start warming up. This will differ for everyone and also be dependent on the weather, however most people take to the turbo or rollers for a static warm up. This is where the last phase of your pre-race nutrition comes into play. Start to sip an OTE energy drink during the final hour before your start time and continue to do so during your warm up. OTE energy drinks are perfect for this as they have been developed to be pH neutral and therefore kind on the stomach. There is one final element, one in which research has found to be very beneficial to events such as time-trials; a hit of caffeine. Ingesting an OTE caffeine gel around 30 minutes before your start time will allow the caffeine to kick in just in time for your depart. You will also benefit from taking on board the additional carbohydrate from the gel. A few more swigs of energy drink on the way to the line and you should be well fuelled, hydrated and ready to go!
