Professional Cyclist Fabio Calabria has been racing his bike for over a decade, in wind, in snow, up hills, both ways. And while climbing those hills he's learned a lot about nutrition.
His first tip: What to eat changes when the seasons change:
There is nothing worse then getting to the top of your favorite climb and reaching into your pocket for something to eat, only to find that Justin’s Peanut Butter Cup you’ve been looking forward to for the last 30mins is a melted chocolatey mess. If your like me, you’ll dig in and the delicious treat reward for a climb well done will end up all over your fingers, handlebars and face. Then, as you ride home hours later, you’ll still find the occasional delicious taste all the way home in strange places, the tip of your glove. The side of your glove. On an elbow. This is why it’s important to bring food with you that suits the season. Just as a mojo bar can end up all over your fingers and face as you lick the wrapper, trying to savor every last bit of it, a Crunchy Peanut Butter Bar can be difficult to eat if left out in the snow or in the external pocket of your bag and saved for later. This is why it’s so important to bring food with you that is suitable for the conditions, and to make sure you keep fresh nutrition on hand. Being Australian, I love summer and cringe at the cold, it’s always a sad day for me when I realize it’s become too hot to bring anything chocolate out training — as much as I love chocolate, I love eating it. Not cleaning it off my helmet and sunglasses. Un-melty chocolate’s may be one of the only reasons I love riding as the temperatures drop. That said, when forced to brave the cold here are some things to keep in mind when it comes to nutrition: Keep bars and chews that are prone to freezing, close to your body. Let your body warm up a Ripvan Wafel and make it nice and gooey. Keep your bars fresh. Bars like Bonk Breakers are baked and shipped daily, so if you get just what you need for a months time you know they’ll be fresh. The fresher they are, the softer they are. Stale bars on a cold day can result in a trip to the dentist — less than ideal. When the weather gets colder, it can be even hared to force yourself to take the time to dip into your pockets, open a bar, eat, and drink the cold water in your bottle. Adding a normal drink mix like Skratch Lemons + Limes will keep your drink from freezing thanks to the sodium (electrolyte) content in the mix. If you wanna take it to the next level, use a thermal bottle, and brew up some water and add Skratch Apple + Cinnamon for a hot drink to take with you. Again, it won’t freeze, and a thermal bottle will keep in toasty for a much longer time. Fabio’s Summer Sweets:
- Breeze Bar Nut Free Sunflower
- Ripvan wafel
- Mojo Mixed Nut
- Justins Maple Almond
- Skratch Rasberries
- Anything with Chocolate
- Honey Bunchies
- Bobo’s Oat Bars
- Mojo Dipped Chocolate Peanut
- Justin's Peanut Butter Cups
- Skratch Apple + Cinnamon (Keeps you warm when its not so warm outside)
