September Newsletter from The Bicycle Wheel

News from The Bicycle Wheel for September 2010

Bring on Fall Weather!

September is usually one of the nicer months to ride here in Atlanta and we hope you'll have a chance to take advantage of the lower temps and humidity over the next few weeks.

Things are changing here at The Bicycle Wheel and with more space, we will have a nice selection of fall clothing from Cannondale, Giro and others coming in in the next few days. Be sure to stop in and check it out. When you feel a chill in the air, count on us to keep you outfitted.

As a Hammer Nutrition dealer, we are often asked to "cut through the clutter" and give the straight story on nutrition. We've gotten so many questions about this over the last couple of months, we decided to devote an article to it. Along those lines, our "Product Spotlight" this month is Hammer Nutrition's HEED. See the articles below for more details.

Regards,

The Staff of The Bicycle Wheel

Sports Nutrition and Why it's Important
Whether you are riding your bike on a long training ride or taking on your first triathlon, nutrition is one of the most overlooked components of performance. Most active individuals are aware of the health benefits of eating right, but not everyone is aware of why it is so important to fuel your body correctly when you are exercising.

Below are six simple tips that will help you improve your performance while exercising.

Avoid Simple Sugars
In general, fructose, sucrose, glucose, and other simple sugars are poor carbohydrate sources for fueling your body during exercise. For endurance athletes, the problem with drinks containing

**Get into the habit of reading "sport drink" labels carefully. Many are loaded with sugar.**

simple sugars is that they must be mixed in weak 6-8% solutions in order to be digested with any efficiency. Unfortunately, solutions mixed and consumed at this concentration only provide, at most, about 100 calories per hour which is an inadequate amount for maintaining energy production.

Using a 6-8% solution to obtain adequate calories means your fluid intake becomes so high that it causes discomfort and bloating.

Drink One Large Water Bottle Per Hour of Exercise
While it is easy to drink too little during exercise, especially when it is hot, it is just as detrimental to performance to over-hydrate. Remember, both undersupply and oversupply of fluid intake will get you in trouble. This can lead to significant problems when you're trying to meet your hydration requirements.

How much should you drink? A good rule of thumb is between 17-25 fluid ounces per hour. This amount will fulfill most athletes' hydration requirements under most conditions.

Don't Forget to Replenish Electrolytes
Your body requires electrolytic minerals to maintain smooth performance of vital functions such as muscle contraction. Athletes who neglect this important component of fueling will impair their performance, and may incur painful and debilitating cramping and spasms, a sure way to ruin a workout or race.

Remember also that electrolyte replenishment is important even when it's not hot outside. Sure, you may not need as much as you would in hotter weather, but your body still requires consistent replenishment of these minerals to maintain the optimal performance of many important bodily functions.

Don't Overeat

**Eat all this the night before a big race or workout and you're asking for gastro-intestinal problems.**

It would be nice if you could maximize muscle glycogen stores the night before a race or tough workout; unfortunately, human physiology doesn't work that way. Increasing and maximizing muscle glycogen stores takes many weeks of consistent training and post-workout fuel replenishment. Excess consumed carbohydrates the night before will only be eliminated or stored as body fat (dead weight).

The goal of pre-exercise calorie consumption is to top off your liver glycogen, which has been depleted during your sleep. Believe it or not, to accomplish this you don't need to eat a mega-calorie meal (600, 800, 1000 calories or more), as some would have you believe. A pre-workout/race meal of 200-400 calories - comprised of complex carbohydrates, little or no fiber or fat, and consumed three or more hours prior to your workout or event - is quite sufficient.

Use Protein during Prolonged Exercise
Complex carbohydrates are important but many athletes forget about protein during exercise. When exercise extends beyond about two hours, your body begins to utilize some protein to fulfill its energy requirements, as you begin to derive glucose from amino acids. This metabolic process helps to satisfy anywhere from 5-15% of your energy needs. If you fail to include protein in your fuel, your body has only one other choice: your own muscle!

So while carbohydrates are still the primary component of your fuel, it should include a small amount of protein when training sessions or races last longer than two to three hours.

Replenish Carbohydrates and Protein as Soon after Exercise as Possible
Performance improvement depends on a program of exercise that stimulates muscular and cardiovascular adaptation followed by a recovery period in which the body rebuilds itself slightly more fit than before. Thus, the real gain of exercise occurs during recovery, but only in the presence of adequate rest and nutritional support. Athletes who fail to replenish carbohydrates and protein shortly after workouts will never obtain full value from their efforts.

New Fall Apparel Arriving Daily at