If you’re doing your first ABSA Cape Epic this month, or one of the other long African stage races, like the joBerg2c, PE>>Plett or Kenya’s Laikipia XC here is an article you need to read. It’s also Rochez O’Grady’s final piece for Full Sus so she’s taken over the cover feature with nutrition tips from pros and experienced amateurs for surviving a long stage race.
So you’ve probably been working hard getting physically ready for the Epic, but if you haven’t got a nutrition plan in place all the training could be in vain. So I spoke to pro mountain bikers, Erik Kleinhans and Darren Lill, and Epic old hands Rens Rezelman and Dominic Malan on what they’ve found really works.
There’s a lot of research out there when it comes to nutrition. But often you won’t know what works until you’ve done it yourself. So let’s hear it from the riders who’ve done it themselves and then you can work out a stage race nutrition plan from a blend of what works for them and what works for you.
Dominic’s, first commandment, which he instated for the 2014 Epic was as follows: “Whatever you do make sure you’ve been doing it at least two months before the event. You don’t want to be experimenting a few weeks before this beast.”
Dom likes to be prepared too, and with good reason. He made sure that his carb drink, energy bars and droë wors were all measured out and packed the day before. Bordering on obsessive, he even made sure the energy bars were already open and cut into three segments. This is a great idea to make sure you ingest the right amount of carbs within an hour, and doesn’t leave you at the mercy of what’s provided at the water points.
Dom ate two hours before the stage start, having oats or Future Life plus a heaped scoop of protein powder and a good strong coffee. Then an hour before, he drank 750ml of PeptoSport. During the day’s stage he aimed to drink 1.5 litres of carb drink with every two hours and eat every 40 minutes, snacking on an energy bar, a piece of droë wors or a banana. “If you’re going to have something to eat at the water points, go for the oranges or apples, they’re juicy and easy to eat. I never use a gel in the entire race,” Dom elaborated.
Dom also stressed post-stage recovery meals saying: “Try to eat immediately, go for whatever Woolies food is available and drink as many chocolate milks as possible. As you head into the evening meal eat, eat, eat and make sure you hydrate enough. And take your multivitamins religiously.”
Rens has completed two ABSA Cape Epics, along with his riding partner Andrew “Rocky” Koen. Their philosophy is to “eat for tomorrow”.
Rens’ number one belief is that it’s essential to communicate with your partner. Work as a team and remind each other to eat and drink, ensuring that the tank needs to be topped up throughout the day. This is in line with his philosophy, fuelling for four hours later – not immediately. They would usually remind each other every 40 minutes or so – even if it were just a sip of their sports drink mix.
A good point Rens made, was to avoid digging in the food supplies at the water points – whether it is the gum sweets, bread, or fruit – your gloves will be sweaty and that can leave some nasty bacteria on someone else’s next snack.
Rens advises experimentation. “But it’s not the time to stock up on newly packaged sports mixes and use it for the first time on the Epic. You need to find what works before the event. Don’t believe everything you read. And let common sense guide you. If it tastes too sweet after 5 hours, switch to water.”
I’m glad Rens offered some of his personal insight into Banting too, as it’s such a hot topic and debatable within the sport’s nutrition field. “I personally don’t agree with Banting in its purest form,” Rens stated. He did agree with the solid principles of reducing processed foods, and sugar. But found the high fats (70-80%) and zero carbs a bit extreme for his liking. Rens cheekily remarked “You might lose weight, but you’ll lose weight if you eat sawdust for a week. Guaranteed!”
He did continue to say that he has a 10 time Epic finishing friend who has started Banting; he now rides on biltong, droë wors and water only, and has never been lighter or faster. In contradiction, Rens’ Epic partner had tried the fad twice – “each time he was fatigued and got blown off the back of high-intensity training rides. When switching back to carbs he normalised and is back to being a demon on the bike.” This is a great example showing us that one formula of nutrition doesn’t work for everyone.
Rens was clear that it’s important to eat and drink “like a king” once you’re off the bike. His suggestion was “to quench the furnace” in the Woolies tent after every stage.
Professional cyclist Darren Lill (Team RED-E Blend) has completed two Cape Epics and his top tip is to take probiotics for a couple of weeks leading into and during the Epic, to help fortify the immunity of your digestive system.
He ensures that he eats regularly on the bike and at the feed zones. “I like natural foods, simple carbs are good, like baby potatoes, he says” He advises to drink as much water during each stage as an energy drink, stating: “water is king.”
Darren believes in having a quality recovery drink as soon as possible after completing each stage. “Have it as cold as possible, it helps lower your core temperature which further speeds up your recovery,” he advises.
Much like Dom and Rens he also recommends hearty eating, in fact “don’t be scared to chow down at mealtimes.” He suggested the best is to have a balanced meal in terms of veg, carbs, protein, and fats – unless you’re intolerant to any of those. Darren recommended avoiding foods that you don’t usually eat at home, as those could upset your stomach, especially during the event, as your body is under duress.
Erik Kleinhans (Team RECM), has seven Cape Epic’s under his belt and his number one tip is to have a recovery shake as soon as possible after the finish. This is so true, as the carb and protein balance helps to speed up recovery, “and to survive the eight days you’ve to start the recovery as soon as possible.”
Erik recommends avoiding drinking too much coke at the water points. Coke he says is hard to avoid “as the cups are right in front of you, and it’s so refreshing, but it can easily spike your blood sugar and could make you feel nauseous.”
Another useful idea from him is to eat natural foods for as long as you can to avoid stomach problems caused by too many gels.
Erik had a good tip for avoiding cramps too, “load up on salts before and during the week,” he suggests. The phosphorus in the cramp blocker tables helps offset the onset of lactic acid build-up and could help your muscles function better and cramp less.
Sus Rochez’s Top Tips
- Stick with what you know – it’s too late to experiment for the Epic now.
- Plan your daily nutrition – and lay everything out the night before.
- Eat and drink at set intervals – remind your partner you’re in it together.
- Stay natural – eat whole foods for as long as possible.
- Recovery is essential – get a good recovery drink and drink it ice cold as soon as you finish.
- Eat heartily – you’re not doing the Epic to lose weight, so don’t count your calories at lunch or dinner.
- Immune Booster – take multivitamins and probiotics to help your body function under the increased physical stress of a long stage race.
Sus the Epic Advice
The Epic is far too complex a race to condense into a few short pages. So we’ve compiled everything Cape Epic into one place on the Full Sus website. Visit www.fullsus.co.za/epic for all the advice and info. And be sure to read Dr Mike Posthumus’ Coaching Column on page 16 for more Epic Advice.
