Interesting recovery drink research potentially applicable to multi-stage days

You ride, your muscles are glycogen depleted, you have 4 hours to recover before a 20km TT. What recovery drink are you having? Apparently chocolate combined with any kind of milk (dairy, low-fat, soya or hemp) improves around 3mins!!!! in the TT compared to placebo (aka. almost having no recovery drink).

Don't have all the details on the beverage preparation as I don't have access to the paper, but from the summary below I infer that 1 gram of carbohydrates per kg per hour (ie. if you are 70kg, you would need 70gr of carbohydrates per each of the four hours = 280gr of carbs) in a 2250ml (almost 4 pints!!!) mix of cocoa, any of the mentioned milks and water should work.

I think this could be applicable for the first day at L'etape de la Defonce (11k TTT followed around three hours later by a 85k stage) so I'm going to try something similar as a recovery drink after some turbo sessions in the evening and see how I feel riding hard on the following morning.

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IJSNEM Volume 26, Issue 1, February

Original Research

Cycling Time Trial Performance 4 Hours After Glycogen-Lowering Exercise Is Similarly Enhanced by Recovery Nondairy Chocolate Beverages Versus Chocolate Milk

2016, 26, 65 – 70 http://dx.doi.org/10.1123/ijsnem.2015-0056 Postexercise chocolate milk ingestion has been shown to enhance both glycogen resynthesis and subsequent exercise performance. To assess whether nondairy chocolate beverage ingestion post–glycogen-lowering exercise can enhance 20-km cycling time trial performance 4 hr later, eight healthy trained male cyclists (21.8 ± 2.3y, VO2max = 61.2 ± 1.4 ml·kg-1·min-1; M ± SD) completed a series of intense cycling intervals designed to lower muscle glycogen (Jentjens & Jeukendrup, 2003) followed by 4 hr of recovery and a subsequent 20-km cycling time trial. During the first 2 hr of recovery, participants ingested chocolate dairy milk (DAIRYCHOC), chocolate soy beverage (SOYCHOC), chocolate hemp beverage (HEMPCHOC), low-fat dairy milk (MILK), or a low-energy artificially sweetened, flavored beverage (PLACEBO) at 30-min intervals in a double-blind, counterbalanced repeated-measures design. All drinks, except the PLACEBO (247 kJ) were isoenergetic (2,107 kJ), and all chocolate-flavored drinks provided 1-g CHO·kg body mass-1·h-1. Fluid intake across treatments was equalized (2,262 ± 148 ml) by ingesting appropriate quantities of water based on drink intake. The CHO:PRO ratio was 4:1, 1.5:1, 4:1, and 6:1 for DAIRYCHOC, MILK, SOYCHOC, and HEMPCHOC, respectively. One-way analysis of variance with repeated measures showed time trial performance (DAIRYCHOC = 34.58 ± 2.5 min, SOYCHOC = 34.83 ± 2.2 min, HEMPCHOC = 34.88 ± 1.1 min, MILK = 34.47 ± 1.7 min) was enhanced similarly vs PLACEBO (37.85 ± 2.1) for all treatments (p = .019) These data suggest that postexercise macronutrient and total energy intake are more important for same-day 20-km cycling time trial performance after glycogen-lowering exercise than protein type or protein-to-carbohydrate ratio.

My top 10 training suggestions

1. I always use a power meter. In all my rides. Not only helps me to understand how I'm progressing but also gives a fair clue on how to control training load, that is how hard should I train and how much should I rest/recover (see point 3). 
2. I have a plan. Towards the end of the year I write down a draft plan for the whole season and them I change and adapt it when life gets in the way. My plan has one main objective (L'etape de la Defonce) and two secondary objectives (Milan-San Remo and Millie Miglia). Everything else goes around these objectives.
3. I try to control how my training load evolves. I use CTL, ATL and TSB to track my progress. For this year I have a target CTL I want to be in the third week of June and based on that I have a target training load for each week that started very low in January but it is increasing slowly to peak early June. 2015 was a funny year for me, but here is my 2014 PMC chart and the analysis I do at the end of the year.
4. I think recovery. I like to believe that I follow the pattern of three weeks of training load increase and one week easing off but life (travelling in particular) comes into play and I end up planing my daily training sessions for each week one or two weeks in advanced. I tend to be very detailed on what each session is going to be, I even assign a target TSS for each session. Still I always have the question "how am I going to recover? in mind"
5. Turbo is my friend. 2 or 3 Turbo sessions a week. Mostly 4x8mins with 2mins recovery at maximum sustained intensity for the whole session seems to be the best time/effort/improvement combination for most (see From polarized to optimized) but moving towards under/over threshold, winter loops, afternoons in the hills as my training load needs to increase or races are approaching.
6. I try to be consistent. This is the most difficult part for me. Family, work, did I mention travelling? seems to be always in the way. It also appears to me my brain is excellent finding excuses to skip training sessions. One it likes particularly is I'm too tired I should skip today's session at the turbo. The way I deal with it is no matter what I go to the turbo. I do the warm-up and give the planned session a try. If it turns out it is true I was tired I fall back to an easy session. My strategy is don't skip sessions just adapt the intensity. 
7. I use the weekends for longish/hard rides. I can only ride one day in the weekend so I try to make it count. I tend to join rides with riders stronger than me, that gives me an extra motivation.
8. I commute on the bike (28km/17miles each way) but almost always is in recovery mode; riding really, really easy, with the idea of saving my legs to smashing it in the next turbo session or training ride. If someone overtakes me I classify the rider as "Faster than me" or "Slower than me", feel happy with my assessment and keep riding easy. 
9. I read a lot about training/recovery/nutrition. These are topics I really enjoy. I found myself starting with articles in magazines them moving to books and now exploring science papers. Somehow my knowledge about the material (bikes, clothes, etc) is less developed but it is an area I'll make the concious effort to improve on.
10. I ride long distances. Not only I enjoy riding Audax events but I have also found that throwing a SR series (200k, 300k, 400k, 600k) helps me to improve a lot. I believe that riding long distances I get better endurance and train my body to recover faster. This allows me to train harder in the 6/8 weeks before my main objective. VaVaVeteran makes the same point here.

Now, looking at this list you could be fooled on to thinking that I have any idea on what I'm doing/saying. Don't get it wrong I'm clearly a chopper and I know it. Data and planning geek yes, but also my results don't sustain all my quackery.

Take care
Javier Arias González

6 minutes interval soundtrack

I'm going to try this video as background soundtrack in my next 6 minutes interval in the turbo.

I think it sets a good beat to synch my cadence with.

I like the short rest it gives you almost half way through (@2m41s).

And I definitively love the final 45 seconds rush.

A real shame it is not 8 minutes long (which is the length of my most common interval at the turbo).

Do you have any good suggestion in this line? What is your soundtrack for intervals?

Take care
Javier Arias González

Sometimes I surprise myself...

The plan was 135km, 9 Hills, almost 2,000m of climbing.

The morning starts with the scale saying I'm 1Kg heavier than yesterday.

The first hill tells me one day off the bike is not enough recovery from all the training I have done during the week. My legs are still empty.

Half way through the route I lost contact with my colleagues so I ride the second half (5 hills) alone.

In my second pass through Box Hill a hailstorm drops over me.

I get home and I'm not sure how this ride counts in terms of my training. Too hilly to be base miles? Too slow to count as endurance miles? Definitively too hard to be considered a recovery ride.

Then is when I surprised myself thinking how do I care? It's been a great ride and I had a fantastic time. I'm happy.

The ride in Strava

Take care
Javier Arias González

My PBP2015 is now official

Take care
Javier Arias González

My plan to achieve my 2016 cycling objectives

I just published my cycling goals for 2016 but agreeing with Joe Friel I think that having goals is great but goals without a plan are just dreams so I drafted this plan of how I plan to achieve my goals.

At the moment this is just a draft and some of the details are missing but the general lines and key milestones are already defined.

I have divided the year in five blocks.

January, February and March
In this block I'll be combining turbo sessions on week days following the routines proposed by Chris Carmichael in his book The Time-crunched Cyclist with one ride (4 to 6 hours) on weekends.

If everything goes well work load should be increasing week over week and I'll finish the block with a 200k (still have to decide which one) on Saturday 20th riding it as fast as possible.

A week off the bike (family holidays) from 26th of March to 2nd of April will separate this block from the second one.

April, May, June
In these three months I'll focus my training to the Quebrantahuesos (QH). The QH is a 6/7 hours non-stop ride with lots of work at threshold.

I'll start to ride outside during weekdays allocating up to 12/14 hours a week and will use the weekends for longish rides (5 to 7 hours). This block has 11 weekends:

1. 8/9 April. A 150k ride
2. 16/17 April. A 300k ride (Still have to decide which one)
3. 23/24 April. A 150k ride (Oasts and Coast 300)
4. 30th April. A 400k ride (Severn Across 400)
5. 7/8 May. A 150k ride
6. 14/15 May. A 600k ride (Bryan Chapman Memorial 600)
7. 21/22 May. A 150k ride
8. 28/29 May. A 150k ride
9. 4/5 June. A 300k ride (Milan San Remo, QH dressed rehearsal)
10. 11/12 June. A 150k ride
11. 18/19 Quebrantahuesos

Will try to include as long climbs as possible in the 150k rides, will ride them non-stop and following a pattern as similar as possible to the QH.

Will also try to ride the first 6/7 hours of the longer rides (300k, 400k, 600k) replicating the effort pattern required for the QH. The rest of those rides will be just in survive mode.

June, July
I'll switch to racing strait after the QH.

Weekdays will be riding 12/14 hours trying to squeeze intervals and one or two rides to the hills. I'll have three weekends that will use to race (don't know which races yet but most likely Surrey League ones). No objective on those races beyond getting race fit.

Around 17th of July should take place L'etape de la Defonce.

August
1001 Miglia and cycling in Asturias when on holidays will get me busy all August. Won't be worrying too much about speed or training but I'll be cycling a lot.

September, October, November
After the 1001 Miglia and (cycling) holidays in Asturias (aka. climbing) I should be in fairly good form. I'll focus these three months in racing as much a possible.

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Here is the list of events I plan to attend:

• Saturday 12th of March. The Horsepower 200 (I've never ridden this one, looking forward for the experience )
• Saturday 9th of April. Yr Elenydd @ 30 (307km 4950m, another new ride for me. The amount of climb is what got me; lots of climbing, lots of fun)
• Saturday 23rd April. Oasts and Coasts 300 (300km 3300m one I had to bail last year, but will be back to claim it this year)
• Saturday 30th of April. Severn Across 400 (407km 3500m I also had to bail it last year so a must this year)
• Saturday 14th of May. Brian Chapman Memorial 600 (600km 7500m I had to bail it last year but even if I had ridden it last year I'd always be back to Wales and this ride. I love it)
• Sunday 5th of June. Milan San Remo
• Saturday 18th of June. Quebrantahuesos 
• 25/26 June. Race TBD
• 2/3 July. Race TBD
• 9/10 July. Race TBD
• Around 17th of July. L'etape de la Defonce
• 23/24 July. Race TBD
• 30/31 July. Race TBD
• Saturday 6th August. Cogidubnus CC (Cheese and cake double century)
• Tuesday 16th to 22nd of August. 1001 Miglia
• 3/4 September. Race
• 10/11 September. Rowlands RAAAmble 200 first Audax organized by the Kingston Wheelers. I'm helping to organize so if my duties do not include riding it I'll try to race on the 10th.
• 17/18 September. Race TBD
• 24/25 September. Race TBD
• Saturday 1st October. Kingston Wheelers Championships
• 8/9 October. Race TBD
• 15/16 October. Race TBD
• 22/23 October. Race TBD
• 29/30 October. Race TBD
• 5/6 November. Race TBD

Take care
Javier Arias González

My cycling goals for 2016

Main objective
Finishing the Quebrantahuesos in less than 6h 30m (my best time is 6:44:56). Stretch goal would be finishing in less than 6:18:29, Ed's 2013 time and, to my knowledge, the fastest time by a Kingston Wheeler. This goal is part of the bigger goal of beating Miguel Indurain's time (6:07:05) by 2019. I might even shave my legs for this.

Second objective
Enjoying the 1001 Miglia, 1,600km with 16,000m of climbing in less than 135 hours in the middle of the Italian summer. Sto già praticando il mio italiano.

Third objective
Get back to racing. I want to take part and be competitive in my first stage race. I was suggested the L'etape de la Defonce is a great event so I'll give it a go. I also want to race the autumn and ideally get to cat 2. In any case as far as I don't break any bone I'll be happy just racing.

Fourth objective
Riding a super randonneur series, that is a 200k (20th of March event TBD), a 300k (16th of April TBD), a 400k (30th April, Severn Across) and a 600k (14th May, Bryan Chapman Memorial). Hair in legs and face and sandals recommended to be completely successful.

Fifth objective
Give time trialling a go. I'll start with a club 10 and will see from there. I would like to have a time objective but honestly I have no idea what time target would make sense for me on a road bike. Happy to take suggestions.

Now, agreeing with Joe Friel I think that having goals for 2016 is great but goals without a plan are just dreams so I drafted a plan explaining how I'll try to achieve these goals. If you are interested you can find it here.

ps. everything going well I should finish 2016 in E90 (see here if you don't know what I'm talking about).

Take care
Javier Arias González