paragon

It's the same with most sports. At the sharp end of the sport, female athletes cannot keep up with their male counterparts. This is not a sexist comment, it is a physiological reality. Women do not have the physical strength to compete on equal ground - and it's nothing to be ashamed about, so I don't know why many people get defensive about it. Lean muscular mass, heart size, lung size - these all have a considerable effect on athletic performance, and in general, these will be greater in male athletes. With regards to the Tour de France - I think there are probably some women who could stay in the peleton Andrew Coggan has power profiles of world class male and female cyclist. Female atheletes at the top end of the sport have power profiles similar to that of male domestic professional athletes. http://www.cyclingpeakssoftware.com/images/powerprofile_v4.gif

Go to http://www.troisport.co.za/grandprix.htm These guys are running the cycling at the track now.

I think that should be enough - it's only 100k ;-) You don't want to eat too much - enough that your blood sugar levels are maintained. This is what I do for Ironman, and it kept me pretty steady - not as high intensity as what you'll be doing your TT in I'd guess - but a similar hourly energy requirement. You can get PVM bars anywhere - try your local garage! That's the other great thing about them.

You're nuts, dude! But anyway ... I'd do the following: Eat breakfast. Ride the first hour, no eating. From 60min onwards, 50 Calories every 15min. PVM bars work well - they're cheap and have 200 cals each. Cut them into 4 before I start - sorted ;-) I just drink water with this. I find this works quite well for me.

Where did you get that "fact"? Many nutritionists would disagree, Carmichael is a case in point. His recommended split is approx: 60% carbs 20-25% fat, 15-20% protein depending on the phase of training the athlete is in. Periodize your nutrition like you do your training, there is no magic formula.

Hi. I have completed Ironman once, and a number of other ultra-distance events, and have been on both sides of the fence regarding nutrition - and when it goes bad, it goes really bad - so good to see you're thinking about it. In Ironman, they call it the fourth discipline! I would say that you need to cater for about 300kcal/hour while you're on the bike - that is a number that works for me, but will obviously be different for everyone, depending on age/weight/sex. Don't eat on how you feel though, have a plan and stick to it. By the time you feel like eating something on the bike - that can be the beginning of the end. You need to experiment on your long rides - find an energy bar that works for you - personally, I use good ol' PVM bars, Powerbar gels & Cytomax. 1 bar and 1 gel every hour/ drink every 15 minutes or so. I would recomend for race day that you get yourself a bento-box or similar, and keep your nutrition in there, as most tri-suits (incl. the SpecSavers Ironman top) don't really have big enough pockets to carry everything. Get yourself a couple of behind-the-seat bottle cages as well -that way you can carry 4 bottles of your own drink that you know works - unless you want to train with powerbar drinks - as that's what is available on the course. So ... on the bike - assuming a 6hour time - I would recommend: 6 x energy bars; 8 gels (2 extra in case the wheels fall off and you feel like you need a boost); 4 bottles drink; The run is a different story. I would recommend that when doing your long runs in training, get used to having water & coke. Get yourself some powerbar gels, and take these towards the end of your runs to make sure that your digestive system is able to handle it as these are available every 2km on the course. I wouldn't recomend a belt unless you have specific nutrition needs. I think the less you carry on the run, the better. It's hard enough as it is. Hope this helps a little bit - please remember it's only based from my personal experience and may not work for everyone. Give it a try, c how you feel.

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To be better cyclist you have to cycle. Specicifity is always the key. However, if running is a passion of yours, and will ensure that you are more content in your training - that means you will train more, which will mean greater gains, then run - and love it. If we stop enjoying our training, we may as well stop training. Sometimes the best method of training is not the best method of training smileys/smiley1.gif