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Hey guys, just a bit of background. I'm the cyclist in your group ride that guys look at and say things like "no wonder you're fast on the climbs, you weigh nothing" or "I wish I weighed that little, you're so lucky" and to a degree they're right. They miss hard work and the 10 hours a week I spend riding but that's besides the point. My dilemma is that while I'm pretty light, 55-56kg, it's not entirely by choice, I genuinely struggle to pick up weight. I look at the weight of the pros that are my height and I can put on another 6-7kg. I've very recently started supplementing with whey protein in an attempt to gain weight but my primary concern is cycling performance and not hitting weight numbers. I'm not doing races through the alps so I don't really need to be a feather weight for SA's terrain. Basically I'm asking how I can put muscle where it matters and not just pick up weight for weight's sake. Any advice?

Hi everybody, I'd like to introduce myself and offer my services to you. I'm a Sports Certified Dietitian in private practice who has a passion for mountain biking. I see clients/patients on a daily basis who need and want to improve their eating for all sorts of reasons - health and sports being two of those. Because nutrition plays a major role in promoting sports performance, recovery, injury prevention and general health and well-being, what you eat and drink before, during and after exercising/racing is vital if you want to get the most out of your hard training/competing. What I'm happy to do is answer some questions on a weekly topic that you may have concerning optimum eating and nutrition. As my time is obviously limited, there is a limit to my input, but I shall try my best to answer questions that you may have. Please base your questions on the weekly topic ONLY so that we can manage the whole thing effectively. I do not profess to know it all, but what I can offer is an educated opinion based on someone that is in the nutrition field on a daily basis. As I am a registered Dietitian, with a competitive background, I understand the mind set of an athlete and what it takes to train hard and do well in one's sport. I also have access to substantial resources, and can ensure that any input I give is for the most part, evidence-based and as current as possible. What I shall do on a weekly basis is write about and upload graphics on something that is pertinent to mountain biking/cycling in general. There are many topics that can be addressed as you can well imagine, but my first topic that I shall look at is... body weight.