This post probably should have come a bit earlier in the Tour, considering we only have 1-2 stages remaining, but hey- better late than never, right?!
With that said, if you’re feeling great at this stage of the tour, then you must be doing a lot of things well, so keep it up!
If your legs are heavy, sore, aching or tired, then read on and try a few of the suggestions to see if you can recover well today and finish strong tomorrow!
- Start each stage with some carbohydrates AND protein or Amino Acids already IN your body! Having the carbs on board will ensure you can hit the appropriate intensities, and having some protein on board helps prevent muscle breakdown and initiates recovery faster.
- As soon as you get off the bike, eat or drink some protein and carbohydrates to begin the recovery process. This could be a commercially available recovery drink mix or some protein powder mixed with oat milk, or a banana on peanut butter toast, etc. Just get something in ASAP to help with refueling and repairing the muscles while you shower, stretch, etc., then aim to have a proper meal within 2 hours.
- Ride “with” others if possible. If that’s simply via Zoom or Google Meet with your friends, or tune into one of the Wahoo/SUF led live rides. This adds an entertainment factor, which keeps the morale up and perceived fatigue a bit lower.
- A member of the Wahoo Sport Science Team will lead a ride daily with a guest rider at 8am MST.
- David, Dylan and Chris will ride each Tour stage together in Tasmania. Each day will include antics and entertainment for those of us watching- a great way to help pass the time!
- Get LOTS of sleep! This is a week that can run down your immune system pretty quickly, but with adequate sleep, you can avoid that. Sleep is THE best way to recover and keep your immunity up!
- Try to get to bed a little earlier than usual, if at all possible.
- Drinking whey or casein protein before bed has been shown to improve recovery, boost the immune system (and does not lead to weight gain if you’re concerned about going to bed with food in your stomach)
- Tart cherry juice is another trick to help you sleep well and is a strong antioxidant, which helps with recovery.
- Magnesium and zinc also have sleep benefits
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Do a warmup before each stage: it helps get the body primed for the work to come. Less shock to the body = less overall damage = faster recovery
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Foam roll, massage, compression, etc. Whatever recovery technique you prefer, use it. If you have multiple, use them all!
And, in case you missed yesterday’s article, here it is for your reading pleasure. Because the more you know about fatigue, the better you can manage it!
