Lance’s physiologist tells BBC riders how not to ‘bonk’
In this 2009 video, sports physiologist Allen Lim discuses the kind of fuel needed for elite riders in the Tour de France. His advice for recreational riders is similar.
If you’re riding the Buffalo Bicycle Classic and aiming for your first “century,” or 100-mile, ride, Lance Armstrong’s sports physiologist has some advice for you.
“Take your time. Drink and eat,” Lim says. “It’s a long ride.”
Lim is director of sports science for Team RadioShack, the team that includes seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong. Though Armstrong came in 23rd overall this year (having suffered setbacks including a flat tire and crashes), Team RadioShack won the team competition.
Lim has been a sports scientist for professional bike-racing teams for several years. He is also a University of Colorado alumnus, having earned his doctorate in integrative physiology in 2004.
Inadequately trained century riders who go out too fast and consume too little run straight into a physiological wall, Lim says. “You shrivel up like a little raisin unless you replenish that fuel.”
“The biggest risk that people have is bonking,” or running out of energy. “That is just no fun.”
Lim notes that much depends on pre-ride training. Much of the shock of an unusually long ride depends on what a rider’s baseline day of training. As Lim tells elite athletes, “You don’t win on your best day. You win on your average day.”
The energy expenditure varies with a rider’s pace and other factors, but a 100-mile ride could consume 3,000 calories or more. If you average 500 calories of exercise a day and ride too hard, Lim says, “It’s going to be a major, major shock to the system, a major perturbation to homeostasis.”
In simpler terms, “You could be on the side of the road in a ditch curled up in a fetal position sucking your thumb.”
Taking it more slowly will make the experience more enjoyable, he adds.
The Buffalo Bicycle Classic has generated 448 scholarships for good students who have demonstrated financial need. Students cannot apply for the scholarship and don’t even know they’re in the running until they learn they have won. It is the single largest source of scholarships in the College of Arts and Sciences, which is the largest of the university’s colleges and schools.
Cyclists of all ages and abilities are gearing up for this year’s Elevations Credit Union Buffalo Bicycle Classic, on Sept. 12, 2010, in Boulder. Ambitious cyclists can ride the 100-mile century, 70-mile, 50-mile or 35-mile rides. More casual riders, including families and recreational riders, are encouraged to ride the 14-mile Little Buffalo, which will include snow cones and complimentary face paintings.
All cyclists participating in this fully supported, fund-raising ride will generate scholarship funds. Online registration of $95 for the longer rides includes a scholarship donation of $45. Registration for the Little Buffalo is $65 for participants 14 and older and $35 for riders from 8-14.
Those who “Ride the Buffalo” will start and finish in Boulder at the University of Colorado, Benson Field, across Colorado Boulevard from Folsom Field. The longer courses traverse through Boulder and Larimer counties. The 14-mile Little Buff is a fun cruiser ride around Boulder to the town of Marshall; it is perfect for those who want to participate but don’t want to face long courses and busy roads.
Riders can register online by September 7, 2010, at www.buffalobicycleclassic.com. Walk-up registration is available the day of the ride and includes a $10 late fee. For information, call 303-735-1569 or email bbc@colorado.edu.
—Clint Talbott
August 2010