Something Horner said...

[Hepmike]

In the post TDF coverage this morning he said something to effect of "when the stage is over I drink 6-7 cokes, eat 5-6 Snickers bars, and it's still not enough (calories)" - then he said that people would be surprised to know that they weigh more at the end of the race then they do at beginning, and they have to be careful because it's difficult to race at that level carrying the extra (body) weight.

So to me it sounded like a contradiction. They are in a caloric deficit (which I'd expect)- but their weight is going up....huh?!

[e-RICHIE]

They eat a real, real lot the night before the last stage atmo.

ps

arrange disorder

:cool::cool::cool:
:cool::cool::cool:
;):cool::cool:

[Dead Man]

In the post TDF coverage this morning he said something to effect of "when the stage is over I drink 6-7 cokes, eat 5-6 Snickers bars, and it's still not enough (calories)" - then he said that people would be surprised to know that they weigh more at the end of the race then they do at beginning, and they have to be careful because it's difficult to race at that level carrying the extra (body) weight.

So to me it sounded like a contradiction. They are in a caloric deficit (which I'd expect)- but their weight is going up....huh?!

Possibly water retention from inflammation?

Climbing mountains, I've been in some HUGE calorie deficits, but never noticed any appreciable weight loss or gain. Like he said, you pack in the calories when you're done, and I don't think the body has a chance to really lose much weight.

There are some sports that truly deplete you, and you'll lose substantial weight... but cycling doesn't seem to be one. You don't ride for 18 hours without any food.... you ride for 3-9 hours, for pretty much the worst stages/segments/days/whatever, and then you eat a marbled steak and drink your body weight in beer.

The thought of drinking multiple cokes and downing Snickers bars kinda makes me sick, though... bleh.... hasnt the guy ever heard of ribeye??

[Veloo]

I read an article many years ago in some magazine. It was on the Italian rider who rode for Motorola. Can't recall the name. I think he took out a British race license once to ride the Olympics.
He said that during the mountain days, they might even go to bed a bit hungry so as not to put on and extra pounds. Said they had to be careful on the amount they ate cuz it would've been too easy and enticing to eat nonstop during the Tour.

[e-RICHIE]

I read an article many years ago in some magazine. It was on the Italian rider who rode for Motorola. Can't recall the name. I think he took out a British race license once to ride the Olympics.


Sciandri atmo.

[Jgrooms]

With all the sports science/nutrition this is the best CH had come up with to fuel the engine? I took the comment as a bit of a goofy exaggeration. 7 Cokes is like what 350 mg of caffeine?

[Mike V]

I think that he was talking about rainy days not all the time.

[sworcester]

I saw somewhere that after a certain point your body starts hording the calories because the deficit is so large.
But I have also read that during events with such a huge caloric burn like the TDF, the body doesn't have any reserves and starts to burn the muscle tissue.

I gained weight during RAGBRAI, but that might have been the alcohol intake.

[Veloo]

Sciandri atmo.

Yes! Max Sciandri.
I remember the pics in the article showed their tan lines. Even with jerseys on, the sun got through and you could see the bib strap tan lines.

[Md3000]

His had to do with the fact that it was rainy and the temp was lower so they don't sweat as much as on hot days.

[tiretrax]

^^that, and I thought he consumed that during the stage. With all the scientific stuff the teams have, I was surprised they'd have junk in the trunk. However, CdV did describe the team car as part 7-11.

[stephenmarklay]

I never understood how they could go to bed hungry and starve themselves but get stronger?

Not until I red Tyler Hamilton's book and he said its not the muscles its the blood. Good blood and low weight.

I don't have good blood and I don't have the weight part going for me so I think I would just eat the snickers.

[Bantamben]

Yes he was talking about how many cokes and snickers he ate during the stage. And was commenting that on cold rainy days he doesn't sweat enough of the liquid off so ends up weighing more. Makes sense as most of the weight you gain or lose in short periods is just liquid retention. I really like horner and am looking for him to get stronger and stronger in the mountains.

[csm]

I gained weight during RAGBRAI, but that might have been the alcohol intake.

And the pies. And mr pork chop. And the doughnuts.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[pbarry]

The thought of drinking multiple cokes and downing Snickers bars kinda makes me sick, though... bleh.... hasnt the guy ever heard of ribeye??

Exactly. Wonder what his palmares might be like without a corn syrup race diet?

Sciandri atmo.

Now DS for BMC.

With all the sports science/nutrition this is the best CH had come up with to fuel the engine? I took the comment as a bit of a goofy exaggeration. 7 Cokes is like what 350 mg of caffeine?

Still in the peloton at 42, but maybe he could have done better through the years eating real food. ;)

[CunegoFan]

The thought of drinking multiple cokes and downing Snickers bars kinda makes me sick, though... bleh.... hasnt the guy ever heard of ribeye??

He is worried by what happened to the last rider who ate steak at the Tour. It's good ol' American junk food just to be safe.

[regularguy412]

I think that he was talking about rainy days not all the time.

I understood it like this. ^^

What I 'think' he meant is that he needed the calories/food to keep him going in the cold/wet, but his body is so efficient that it doesn't really 'burn' all those calories. I think he's used to having the weight 'melt' off in the heat -- which he'll probably get in the Pyrenees. The 7 Cokes and 5 Snickers prolly was a bit of an exaggeration.

Mike in AR:beer:

[Ti Designs]

With all the sports science/nutrition this is the best CH had come up with to fuel the engine?

Each rider has to figure out what works for them, don't expect sports science/nutrition to do that. I have an equally goofy training diet which works for me. I've tried lots of the accepted sports foods, none of them work. The only problem I have with Chris Horner's comment is that people will blindly follow him - it's a little unfair to idiots... Nobody follows me, so I'm the only idiot effected by my own diet.

[Dead Man]

He is worried by what happened to the last rider who ate steak at the Tour.

What happened?

[brando]

Exactly. Wonder what his palmares might be like without a corn syrup race diet?


Aren't Cokes in France cane sugar? If it worked for CH in the vuelta I can't wait to see how he does up the road in the tour.

[CunegoFan]

^^that, and I thought he consumed that during the stage. With all the scientific stuff the teams have, I was surprised they'd have junk in the trunk.

The "science" is in selling cyclists expensive cycling food when something cheap from a supermarket will work just as well and taste better.

Snickers: Carbs + protein. Tastes great. Easy to eat.

Powerbar: Tastes like a hobo's ass. In the cold could substitute for ceramic plates in bulletproof vests.

[regularguy412]

The "science" is in selling cyclists expensive cycling food when something cheap from a supermarket will work just as well and taste better.

Snickers: Carbs + protein. Tastes great. Easy to eat.

Powerbar: Tastes like a hobo's ass. In the cold could substitute for ceramic plates in bulletproof vests.

That made me laugh.

Thanks!

FWIW, I quit on Powerbars YEARS ago. I will say that the Powerbar Chews are not too bad, but a little difficult to handle out of that cellophane wrapper while on a ride. If you put'em in your jersey pocket without a wrapper, they kinda melt. :S

Mike in AR:beer:

[downtube]

I saw this today when I was looking at calorie intact for different sports. I borrowed this from an online magazine. Makes me a little sick just reading it.

Check Out Michael Phelps Diet (Swimmer)

Here’s Phelps’s typical menu. (No, he doesn’t choose among these options. He eats them all, according to the Post.)

Breakfast: Three fried-egg sandwiches loaded with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, fried onions and mayonnaise. Two cups of coffee. One five-egg omelet. One bowl of grits. Three slices of French toast topped with powdered sugar. Three chocolate-chip pancakes.

Lunch: One pound of enriched pasta. Two large ham and cheese sandwiches with mayo on white bread. Energy drinks packing 1,000 calories.

Dinner: One pound of pasta. An entire pizza. More energy drinks.

[jeduardo]

What happened?
For any who may have forgotten....

A. Schleck lost the 2010 "Clenbuterol Beef-Steak tour" by 39 seconds, only to be retrospectively declared the actual Victor. :no:Contador:crap::no:

[cfox]

I never understood how they could go to bed hungry and starve themselves but get stronger?

Not until I red Tyler Hamilton's book and he said its not the muscles its the blood. Good blood and low weight.

I don't have good blood and I don't have the weight part going for me so I think I would just eat the snickers.

Tyler followed the ferrari/ceccini formula: starve yourself while training and trick your body into staying alive with testosterone supplementation. Minus the roids, you'd just waste away. I recommend the snickers as well.

[oldpotatoe]

Sciandri atmo.

Yep, Paul always called him 'Maximillian'

[marciero]

"Calories in minus calories out" thinking is a fallacy. Snickers bar as quick fuel while actually racing may be okay, but the way it is metabolized off the bike-insulin spike, etc- is not so great; those calories can be create "visceral fat", can cause weight gain, etc. and not be available as efficient form of stored energy. All calories are not equal. Check out Gary Taubes' "Good calories, Bad calories"

[wallymann]

What happened?

google: contador + clenbuterol

[oldpotatoe]

Something about big guys climbing when it's hot, and seeing where they are. He has always maintained as a clean guy, as the pelOton got cleaner, he has started to shine. If it gets hot, I think you'll see more of Mr Horner.

[Md3000]

LOL at thinking you know better what an experienced tour de France rider should eat. What works for him, works for him. Food is also psychological, if he happens to prefer snickers then let him have his snickers.

[Jgrooms]

LOL at thinking you know better what an experienced tour de France rider should eat. What works for him, works for him. Food is also psychological, if he happens to prefer snickers then let him have his snickers.


Pulls his bibs on same way as everyone else. And BTW i took the half dozen cokes / snickers as an exaggeration. Also, big CH fan and his junk/fast food addiction is well known & yes the management as been known to get after him for it. So maybe a problem if your employer is on you?

[Jgrooms]

But as wacky as the 'diet' the power #s comment? Does he believe, after his terrible accident, he's riding into top form for the last week?

[Birch]

Keep in mind, Horner is famous for inhaling Big Mac's after stages.

[stephenmarklay]

"Calories in minus calories out" thinking is a fallacy. Snickers bar as quick fuel while actually racing may be okay, but the way it is metabolized off the bike-insulin spike, etc- is not so great; those calories can be create "visceral fat", can cause weight gain, etc. and not be available as efficient form of stored energy. All calories are not equal. Check out Gary Taubes' "Good calories, Bad calories"


While there is some truth in all of the stuff that was Taubes and others started talking about I think Taubes is wrong. You cannot eat as much fat as you want and never have to think about calories again.

[stephenmarklay]

After all this talk about gaining water weight I must have peed 5 times today in 50 miles. Go figure.

[marciero]

LOL at thinking you know better what an experienced tour de France rider should eat. What works for him, works for him. Food is also psychological, if he happens to prefer snickers then let him have his snickers.

My remarks were more a response to the general tone of some of the comments, including Horner's. That said, i dont think its going too much out on a limb to say that five snickers bars probably not greatest recovery food-Tour rider or fred.
Point taken though- there is a psychological component. But that is mixed with the physiological-the sugar thing is self-perpetuating since it is addictive. Not meant as disparagement BTW, have been horner fan for years.

[rccardr]

I was also under the impression that what he was saying is that on days like that the riders didn't perspire as much as they would on a hot day and so they retained more water weight. But it was kind of a goofy part of the conversation.

My favorite quote was toward the end, where he says something like "everyone's a good climber for one day. We'll see how the big guys do once we get up into the real climbs". He also talked about putting out some good wattage numbers.

[ElvisMerckx]

Aren't Cokes in France cane sugar?

Nope, beet sugar.

[gianni]

The "science" is in selling cyclists expensive cycling food when something cheap from a supermarket will work just as well and taste better.

Snickers: Carbs + protein. Tastes great. Easy to eat.

Powerbar: Tastes like a hobo's ass. In the cold could substitute for ceramic plates in bulletproof vests.

We'll said and hilarious. IMO fruit pies are best bang for your buck from cost/nutrition perspective. I think it's been 15 years since my last power bar; makes me sick thinking about them.

[Dead Man]

I will still eat Powerbars sometimes. I prefer things with less sugar, and whoever mentioned them getting hard when cold: I learned that very quick, the first time I tried to bite into one at about 10F. I think it took about 45 minutes to eat that damn candy bar.

While we can bet most professional cyclists will have learned a lot about the science of nutrition by the time they get to the international scene; a professional cyclist necessarily knows a lot about racing, but not necessarily about nutrition. I'm sure many pro cyclists are just as dim-witted and uninterested in knowledge as athletes from any other professional sport. I'm going to trust someone with any kind of nutrition education certificate over any cyclist who doesn't have any formal education on the topic. And I'll bet you a dollar there's no credible nutritionist on the planet who would recommend Cokes and Snickers, when there are great products out there that accomplish the same goal but do it a lot better. And fewer stomach aches and tooth cavities.

Just my non-nutritionist, non-professional, but serious-non-professional-athlete perspective.

[Bstone]

Horner is bat s**t crazy (high praise). Don't think I would take anything he said about nutrition as gospel. On the other hand, he could kick all of our behinds at any time.

Best postride food: fried egg sandwich with provolone and raspberry jelly (with seeds). :bike:

[Hepmike]

I recall seeing a Team Sky/Rapha video where they broke down their grab & go snacks; it was a homemade rice crispy style treat wrapped (carefully) in foil. Sounds a lot better to me the Snickers and Coke.

[sitzmark]

Keep in mind, Horner is famous for inhaling Big Mac's after stages.

^^ This and "Hornerisms".
He said the nutrition staff finally broke him from McD's while at RS. And age - it's a bitch. Admitted to being a cokeaholic.

He's a (great) conversationalist ... can't take what he says too literally.

[cnighbor1]

Horner also mention Rain!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and therefore cool and not sweating a lot. Hence weight gain.
also interesting was he was putting out over 400 watts and the big riders can't do that day after day riding in the mountain
they were going has fast has they can go. typical for 1st day in the mountains

[Ti Designs]

LOL at thinking you know better what an experienced tour de France rider should eat. What works for him, works for him. Food is also psychological, if he happens to prefer snickers then let him have his snickers.

This thread is kinda like one of those climbing threads where everybody who can't get up a hill throws in their advice. Part of training is knowing how to get to the race ready to race. That means keeping a log of what you did in training, what you eat, how much you eat, how much you sleep, resting heart rate... When you have good days you look back at what it took to get you there, and you look for patterns. The trick is to ignore what everyone else thinks you should be eating and use what works. It's very easy to pick on a diet based on the common perception of what's "healthy", in this case he has the data to say what works and what doesn't, and y'all don't.

If ever I go riding with anyone here, you should know that I'm on a very strict junk food diet. I drink 2 liters of Mountain Dew a day, my bacon consumption is out of control, and my new ice cream machine has been running almost non-stop since May. I should be fat and slow, right???

[pbarry]

This thread is kinda like one of those climbing threads where everybody who can't get up a hill throws in their advice. Part of training is knowing how to get to the race ready to race. That means keeping a log of what you did in training, what you eat, how much you eat, how much you sleep, resting heart rate... When you have good days you look back at what it took to get you there, and you look for patterns. The trick is to ignore what everyone else thinks you should be eating and use what works. It's very easy to pick on a diet based on the common perception of what's "healthy", in this case he has the data to say what works and what doesn't, and y'all don't.

If ever I go riding with anyone here, you should know that I'm on a very strict junk food diet. I drink 2 liters of Mountain Dew a day, my bacon consumption is out of control, and my new ice cream machine has been running almost non-stop since May. I should be fat and slow, right???

This is a big chain pull, right? :banana:

[stephenmarklay]

This thread is kinda like one of those climbing threads where everybody who can't get up a hill throws in their advice. Part of training is knowing how to get to the race ready to race. That means keeping a log of what you did in training, what you eat, how much you eat, how much you sleep, resting heart rate... When you have good days you look back at what it took to get you there, and you look for patterns. The trick is to ignore what everyone else thinks you should be eating and use what works. It's very easy to pick on a diet based on the common perception of what's "healthy", in this case he has the data to say what works and what doesn't, and y'all don't.

If ever I go riding with anyone here, you should know that I'm on a very strict junk food diet. I drink 2 liters of Mountain Dew a day, my bacon consumption is out of control, and my new ice cream machine has been running almost non-stop since May. I should be fat and slow, right???

I think that when the machine is running well (like you and Chris) it can run on just about anything.

Having said that nobody can convince me that in the long run its the best course of action. You may get the energy you need and be fit as a fiddle but I would put my money on eating greens and such on a regular basis.

Although there are lots of examples of donut eating, liquor drinking, cigarette smoking centurions so who knows.

[Ralph]

One can appear to be very fit.....and still be at high risk for diabetes, strokes, and heart attack. Some of these diets may be good for the TDF, but not for a long healthy life. I'm sure the managers and coaches of these riders are extremely concerned with their riders health 20-30 years after their Pro careers are over. You can tell from the advice given.

[brando]

Nope, beet sugar.

Point being, French Cokes are not high fructose corn syrup. Hope the weather heats up for Horner and his climbing style.

[spartanKid]

One can appear to be very fit.....and still be at high risk for diabetes, strokes, and heart attack. Some of these diets may be good for the TDF, but not for a long healthy life. I'm sure the managers and coaches of these riders are extremely concerned with their riders health 20-30 years after their Pro careers are over. You can tell from the advice given.


You can't out run, or in this case out pedal, a ·····ty diet.

[Ti Designs]

You can't out run, or in this case out pedal, a ·····ty diet.

But when you really break it down, can you define a healthy diet without knowing what the body is going to be required to do? What most people think of as a healthy diet is just what's been pounded into their heads all their lives. A majority of americans think eating fat is bad. A majority of americans probably aren't riding 400 miles a week...

The one intersection between the common conception of a bad diet and a really bad diet is how foods have changed for mass production or longer shelf life. Sadly, anything you find in a wrapper these days is going to be guilty to some extent of that. The question is what is truth and what is marketing? I also happen to be a practicing sushi chef (yeh, doesn't fit in well with the strict junk food claim...), there is a common base known as dashi, which is made by boiling kelp and adding bonito. In doing that people think it's this ultra healthy food made of only natural ingredients. People also think that MSG is bad for them. And yet they're the same thing...

[Kirk Pacenti]

Here's a great (albeit technical) article on Peter Attia's (http://eatingacademy.com/sports-and-nutrition/ketones-carbohydrates-can-co-exist) blog about this very subject. If you can get through the first 2/3rds to the "Extreme Example" section, he offers some very interesting insights.

Cheers,
KP

[Hawker]

I saw this today when I was looking at calorie intact for different sports. I borrowed this from an online magazine. Makes me a little sick just reading it.

Check Out Michael Phelps Diet (Swimmer)

Here’s Phelps’s typical menu. (No, he doesn’t choose among these options. He eats them all, according to the Post.)

Breakfast: Three fried-egg sandwiches loaded with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, fried onions and mayonnaise. Two cups of coffee. One five-egg omelet. One bowl of grits. Three slices of French toast topped with powdered sugar. Three chocolate-chip pancakes.

Lunch: One pound of enriched pasta. Two large ham and cheese sandwiches with mayo on white bread. Energy drinks packing 1,000 calories.

Dinner: One pound of pasta. An entire pizza. More energy drinks.

When I was that age...I could get away with eating anything and everything and never gained an ounce and always had energy. Granted I wasn't a world-class athlete...but youth allows you "great flexibility". Sigh.

[CunegoFan]

I saw this today when I was looking at calorie intact for different sports. I borrowed this from an online magazine. Makes me a little sick just reading it.

Check Out Michael Phelps Diet (Swimmer)

Here’s Phelps’s typical menu. (No, he doesn’t choose among these options. He eats them all, according to the Post.)

Breakfast: Three fried-egg sandwiches loaded with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, fried onions and mayonnaise. Two cups of coffee. One five-egg omelet. One bowl of grits. Three slices of French toast topped with powdered sugar. Three chocolate-chip pancakes.

Lunch: One pound of enriched pasta. Two large ham and cheese sandwiches with mayo on white bread. Energy drinks packing 1,000 calories.

Dinner: One pound of pasta. An entire pizza. More energy drinks.

That is an average day's munchies when you smoke as much pot as Phelps.

[Jgrooms]

And Horner continues to move up w next to no racing in the legs! Must be the diet.

[stephenmarklay]

Here's a great (albeit technical) article on Peter Attia's (http://eatingacademy.com/sports-and-nutrition/ketones-carbohydrates-can-co-exist) blog about this very subject. If you can get through the first 2/3rds to the "Extreme Example" section, he offers some very interesting insights.

Cheers,
KP

Thanks for posting, I will take a look a this.

[benb]

Folks have to remember that most of the fancy/complex diets on the web don't have great science behind them any more than CH's diet does, and the science of nutrition constantly changes and goes through fads.

Horner's diet works for him in the old N=1 study and that is what matters. I doubt any one is studying what those "bad foods" do to someone like a pro endurance athlete. Most of the harm is sedentary folks eating "bad food" in very high quantity on a daily basis without exercise.

Peter Attia sounds like he's a nut.. unless he actually is a diabetic (couldn't tell) a diet that requires him to blood test himself daily is even further from normal than CHs diet.

[mcteague]

Folks have to remember that most of the fancy/complex diets on the web don't have great science behind them any more than CH's diet does, and the science of nutrition constantly changes and goes through fads.

Horner's diet works for him in the old N=1 study and that is what matters. I doubt any one is studying what those "bad foods" do to someone like a pro endurance athlete. Most of the harm is sedentary folks eating "bad food" in very high quantity on a daily basis without exercise.

Peter Attia sounds like he's a nut.. unless he actually is a diabetic (couldn't tell) a diet that requires him to blood test himself daily is even further from normal than CHs diet.

Just what I was going to say. Food science is not really much of a science IMO. Narrowly focused studies, little use of double blind testing, etc, etc. Essentially, don't eat too much, aim for variety and keep moving. That should take care of it most of the time.

Tim

[crankles]

1st watch this ( if you haven't already ) http://vimeo.com/94347603

than watch this...

http://vimeo.com/97870255

[Dead Man]

1st watch this ( if you haven't already ) http://vimeo.com/94347603

than watch this...

http://vimeo.com/97870255

"...ees made of corn, and dog..."

Made my afternoon

[regularguy412]

"...ees made of corn, and dog..."

Made my afternoon

'Some chemicals inside -- better than real food'

Yep, nitrates go a long way, methinks.

Mike in AR:beer: :)

[dnades]

It'll be interesting to see how Horner does in this tour. He looks a little off but he's been through the mill for sure. 4 broken ribs that probably aren't totally healed among other things. It'll be interesting to see if he can keep his wattage up to be competitive. Or even if those wattage numbers are still enough. Remarkable guy. Think this will be his last tour? I hope, if it is, that he finds a way to stay in the field. He'd be an awesome strategist/coach or even a commentator for a network(I like his no bs delivery).

[Kirk Pacenti]

Food science is not really much of a science IMO. Narrowly focused studies, little use of double blind testing, etc, etc. Essentially, don't eat too much, aim for variety and keep moving. That should take care of it most of the time.

Tim

I think Peter would agree with the fist two sentences.

http://nusi.org/about-us/meet-our-president/#.U8R1KbHyRu8

Fwiw, I have been experimenting with what he and others (http://www.amazon.com/Art-Science-Low-Carbohydrate-Performance/dp/0983490716/ref=la_B0035PWMIA_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1405384496&sr=1-3) put forward for the last two years (save for the blood testing) and have had only positive results. I admit it's N=1, but it's working for me. ymmv.

Cheers,
KP

[pbarry]

But when you really break it down, can you define a healthy diet without knowing what the body is going to be required to do? What most people think of as a healthy diet is just what's been pounded into their heads all their lives. A majority of americans think eating fat is bad. A majority of americans probably aren't riding 400 miles a week...

Weak metaphor as the obesity index in this country is off the charts. If I have to work hard, I can eat anything I want in whatever quantity I want? Quantity/quality have no effect on my long term health??

The one intersection between the common conception of a bad diet and a really bad diet is how foods have changed for mass production or longer shelf life. Sadly, anything you find in a wrapper these days is going to be guilty to some extent of that. The question is what is truth and what is marketing? I also happen to be a practicing sushi chef (yeh, doesn't fit in well with the strict junk food claim...), there is a common base known as dashi, which is made by boiling kelp and adding bonito. In doing that people think it's this ultra healthy food made of only natural ingredients. People also think that MSG is bad for them. And yet they're the same thing...

Uhm, this is something a politician would say.. :eek:

You've spent a fair part of your adult life working on the pedal stroke and fitting aspects of cycling, [a fan of your work here, btw] and yet you say, in effect, "it depends" when diet is the subject. Again, :eek: You're missing out on a critical component of performance, whatever your chef credentials are, and personal diet is.

My earlier post re: CH's diet. I don't care about his wattage, show me the results for a 24+ year career. I think he could have done far better overall with a more complete training program that included a healthy diet, (insert what that means to you: Deep down it don't mean Ring Dings and MD). And it's even more important at age 42 riding as a pro. There's a guy in Texas..

It's well documented that a high sucrose/fructose sugar intake, (whatever the form), leads to a huge drop in glycemic blood levels much more quickly than consuming complex carbs or proteins do.
Say "b-o-n-k-i-n-g". Lon Haldemann was a big fan of fast food and that didn't work out so well when he had a more astute and well-fed competitor.

Ralph gets it: One can appear to be very fit.....and still be at high risk for diabetes, strokes, and heart attack. Some of these diets may be good for the TDF, but not for a long healthy life. I'm sure the managers and coaches of these riders are extremely concerned with their riders health 20-30 years after their Pro careers are over. You can tell from the advice given.

Ask yourself: Are only looking for short term performance gains from your clients and coaching work, or do you care about their longterm health, and yours?

[Ti Designs]

My earlier post re: CH's diet. I don't care about his wattage, show me the results for a 24+ year career. I think he could have done far better overall with a more complete training program that included a healthy diet

Define a "healthy diet". As much as I joke about being the last person you should ever get diet advice from, I've done my homework and I have a pretty good idea of what I'm putting into my body. I've also worked with lots of riders who have nutritionists who have come up with diets with holes in them, or diets which fall far short of their needs. The concept of being on a bike for 20+ hours a week is just so outlandish to them - not many sports can consume that many calories. It almost seems like the standard for diets for endurance athletes is based on training to run a marathon (I've run into the same baseline diet a few dozen times from different riders) As for holes in a diet that most would consider healthy, google vegan B12 deficiency...

My next question is how long is a "bad diet" sustainable? How much longer do I have?

[stephenmarklay]

Define a "healthy diet". As much as I joke about being the last person you should ever get diet advice from, I've done my homework and I have a pretty good idea of what I'm putting into my body. I've also worked with lots of riders who have nutritionists who have come up with diets with holes in them, or diets which fall far short of their needs. The concept of being on a bike for 20+ hours a week is just so outlandish to them - not many sports can consume that many calories. It almost seems like the standard for diets for endurance athletes is based on training to run a marathon (I've run into the same baseline diet a few dozen times from different riders) As for holes in a diet that most would consider healthy, google vegan B12 deficiency...

My next question is how long is a "bad diet" sustainable? How much longer do I have?

Just add a little Kale and your golden :)

[Ti Designs]

I think the real conclusion here in terms of long term health is to understand what you consume is based on your activity level. I must admit that I don't understand what other people do or don't see as obvious...

[Bstone]

My guess is that Horner just likes to screw with people by telling them this type of stuff.

Its awesome how much response this always gets.

[Hepmike]

My guess is that Horner just likes to screw with people by telling them this type of stuff.

Its awesome how much response this always gets.

Possibly...but when he said it, sounded very casual/offhand...not designed to get a reaction, IMO.

[Bantamben]

Good is good carbs are carbs fat is fat. It may not be nutritious but it's simply provides energy for him to do his work and that kinda food is good at that.

[nathanong87]

homeboy loves his coke.
https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xfp1/t1.0-9/10494852_10152338866674492_3532903047654976848_n.j pg

[brando]

Horner the HOSS!

[Auk]

Those are kiddie size cokes, it'd take 6-7 of them to add up to anything.

The web experts on his diet and claiming that his career would have been better if he'd follow a better diet are laughable. Spend one week doing what he does as a pro, both in training and in racing, and then come back to talk about diet. The junk he eats are basically a mental cope to the workload and strict diet he does hold to. The ones that hold to the monkish portion 24/7 don't last long.

I remember a great article from the past with Dave Scott, who, at that point had just won his first Hawaii Ironman after many failed attempts, and then retired only to come back and win it. He had done the vegan thing for so long in the belief that it would be the secret to success. He said at somepoint his body was just screaming for a big thick steak. He broke down and had one, and he said for the first time in a long time, he actually felt his body feel nurished.

Let Horner eat what he wants, pretty sure he knows the score.

[CunegoFan]

The web experts on his diet and claiming that his career would have been better if he'd follow a better diet are laughable. Spend one week doing what he does as a pro, both in training and in racing, and then come back to talk about diet. The junk he eats are basically a mental cope to the workload and strict diet he does hold to. The ones that hold to the monkish portion 24/7 don't last long.


Where this argument breaks down is that Horner himself said that when he went back to Europe he had to change his crappy eating habits and the resulting weight loss is why he is climbing so well.

[Auk]

Where this argument breaks down is that Horner himself said that when he went back to Europe he had to change his crappy eating habits and the resulting weight loss is why he is climbing so well.

Exactly, which is to say, the things you see him eat now that are "junk" are but a small part of his bigger diet. He's not just surviving on coke and snickers. That was my point, the indulgence isn't the norm, but it also isn't hurting him.