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41 posts in Nutrition
Low-carb and keto for cyclists: what the evidence actually shows
Fat adaptation is real, and it comes with a bill at race intensity. What the controlled studies found, where periodised low-carb differs from chronic keto, and the narrow set of riders for whom the trade is worth making.
Sodium bicarbonate: the oldest legal ergogenic aid, and the stomach problem
Baking soda has one of the largest effect sizes in sports nutrition for efforts of one to ten minutes, and one of the worst side-effect profiles. The dose, the timing, the ways riders make it tolerable, and why it does nothing at all for your gran fondo.
Beta-alanine: the tingle, the buffer, and whether it's worth it
Four to six weeks of daily dosing to raise muscle carnosine, an odd skin-prickling side effect, and a benefit concentrated almost entirely in efforts of one to four minutes. Who that describes, and who should save their money.
Vitamin C, tart cherry and the adaptation you might be blunting
The free radicals you are trying to mop up are part of how training works. Where high-dose antioxidants have been shown to dull adaptation, where tart cherry still earns its place, and the simple rule that resolves the contradiction.
Eating for cycling after 40: what actually changes
Anabolic resistance means the same protein does less than it used to, glycogen comes back slower, and thirst stops being a reliable signal. What genuinely changes with age — and how much of "masters nutrition" is the same advice in a different font.
Omega-3 for cyclists: what it does, what it doesn't
A supplement with a plausible mechanism, a decent safety record and a thin performance record. What EPA and DHA appear to do for muscle and recovery, what the direct performance trials show, and the dose that is actually studied.
Plant-based cycling: the four nutrients worth planning around
A well-planned plant-based diet supports serious training; the planning is the operative word. B12, iron absorption, the omega-3 conversion problem and protein distribution — plus the one that catches everyone out, simply eating enough.
Your gut bacteria and your riding: what the research can and can't say yet
Endurance athletes really do have different gut microbial profiles, and no probiotic on a shelf has been shown to make you faster. Separating the genuinely interesting findings from the marketing built on top of them.
The refuelling window: how real is it, and when does it matter?
The thirty-minute window is real, quite small, and almost irrelevant unless you are riding again tomorrow morning. What the research actually supports, the dose per kilogram, and the specific situations where the clock genuinely matters.
Drinking too much: hyponatraemia and why more water isn't safer
It looks like dehydration, it is treated the opposite way, and drinking more makes it worse. Who exercise-associated hyponatraemia actually happens to, why salt tablets are not the answer, and the symptoms that mean call for help now.
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