D.C. Tips / 2

By  Fred Matheny & Ed Pavelka More nuggets of advice from two guys (us!) who've combined for 13,529 miles at PAC Tour Desert Camps.

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Off-Bike Recovery

When you’re riding from 50 to 180 miles a day for a week, recovery becomes a huge issue. Desert Camp creates nearly the same stresses on the body as a one-week stage race -- except that most of us aren’t in our 20s anymore. And one of the first victims of the aging process is recovery rate.

As a result, it pays to heed the latest findings in recovery if you want to have fun -- every day -- at Camp. Here’s how:

• Breakfast! Recovery starts before you get on the bike. Eat a hearty breakfast each day to fuel you for the ride. Mix carbs like pancakes, waffles, cereal and bread with the staying power of protein from milk, eggs or lean meat. Don’t shy away from a reasonable percent of fat, either. That bagel will probably taste better with a dollop of cream cheese. And you might ride better, too.

• Eat for tomorrow. It’s important to take in about 300 calories an hour as you ride. You may not want that much food on Day 1 but remember -- early in the week you’re eating for the end of the week. That’s when your reserves get depleted. Take advantage of snack stops to refuel on bananas, fig bars, cookies and Lon’s secret weapon -- Payday candy bars. Then dig in to a variety of food at each day’s lunch stop.

• Refuel as soon as you finish. When you get to your room, mix your recovery drink and down it before you shower. Studies show that your muscle cells replenish their glycogen much faster if you eat immediately after exercise. Fifteen minutes after the ride is better than an hour. The so-called “glycogen window” closes at two hours post-exercise.

A commercial recovery drink like Endurox is easy to stash in your bag. Just mix it with water in your room. Recent studies tout chocolate milk as the perfect recovery drink. If there’s a convenience store nearby and dairy products agree with you, go for it.

Studies recommend that a 160-pound rider needs about 140 grams of carbohydrate and 10-20 grams of protein right after a long ride. Check the nutritional listing on your favorite recovery drink to see if you’re getting enough.

Real food works, too. One rider we know doesn’t go to the motel when he hits town. Instead he stops at Subway and buys a turkey sub on whole wheat, chips and a Coke. The sub provides carbs, protein and a little fat. The chips help replenish sodium and add some fat, too. The sugary Coke helps wash it down, providing fluid and some carbs.

• Don’t diet! It’s tempting to use Camp -- with its big mileage -- as a way to drop five fast pounds. We’ve seen riders restrict calories. That’s a mistake. You’re asking your body to do around four times the weekly mileage it has been accustomed to over the winter. That requires fuel. If you under eat in Arizona, you’ll lose some weight, but you’ll also ride slow and feel miserable. It’s a bad idea.

• Stay off your feet. After showering, spend a few minutes relaxing with your legs up. Lie with your head at the foot of the bed and put you feet atop the headboard or up on the wall. This helps blood drain from your legs so they'll feel less tight.

Then, during the rest of the afternoon and evening, follow the pro road racer's golden rule for keeping legs feeling as fresh as possible:

►Never stand when you can sit; never sit when you can lie down.

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Clothing

Desert Camp sometimes features very un-desert-like conditions. For instance, in 1997 on the ride "home" from Sierra Vista to Tucson, it was 38 degrees with a pouring, windswept rain.

We were riding with endurance legend and Team RAAM compadre, Pete Penseyres. It was raining so hard that we couldn’t see the pavement clearly and were worried that overtaking vehicles couldn’t see us. We wore tights, shoe covers, balaclavas, winter gloves, layers of fleece and shells zipped up tight -- but we were still soaked and freezing. When Pete flatted and we huddled by the side of the road to help him fix it, our hands turned blue.

That experience was extreme, but it was a good lesson, too. You need to be prepared for anything that springtime Arizona can throw at you. It could be the 80-degree warmth we all hope for, but there could be snow flurries, too.

Lon sends a clothing checklist for Camp when you sign up, and it’s inclusive so we won’t repeat it. However, several items deserve special mention:

• Two pairs of riding shorts. Wash shorts in the motel sink every day after the ride and hang them on a railing or shrub to dry. Modern shorts with quick-dry liners should be ready by evening in the desert’s low humidity. If they’re still wet, hang them in the room over the ventilation unit.

It’s smart to bring two different brands of shorts. By alternating them, you may reduce the incidence of hot spots and chafing. Just make sure both pairs have proven themselves comfortable on long rides before Camp.

• Long-sleeve cycling jersey. This is great for cool conditions. Push up the sleeves if the temperature rises. If you’re getting sunburned arms despite sunscreen, wear this jersey for added protection. Also, don’t forget arm warmers. They convert any jersey into a long-sleeved one.
   

• Two pairs of cycling shoes. You can ride in borrow shorts, helmet, gloves and even on a loaner bike, but your shoes are totally custom. They have to fit right and the cleats must be in the correct position. Bring a spare pair in case something crazy happens.
   

• Rain jacket. Pack a windproof jacket or vest, of course, and also include one that’s made for wet-weather riding. If you don’t need it on the bike (you probably won’t) you can wear it to dinner on a chilly evening. Make sure it has a long tail to cover the back of your shorts and saddle. Most regular cycling jackets lack this crucial feature.
   

• Leg warmers / knee warmers. You’ll rarely need full tights. Leg warmers are usually sufficient. Many riders like knee warmers, but remember that if you wear them all day in cool, sunny conditions, you’ll get a suntan line below the knee regardless of how much sunscreen you use.
   

• Shoe covers / toe covers. Ed likes fabric shoe covers that keep his ankles warm and can be rolled up and stored in a jersey pocket when the temp rises. Fred likes toe covers ("Calientoes" made by Pearl Izumi) because they’re even more compact and keep his feet warm enough. Bring your favorite or bring both.
   

• Other items. Small things make a difference. Fred likes to pack a polypro helmet liner that covers his ears and a pair of polypro gloves that go over regular short-finger cycling gloves. He also takes a pair of windshell over-gloves for cold or rain. These items pack small but are lifesavers when the weather turns nasty.

How do you carry all this stuff? Most Camp days start chilly and heat up, so you’ll need to shed clothes as you go. Lon provides a mesh bag in the van where you can stash unneeded gear during rest stops or lunch. But if the day turns cold or rainy, it’s unlikely the van will be right there when you want to dig out your warm clothes again.

The solution is a bag on your bike.

Ed uses a rack trunk on his Bike Friday. It’s roomy enough for anything he’ll need. If the weather’s good, Fred prefers to use a regular seat bag and put extra clothes like leg warmers and a vest in his jersey pockets. He takes a larger, expandable seat bag if he needs more capacity in bad weather. A fanny pack also works.

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Hydration

Three factors make hydration crucial at Desert Camp.

• Dry air. Humidity of less than 10% is common in Arizona. When it’s that dry, perspiration evaporates immediately. You don’t realize how much you’re sweating, which makes it easy to forget to drink enough.

• Heat. Sure, it may be 60 degrees rather than 85 on some days at Camp. But for most riders coming to Arizona in March, even 60 is a lot warmer than the temps they’ve been riding in all winter. You need to drink more because warmth equals sweat equals dehydration.

• Big miles. It’s hard to keep up with fluid loss when you’re riding at least 50 miles every day, let alone centuries and 300K brevets. And remember that a loss of only 2% of your weight as fluid can mean performance decreases of 2% or greater. At Camp, dehydration is a leading contributor to fatigue.

Here’s how to keep from looking like a stick of beef jerky:

• Pre-hydrate. Drink a glass of water when you wake up. Down some juice, milk or more water at breakfast. Some riders avoid coffee at Camp because it has a mild diuretic effect. But that’s no fun, and recent studies show that the negative effect is minimal, so feel free to enjoy your Joe.

• Guzzle on the rides. Leave the motel and every rest stop with two full bottles. Drink them on the way to the next stop and then reload. Many riders like to fill one bottle with sports drink and the other with water. If you’re doing Week 3’s Mountain Tour or Week 4’s daily centuries and may miss a rest stop, consider wearing a back-mounted hydration system for more fluid capacity.

• Drink up at dinner. Food contains salt, and salt makes you want to drink more. Salt also helps your body retain and use the fluid you’re drinking. So make sure your dinner includes several glasses of water.

• Be one with your bottle. A good rule at Camp is never to go anywhere without a water bottle. Carry it to bike service, poolside sunbathing, coaching seminars, the DQ. . . everywhere. Keep sipping!

How do you know if you’re doing it right and are well hydrated? Your urine will be clear and copious. You’ll have to go every couple of hours. Stop drinking a couple of hours before bedtime so your sleep won't be overly interrupted. But if you’re not getting up at least twice, you're not drinking enough.

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